Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 139 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 116 out of 139
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 139
  3. Negative: 14 out of 139
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  1. Wolfenstein51
    Aug 2, 2017
    10
    Brings me back to my days playing Commandos 2 on PC. The game is excellent, has a very clean look and is really fun to play. You really have to plan your approach to succeed in this game, but the payoff is worth it. This is a game I will be playing for a long time. If you like a bit of strategy in your stealth games, pick it up.
  2. Ikenda
    Aug 3, 2017
    10
    Wow I'm just shocked by this. Didn't see it coming. I tried the demo and realized that this is Commandos in feudal Japan! I bought it immediately I'm having so much fun. Graphics are slick, controls are great for a console and the game is a total through back to the Commandos games which i really loved. This is going to resurrect this genre and I'm loving it! A must buy for anyone who evenWow I'm just shocked by this. Didn't see it coming. I tried the demo and realized that this is Commandos in feudal Japan! I bought it immediately I'm having so much fun. Graphics are slick, controls are great for a console and the game is a total through back to the Commandos games which i really loved. This is going to resurrect this genre and I'm loving it! A must buy for anyone who even remotely knows what Commandos is and a must try for all the youngsters since there is a demo (another dying thing). Top notch!… Expand
  3. dodgingbullet
    Sep 1, 2017
    9
    If you loved the Commandos series (Pyro Studios) and Desperados series (Spellbound), you definitely gonna want to pick this one up.
    It warms my heart that this genre is still alive and i´ll be in close quarters with Mimimi, waiting patiently for their second a title. (Get to work boys!! You got a winner here...)
  4. GBG_Jason
    Sep 28, 2017
    9
    A very astute man patrols the walkway, lined with stone and shrubberies, ensuring his fellow colleagues are safe. A battle has emerged at the front gate, and it is a battle life or death for the guards of the fort. The walls are lined with gunmen, firing away at the invading army of the Shogun. On his way back home for the night, the guard feels the cold steel of a katana cut across hisA very astute man patrols the walkway, lined with stone and shrubberies, ensuring his fellow colleagues are safe. A battle has emerged at the front gate, and it is a battle life or death for the guards of the fort. The walls are lined with gunmen, firing away at the invading army of the Shogun. On his way back home for the night, the guard feels the cold steel of a katana cut across his neck, and all so suddenly tastes the copper of his own blood as he slinks to the ground and is dragged into the very bushes he kept walking past unknowingly. An assassin was waiting for the perfect moment to strike, as the Shogun would surely rule this land.

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a game that mixes two genres that go hand-in-hand: stealth and strategy. If there’s a genre that is most often either a hit or miss, it’s stealth. If the mechanics are off just enough, it ruins the entire game. Likewise, strategy can often be unplayable thanks to the difficulty and/or a lack of actual options. Luckily, this manages to harness the best from both genres, while also having a great story and plenty of replay value.

    There’s a lot that goes into the 13 levels you’ll be playing. While each one has a badge for completing it within a certain amount of time, (5 minutes, 15 minutes, etc), chances are you’ll be spending a lot more time than that. The first level took me about 45 minutes, and that’s not including all the reloading I did because I messed something up. The game allows for quick saves by pressing the touch pad, which only takes a few seconds. It keeps your three most recent saves, because we all know that when you save in a game like this, chances are you do so at a terrible time and need to rethink a portion of the game. This will save you so much frustration, and keeps the game fresh as you try different tactics in each level, as loading a quick save is near immediate.

    You start off with a ninja, but are soon introduced to a samurai and sniper, all of which you’ll end up controlling. As the game is constantly moving regardless of who you are, you need to ensure the characters are in safe spots when left alone. Crouched in a hidden spot is ideal, unless you’re keen on dying. This is a bit less of an issue if you’re killing everything in your path, but for those that are doing non-lethal playthroughs and only knocking characters out, the guards may come looking for you once they come to, and it doesn’t take them long to do so.

    Each of the five characters you gain control of has their own abilities, adding their own flare to each level. These include combat as well as distractions. When you are first introduced to a character, there are fairly obvious places to use them. The levels are designed to teach you their abilities if you are so inclined, although you don’t have to. The game is also sure to inform you of level specific features, such as riding in a wagon to get past guards or using the environment for kills. These will often factor into the badges for each level, and typically have a trophy attached. You’ll find that certain sections of levels are seemingly impossible without a bit of teamwork that you’d find in the likes of Modern Warfare with your AI sniper taking out the left as you kill the right. Luckily, the game offers a shadow mode that lets you set up an action per character, and lets you execute it at the perfect time with the press of the triangle button. This is extremely satisfying.

    The nice thing about the camera is it lets you view enemy patterns all around the level, and you can reset it back to who you’re currently in control of, which is nice as you can easily become lost in the maps. When wandering around, you will undoubtedly walk into an enemy’s vision cone that you overlooked. This will bring up a green cone that fills up with yellow until it reaches you, at which point it’s red and you reload your save. You CAN keep playing – you have life and whatnot – but with how often you save (the game reminds you ever minute and twenty seconds with a spiffy graphic) there’s really no reason not to reload. You are also able to view each enemy’s vision cone (one at a time) by pressing left on the d-pad, which allows you to get to the next bush at just the right time, or draw their attention and kill them just out of sight while their buddy surveys the area.

    If you are a fan of stealth or strategy, I highly recommend Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. It offers so much content, and presents it better than most games in the genres it covers. The only downfall is the camera, and it is a big one once you spend some time with it, but that’s hardly a reason to not play this. Mimimi Productions has created a gem of a game, and their future looks very bright.    … Expand
  5. aspentitan
    Feb 14, 2020
    9
    Awesome game but buyer beware it is advertised as hardcore so expect the difficulty. Much like the Dark souls series this game is difficult but fair. Unlike the Souls series this game is more puzzle than action as it's a stealth game. I was surprised how fun this game actually is although the action seems rather bland and slow this game occupies your mind while you cleverly use yourAwesome game but buyer beware it is advertised as hardcore so expect the difficulty. Much like the Dark souls series this game is difficult but fair. Unlike the Souls series this game is more puzzle than action as it's a stealth game. I was surprised how fun this game actually is although the action seems rather bland and slow this game occupies your mind while you cleverly use your intelligence to slowly advance through the game. You can toggle 5 characters with different skills to proceed as you wish. The game allows you to be creative and pulling off your plan is extremely satisfying. There are tons of difficult chokepoints but always a solution. Thankfully the game has an excellent save design so that it's easy to progress past any little nuance you have succeeded in bypassing, or dying. I didn't expect this game to draw me in as much as it did. Some of the areas I had great difficulty bypassing but you can easily leave the game and think of new things to try and come back to try again and see if it works. I had to walk away from the game a lot and it always begged me to come back, and yes eventually you proceed. Make no mistake this game requires perseverance but is so worth your time. I'm knocking off one point because I feel some extra camera options and other options would have made the game much less frustrating. At times the camera and toggling characters seemed to be hindering the enjoyment of the game and it would have been nice to have an option to have the camera follow your character although I do admit requiring this want was likely that I wasn't strategically doing the best choice in the game so I can cut my suggestion some slack. Similarly I found the game reset your characters abilities to a default and at times that tricked me into doing something unexpected or foiled the timing. As mentioned thank goodness for the great save system. I can't say enuf about this game it's way more fun than it looks but be prepared to take it slow and eventually get pass those chokepoints. I think anyone with patience will love this game and those without skip it, it's a toughie.… Expand
  6. OwnKarater
    Nov 18, 2017
    8
    Good game, I was waiting for cool ninja game. I enjoy over all feel to it, variety of ways to accomplish missions and quick loads. Downside was outdated graphics and it was little too hard haha :)
  7. SplitMind
    Jul 6, 2018
    8
    If you remember the Commandos games from yesteryear and liked them then you will like this game too. I think the PS4 is missing more esoteric titles like this. I say esoteric for a reason, because this will certainly not be everyone's cup of tea.

    There are a variety of characters with differing skills and equipment that can allow you to navigate through missions in a number of ways to    If you remember the Commandos games from yesteryear and liked them then you will like this game too. I think the PS4 is missing more esoteric titles like this. I say esoteric for a reason, because this will certainly not be everyone's cup of tea.

    There are a variety of characters with differing skills and equipment that can allow you to navigate through missions in a number of ways to suit your own style, although if your style is not stealth, then you are playing the wrong game. The downside of this also is that most missions will not have all five characters to choose from, limiting your choice a little, although this also works out for a smoother experience because despite their distinctiveness, some characters' skills do overlap.

    The learning curve here also comes from controls that can be fiddly at first because almost every button on the controller is needed, and commanding your team quickly can be challenging but achievable. Shadow Mode allows you to plan a move in advance, so that can help massively. Fortunately the game is very concise and helpful when introducing new characters and concepts with quick tutorials.

    The graphics aren't exactly pushing the PS4 to its limits, but they are still easy on the eyes. There can be a lot going on in the screen sometimes and this gets tricky but that's more down to the nature of the game rather than any flaws in graphics.

    There is a loose story in the game that is vaguely interesting, but you don't need to know it to enjoy the game as the focus is on the gameplay. There is some interesting character development, though.

    The gameplay is where a game like this really shines. It can be very challenging, but there are varying difficulty levels that can help a lot too. The normal difficulty setting is quite challenging and I probably would recommend the easy setting to get used to the controls if you get frustrated easily. One of the best facets of the game is the save system that is very fluid and allows you to save any time, which is a God-send when each move in a game like this can be critical. Plus, the game reminds you when you haven't saved your game in over a minute. Yes, it really is necessary to save that often.

    Overall, I found that this is a great game and the only real flaw was some repetition as the game progressed. However if that is not an issue then you will enjoy Shadow Tactics. Each mission can easily last over an hour and the friendly save system makes it addictive to want to go back and try again in various approaches to each level. Definitely recommended if you like a strategy-type of game or want something different.    … Expand
  8. TatsMcGee
    Sep 8, 2018
    5
    All I knew about this game was that it was a real-time strategy game and it was well received. It was originally a PC game that came out last year but now the consoles got their own port this year. This is a very stealthy/patient Real Time Strategy (RTS) that I struggled with.

    I played the game for a couple hours and I just didn’t get into the game. When I’m playing an RTS, I prefer    All I knew about this game was that it was a real-time strategy game and it was well received. It was originally a PC game that came out last year but now the consoles got their own port this year. This is a very stealthy/patient Real Time Strategy (RTS) that I struggled with.

    I played the game for a couple hours and I just didn’t get into the game. When I’m playing an RTS, I prefer games like the Total War series or Halo Wars where it’s controlling an army. This is much more, controlling one character at a time but having multiple characters on the map. So you’re switching between multiple characters, solving puzzles and stealthily attacking enemies.

    This is a strategy game but its just not the type of Strategy game that I am into. I do think it’s a well-made game but its just not for me.    … Expand
  9. Ben_ben
    Nov 2, 2021
    3
    Just lure kill hide wait repeat. Other features are not useful.
    The story is like a western image of Japanese samurai which is strange in east culture.
  10. Markos-
    Nov 27, 2020
    9
    This is an EXCELLENT video game that very effectively copies the Commandos formula (the best game made in Spain ever!), adding enough tweaks and variations to make it really interesting and with its own identity. It requires patience, planning, accuracy, and some brains. Just like the original Commandos. It is REALLY well ported to PS4, I'm playing the last missions already, and it hasThis is an EXCELLENT video game that very effectively copies the Commandos formula (the best game made in Spain ever!), adding enough tweaks and variations to make it really interesting and with its own identity. It requires patience, planning, accuracy, and some brains. Just like the original Commandos. It is REALLY well ported to PS4, I'm playing the last missions already, and it has been an incredibly smooth experience.
    The music is so beautiful and immersive. THe characters and story are pretty good in my opinion, and just the feel of having 'specialized units' just like in COmmandos, brings so many great memories too.
    A must play if you liked Commandos! (and even if you never played it, you should give this one a chance)    … Expand
  11. pongkrit03
    Jul 15, 2018
    9
    Just beated the game yesterday. Shadow tactics is the fantastic game that got huge inspiration from Commando, and Commando is my favorite game in my childhood so yes, I love Shadow tactics very much. The difficulty is very high, brutal sometimes but there are also a lot of possibilities to approach. You can adjust difficulty as well so it is fine for rookies to learn. Let see pros andJust beated the game yesterday. Shadow tactics is the fantastic game that got huge inspiration from Commando, and Commando is my favorite game in my childhood so yes, I love Shadow tactics very much. The difficulty is very high, brutal sometimes but there are also a lot of possibilities to approach. You can adjust difficulty as well so it is fine for rookies to learn. Let see pros and cons.

    Pro
    1. Very well done commando style game - Shadow tactics inherits the soul of Commando in the right way and yet improve what was lack. For exp, handgun rarely be used in Commando because it will instantly trigger alarm. Now in Shadow tactics, it will not trigger alarm, but it has very loud voice and limited ammo

    2.Good Story - I never expected the story but Shadow tactics did good job in this area, although it is little dark for my taste but I enjoy the conversation between comrades so far.

    3.Shadow mode - very intuitive mechanic, It allows you to order all of your characters beforehand then let them commit their actions at the same time. This allows us to perform very high tactical engaging that we would never be able to do in the old commando.

    4.Badge system adds a lot of replayabilities in this game.

    Cons
    1.Price is a little too high (40USD), since the graphic is not that great, I expected the price should be around 25-30 USD.

    2.Only 13 missions. I was hope for 15 to 20.

    In brief, from a fan of commando like myself, Shadow tactics earns 9/10, a very solid score. In term of gameplay, they did everything right. 20+ hours from start to finish, I cherish every moment. I will absolutely buy the sequel if they do. For those who never played this kind of game , there is a demo, you can try and see yourself. If you love challenging game and also strategy game, you don't want to miss this one. A remarkable gem indeed.    … Expand
  12. Piter_Ballack
    Aug 25, 2019
    10
    Amazing Game!!! I must buy for sure!!
    Don’t listen for those who say that is not like this game or this other one. Is a unique type of game just comparable whit commandos (and old classic pc game).
    Great graphics, perfect gameplay, extremely challenging and lot lot lot of FUN!!
  13. Hoaaeinshrt98
    Apr 27, 2021
    10
    One of Best Games I've Ever Played...
    Amazing... Thank You MiMiMi...
    I Can't Wait to See Your Next Project...
  14. Yangolochek
    Jun 23, 2020
    9
    Loved it. Amazing stealth mechanics of course. Great replay-ability. Kuma is the star of the game :)
  15. bergcamp101
    Oct 14, 2021
    9
    This is just that kind of game, where you think - yeah, developers definitely know, how to make games.
  16. eduardocecconi
    Nov 28, 2021
    10
    What a beautiful game! Shadow Tactics provide a balanced mix between stealth and action. Graphics and soundtrack together can make us feel like we're in Japan Edo age. It's a shame that Aiko's Choice DLC will be released only in PC, but I'll still wait to see more of Shadow Tactics in ps4.
  17. Yojimbo2015
    Jan 11, 2023
    6
    Amalgam of The Lost Vikings and Assassin's Creed that sees you switch between five interchangeable assassins with different skill sets on a Edo-period battlefield. It's one of those games that's very nearly great, but falls short because of a couple of niggles that could - and should - have been easily fixable. The problem lies in its difficulty which is not a problem in itself, but deathsAmalgam of The Lost Vikings and Assassin's Creed that sees you switch between five interchangeable assassins with different skill sets on a Edo-period battlefield. It's one of those games that's very nearly great, but falls short because of a couple of niggles that could - and should - have been easily fixable. The problem lies in its difficulty which is not a problem in itself, but deaths are more often than not caused by your detection by enemies off-screen that you had no idea were there. This is because their view cones are only visible when you highlight the enemy concerned, which combined with the fact that the screen does not track your character's movements leads to a lot of unfair deaths and even more frustration. If a sequel appears that corrects either of these problems I think it would be well worth a look, but this game as it is will instead lead to a lot of joypads hurled through windows.… Expand
  18. Harthik69
    Jul 9, 2023
    8
    Very Good game. Can spend some time to play and exeprience it again. Download and give it a try again in future

Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Best PS4 Game of 2017
45
#45 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Sep 8, 2017
    80
    A cunning, demanding game, but never overwhelming or confusing. It wants to challenge you, but it also wants you to succeed, feeling like the coolest killer of all. [Oct 2017, p.96]
  2. Worth Playing
    Sep 7, 2017
    90
    I can't recommend Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun enough to fans of strategy and stealth titles. There is a high level of replay value, and there's a sandbox feel to the levels, so players can determine how to beat them in a variety of ways. The only thing holding it back is the lack of co-op, which makes every game better since I can play it with my younger brother. I have no doubt that there will be a sequel in the future, and if it is anything like this one, I'm already saving my pennies to get it on day one.
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  3. GameCritics
    Aug 17, 2017
    95
    It’s not hyperbole when I say that by recognizing all of its ifs and thoroughly ironing them out, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is one of the best tactics title I’ve ever played, and it’s certainly one of the finest games I’ve played this year. As a masterpiece in nearly every respect, I salute Mimimi Productions and eagerly look forward to their next work.
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