Review contains:
MULTIGABOOKAF
claim to objectivity
historical background on open sources under spoilers
trivia about the game there unfunny jokes with strikethroughs and without
Difficult to read labels on screenshots (sorry)
Happy reading
Yes! Blades of shogun is an excellent tactical stealth game that definitely deserves "Amazing". It’s not perfect, and the plot is not its main advantage, but this does not detract from the merits of the game. You could say she’s copying Commandos, but even this can hardly be called an objective minus, because this is not a soulless copying of the classics, but the return of what we missed.
Tactical stealth action is a relatively rare genre. Of the more or less new ones, the only ones that come to mind are Invisible, inc And Hitman And Deus Ex Go. But in December 2016, with a cry “I’ll burst in now!» from basements Mimimi Productions runs out Shadow tactics – blades of shogun and… bursts in! Yes, so successfully that it attracts the attention of lovers of not only stealth, but also tactics in general. Have we really received the reincarnation of those same Commandos, or without fish and fish and Japanese crayfish fish? Let’s figure it out and start with..
…music and voice acting
Listen: A river of strings flows in silence
The goal of the soundtrack is to immerse the player in the atmosphere of the work. Looking ahead, the OST has Shadow tactics this works out well. So that you feel the spirit of the East while you read, we will begin the review with a discussion of the soundtrack, having previously included local compositions.
Wrote the music for the game Filippo Beck Pecoz (Filippo Beck Peccoz). Oriental motifs are clearly heard in it, enhancing the charm of cities, monasteries and tracts. Due to the specific style, the melodies may not get into your player, but at least you will remember the tracks from the main menu and from the loading screen. The soundtrack immerses the player in the atmosphere of the Japanese Middle Ages, which is exactly what it is for.
Here you will experience zen while patiently waiting for the first download. Well at least the music is good
The game has voice acting in English and Japanese. You are more likely to know the first one, the second one is better suited to the environment. Since we’re talking about languages, a few words about localization. IN Shadow tactics Only the text has been translated into Russian. It’s done well, but not without discrepancies between speech and subtitles. Unfortunately, there are errors in the inscriptions. There are not enough of them to strongly recommend changing the language, but some are critical and sometimes downright stupid.
Land for peasants, high-quality localization for games! Seriously, the correct translation is “Free Hayato»
Separately, I would like to note the “liveness” of the remarks: the speech of the characters during missions is not perceived as annoying noise. This effect is achieved not least by changing phrases depending on the situation or plot twists. Snow? Here are complaints about cold feet. Spoiler? Get emotional acting out. All this has a positive effect on the degree of immersion.
We’ve sorted out what the player hears. How are things going with..
Enjoy a touch of local art: look at all the screenshots.
The game has a nice visual style that is reminiscent of oriental prints. Thanks to him, the picture is pleasing to the eye, even if it is not photorealistic, which is what AAA projects strive for. Taking into account not very strict system requirements Shadow tactics – a beautiful, well-drawn interactive cartoon with a relatively low price (800 rubles per GOG And Steam). But works are not judged only by their cover, so let’s move on to..
Musician, Sing more about heroes!
Set in early Edo period Japan, 1600s. Nameless Shogun – probably based on Tokugawa Ieyasu – completes the unification of the country, ending the era of civil strife. But not everyone is happy with the established peace. There are rumors among the people about the mysterious Kage-sama (Shadow Man), who wants to start another civil war. The player’s task is to identify and eliminate the rebel while controlling a squad of local "commandos".
Shogun (Japanese. 将軍 sho: gong) (To be precise, sei-taishogun (征夷大将軍)) – the title of the de facto ruler of Japan from 1192 to 1868, although formally the emperor was more important due to his divine essence. Initially, the shogun was the commander of one army, and the seii-taishogun was the commander of three. Later, the commander of campaigns against the northern barbarians was called seii-taishogun.
During the inter-clan turmoil at the end of the 12th century Minamoto no Yoshinaka captured the capital, Kyoto, and pushed his rival into the southern provinces. Yoshinaka obtained from the emperor the title of seii-taishogun, which gave him the monopoly right to collect and manage the army. Despite this, he was killed by his cousin, who became virtually the sole ruler of the country and also asked the emperor for the “position of commander in chief”. Since then, shoguns have been the name given to military rulers, the de facto main officials of Japan, and the title itself was inherited.
Tokugawa Ieyasu – the first shogun of the Tokugawa clan, completed the unification of the country begun Oda Nobunaga
Shadow tactics – blades of shogun shows Japan at the beginning of the 17th century – the time of the formation of the Tokugawa shogunate (aka the Edo period and the Edo shogunate). The Tokugawa clan ruled from 1603 to 1868 and was the third and last shogun dynasty.
The main task of the local plot is to connect the missions with each other. If in the same Commandos phrases "beat the Nazis” was enough to explain what was happening, then Shadow tactics Due to the less popular setting without a narrative, it is difficult to understand why it is necessary to kill this samurai or steal the documents. Even though the story is simple and sometimes predictable, it fulfills its function. But you don’t expect more from it, because in such games the main thing is not the plot..
The briefing takes place at the Vault..
…or on the battlefield
…and the gameplay
The enemy does not sleep, be careful – you will win.
In this aspect Shadow tactics not much different from Commandos Oreview finished amazing 10/10 thank you all until next time. Like its predecessor creation Mimimi productions can be considered as a set of stealth puzzles. In one you need to blow up the castle gates, in the second you need to kill the convoy officers, in the third you need to steal documents… The variability of goals is one of the reasons why missions are played differently, but not the only one. The influence of the level landscape, including the weather, is no less great. But before we move on to level design, let’s discuss the basic mechanics.
Mission objectives are completed differently: escaping from prison is different from eavesdropping and stealing
The enemy’s field of view is a sector that is divided into two parts. In the near, active, player is detected in any position, in the far – only if he is standing. As soon as the enemy sees the character, the field of view begins to fill with yellowness. If it reaches the hero, the guard raises the alarm and his closest comrades go chew gum and kick ass. "Commandos" can not only see, but also hear. Therefore, running through puddles or shooting next to a guard is extremely harmful.
Stop right there, criminal scum!
Let’s return to weather conditions. Some missions take place at night, when opponents have difficulty seeing away from light sources – fires, torches and lamps. The latter can be extinguished, then the guard who noticed this glorify the sun! will try to light it again. Whether he succeeds or not depends on the player.
Day, night, snow, rain – all this affects tactics
In rainy weather, puddles appear on the ground, which squelch loudly if you walk on them. In "winter" missions, characters leave footprints in the snow that the guard will want to check. This can lead to both the discovery of an unlucky scout and the death of a vigilant enemy in the nearest bushes.
Interesting detail. The characters have different footprints: some are larger, some are smaller, and the one-legged old man leaves one footprint and a circle from his prosthesis. Game designer trifle, but nice.
No matter how cunning you are, you won’t be able to hide in open areas for long. You can hide in the bushes; in buildings if there are no opponents inside; on the roofs and on the floor above and, crouching, behind a cart or, for example, a large stone. An alarmed enemy searches nearby houses, thickets and nooks. Therefore, it will not be possible to kill the worried guards by luring everyone to one bush: already the second or third one will detect the player.
Don’t spoil my story! Special forces are working there
No matter how careless the guard may be, a corpse in the active field of view alarms him. Therefore, for a quiet passage cutlets bodies must be hidden in stomach bushes, sake barrels, buildings, nooks and crannies, or thrown into abysses and ponds. Sometimes it’s not possible to quietly pull out a dead enemy and you have to leave him in the “shaded” zone of visibility at random.
Each saboteur has his own rather large cemetery
Due to the enemy’s numerical superiority, the player can only win by carefully planning his moves. Helps coordinate the actions of the squad twin mode – a tool that allows you to give orders to each hero in advance. Characters can perform their plans simultaneously or in turn. Therefore, the mode is useful not only when killing patrols, but also, for example, when consistently distracting guards.
Here is a girl asking https://bet9jacasino.co.uk/login/ you for directions, but here you are lying in the bushes with your dead colleagues
Blades of shogun clearly focused on replayability. Methods for completing tasks range from quiet, Hitman-style, to meaty, Hitman-style. Although the “canonical” passage is considered to be completely secretive, which can be achieved the first time, Shadow tactics not fully revealed in one playthrough.
To attract the player to repeat visits, stripes have been added that are issued when certain conditions are met during the mission. Some are time limits and lack of anxiety, but most are related to the use or non-use of game mechanics. You won’t be able to get all the badges at once, if only because during the first playthrough, uncompleted tasks are not displayed. Mutually exclusive conditions can be met during a single playthrough using save-and-load’A. But even with this relief, the game poses a serious challenge to the player, especially on a higher difficulty level. Oh yes, difficulty levels..
The list of patches can be seen both when selecting a mission and while completing the task
With them everything is very obvious: three levels, one wow more difficult than the other. "Player", according to the developers, the most suitable for the first playthrough. On "Professional"characters have less health, and guards have better vision. On "Newbie“Everything is exactly the opposite and you can’t earn stripes. But it’s easier to kill with it..
… opponents
Skillful
Enemy Weaknesses
Knows everything.
In the game, opposing forces are represented in several categories. Types of enemies differ in behavior, weapons and, accordingly, suitable tactics to combat them. Let’s look at each one separately.
Enemy
Most of the enemies fall into this category. They are armed tanegashimami (arquebuses (guns)), causing one unit of damage with a shot, or Yari (blade on a stick), which takes away two health points per hit. They can be killed with any weapon. Enemies personify the principle "A sucker is not a mammoth, a sucker will not go extinct». They are always ready to see who is making noise there, what kind of bottle is on the forest path, where these tracks lead, so they are easily killed in the nooks and crannies.
Friar The enemy checked where the tracks in the snow lead
Some characters in the game are named after the developers. Killing them all will give you the achievement "Mimimi", at least in GOG.
Some unsuccessful projects really lack the ability to kill the developer
Straw hat
Local orderlies never leave their bedside tables, in other words, they never leave their post. Like Enemies, they can be killed in any way. They get distracted by baits literally for a second. However, even this time is enough to run away or kill.
And why are you waving sake like some kind of spy?? I’m the Hat, these things don’t work on me!
Ashigaru(Japanese. 足軽, letters. "lightfooted", that is "not covered with armor") – Japanese light infantry from non-landowners, who made up most of the feudal armies. Until the second half of the 16th century, the main weapon was Yari – a spear with a blade at the end. In 1543, the Japanese bought two guns from Portuguese sailors, dismantled and reassembled them threw out unnecessary details, slightly improved and put into production.
The resulting arquebus was named Tanegashima after the name of the island where Europeans sailed. It remained the main firearm of the Japanese army until the middle of the 19th century.
The armor of the ashigaru was okashi gusoku (literally "borrowed armor"), considered the property of the daimyo. It perfectly illustrates market economics, balancing between the minimum required efficiency and maximum cheapness. Okashi gusoku consisted of a thin cuirass, a hat and a laminar – made of layers of stripes – a skirt. If the feudal lord was too poor or greedy, the armor was limited to a breastplate and a hat, where would we be without it?.
Samurai
A trained warrior in strong armor, armed with a pistol and a katana. In hand-to-hand combat, only another samurai is dangerous to him. To kill him, you must first stun him with a shot. But even in this state, he raises the alarm when he notices the player. Like Straw Hat, immune to bait and noise. In addition, a Samurai cannot be fooled by dressing up as a civilian.
If a Samurai leads a group of Enemies, it will not be possible to lure his subordinates
Samurai (Japanese. 侍, Japanese also uses the word "bushi" (武士)) – secular landowner in feudal Japan. The main thing in their lives was following Bushido (Japanese. "Way of the Warrior") and serving the master.
Classic samurai armor was made of plates fastened with silk, of which there was so much that no metal parts were visible behind the lacing. The armor included a cuirass, a helmet with a mask, limb protection and shoulder pads that slide back with active movements of the arms. Depending on the owner’s wealth, elements were reduced in price or removed.
The samurai were armed with a set of two swords (daisho). One was long (daito), and the other is short (Shoto). In addition, bushi were required to be able to shoot a longbow (wakyu or daikyu). Since the 16th century, firearms have also been used.
If the bushi did not follow the deceased master (special suicide was called tsuifuku or oibara) or was pushed out into the cold by him, then the samurai became ronin – a wanderer with a katana, a moral code and professional killing skills.
An alternative to vagrancy is to become a Buddhist monk. Buddhist temples in Japan were isolated from the rest of society. That’s why sohei ("monk soldier") when tonsured, he died for society as a samurai and was reborn as a monk. Sohei were destroyed during the Tokugawa shogunate.
Women from the bushi family were also trained in the art of war, but they did not become samurai. If a representative of the fair sex voluntarily joined the army, she was called onna-bugeisha (Japanese. "女武芸者", "woman trained in martial arts").
Reinforcement
Soldiers who sit in barracks – buildings marked with a flag. When alarmed, they run out of houses and, if they cannot find the violators, stand at additional posts. The first wave consists only of Enemies, but in subsequent waves there are also Samurai.
In case of alarm, an officer from the barracks will run to notify other posts
Civilians
Respectable unarmed citizens reporting suspicious persons to the guards. There are no fines for killing them, so you can safely throw into the abyss a peasant who has discovered a corpse behind his house for the tenth time. Not all civilians run to security when they see the player. For example, residents of a village plundered by rebels will not betray the shogun’s spies.
If the nearest guard turns out to be a Samurai, the witness will be sent to hell so as not to be distracted from the service.
The samurai hints to the peasant that saving drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves
Chickens
Domestic birds of local residents of the Skyrim Gray breed run around the yards. If you approach them, they make noise and can attract guards. It is impossible to kill, therefore, in terms of danger they are close to the Samurai, whom, thank God, they are able to eliminate..
If there was an enemy nearby, alarm would be inevitable
… our heroes
A spy and a ninja walk in the darkness, a sniper will pave the way for them.
Local commandos
The squad consists of five people, but most often it operates in a reduced number. Despite differences in skill and play style, all scouts can walk What a surprise; steal; run; climb stairs; shoot from matchlock pistols and use a local dressing package and, with the exception of the sniper grandfather, kill or stun in hand-to-hand combat and drag bodies.
Shinobi mercenary (ninja), last of the clan. In close combat he wields a ninjato – a short sword. Throws shuriken at opponents and distracts them with stones. Can swim, climb ivy, use a grappling hook. Gameplay as Hayato involves stealth and distraction, sometimes killing lone guards. Although no one is stopping you from organizing a banal purge.
One of Hayato’s phrases is "war never changes" – may be a reference to the series Fallout. Another remark, “again behind enemy lines", probably a nod towards the first part of the series Commandos — Commandos: Behind enemy lines (Commando: Behind Enemy Lines).
Clans lived in forests and mountains, training began in childhood. Ninjutsu (Japanese. 忍術, "the art of stealth") included the use of the environment for camouflage, espionage, reconnaissance, fighting skills.
At night, contrary to the stereotype, ninjas did not wear black, but dark brown, gray or yellow suits. During the day, shinobi dressed like ordinary people: peasants, merchants, monks, prostitutes or actresses, if gender allowed. Bladed weapons, throwing weapons, firearms and explosives were used on missions. In addition, they carried a grappling hook; writing supplies for making maps and notes; medicines; smoldering coals; sometimes means of swimming and hacking.
An orphan who lost her parents during the war became a thief after their death. The streets taught her to hear things, "who want to leave", and hurt people who "they want to offend her». Armed with a dagger, sets a trap that shoots a nail in the throat, lures enemies with a whistle. Like Hayato, he can swim and climb, which is why they have a similar playstyle. But Yuki also acts as the initiator of murders, since it is easier for her to lead opponents to a secluded place.
Cut the ligaments, hit the neck!
Mugen
Samurai loyal to the shogun. It is not known how many years he lay on the stove, but his strength is heroic. Mugen is able to run while carrying two bodies, a barrel of explosives or a heavy stone. With the help of the latter, he arranges accidents, which allows corpses to be left in sight without raising the alarm.
Uses a katana in hand-to-hand combat, the only member of the squad who defeats a samurai in a fair fight. Ability "Storm of Swords"allows you to simultaneously kill up to three Enemies or Hats in a small area. By using packs of cigarettes sake bottles lures Enemies, except those on patrol under the command of the Samurai. Mugen’s hand mortar kills anyone with one shot.
I’ll burst in now… …and won’t escape
Aiko
A spy operating under the noses of enemies. Sneeze powder temporarily reduces enemy visibility. Aiko is able to change into ss-sheep civilian, which allows you to deceive Enemies and Hats and distract them with conversation. The latter is useful if you need to eliminate a patrol or infiltrate an area that is under constant surveillance. Aiko uses a hair clip as a melee weapon, can swim, climb ivy, and use a cat. The playstyle differs from Hayato only in the ability to change clothes.
A well-camouflaged operative does not need to be in the bushes
Takuma and Kuma
Acts as a sniper in the squad. During the first mission, he lost his leg due to a friendly fire and was captured. There he made himself a prosthetic gun with a silencer.
Cannot attack in melee, carry corpses and swim; only climbs stairs. Basic attack – rifle shot. If the goal of the mission is to kill someone, Takuma carries a spare bullet. In addition, in his pockets there are grenades: fragmentation or with paralyzing gas.
The owner is accompanied by the tame tanuki Kuma, who lures Enemies with his howl and cuteness. The main style of the “grandfather” is supporting the squad from afar, killing the guards who stand on the towers or prevent the heroes from passing.
A bad sniper can be seen from afar, but a good one can only be seen on the minimap
And how it plays? And what was this sheet for?? And where is the ellipsis between the parts??
The wise man is not the one who writes a lot, but the one who does not get confused.
Two words: return Commandos. Before us again is a tactical stealth game about reconnaissance saboteurs. This can be called copying, or it can be called a return to the classics. Once again we cannot help but praise the variability of both missions and methods of completing them. The task can be completed either without killing a single person, or by setting up accidents, or something like this:
Sorry, there was no other way to embed without loss of quality
Unfortunately, Shadow tactics – it’s only a game, which means it has conventions. Active and passive fields of vision, the fixation of the guards’ actions, the absence of roll call, blood and other things that would interfere with concealing the murders… The latter, by the way, is not entirely true. Some enemies notice missing teammates, but only if they interact with them. For example, an officer running around the towers will notice the disappearance of the guard with whom he speaks every two minutes. But the patrolmen who pass by the Enemy resting by the fire will do nothing if he is not there.
Nevertheless, Shadow tactics – Blades of shogun – this is an excellent tactical stealth. Yes, it is not ideal, in some ways it is conservative and not innovative. In the end, yes, this is not a game that people buy for the story. But no other assessment other than "Amazing", she doesn’t deserve.
Pros: classic style gameplay Commandos, no unbalanced or unnecessary abilities (except maybe first aid kits, if you stealth perfectly), varied missions, unused setting, high replayability, pleasant graphic style, atmospheric soundtrack, good price-system requirements ratio
Cons: some gameplay conventions, errors in Russian text and untranslated speech, only one mission with a full squad
Thanks for reading, and I’m in sij Blades of Shogun, emboss stripes.
Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii, "Kill Bill» (Kill Bill, 2003-2004. TO. Tarantino)