A nice little critical success at the time of its release, Shadow Tactics was entitled a few years later to a stand-alone expansion sold for a pittance. But doesn’t this come too late for the fans?
We are entitled to wonder what could have gone through the minds of the creators of Shadow Tactics to deliver us an extension to their game more than 8 years after its release… Clearly, we could have expected to see a sequel arrive. . And yet, Daedelic Entertainment gives us a simple add-on, which nevertheless has the advantage of being stand-alone – understand by this that it does not require that you have the original game to be played… Practical!
Sold for a little less than €20 in digital version, the game is already heavily discounted on Steam (-75%) – it must be said that it will undoubtedly be difficult to make a hit given the avalanche of titles to which we have been entitled at the end of the year.
The problem when you deliver an expansion instead of a sequel is that you rely on the foundations of the original game. Aiko’s Choice is no exception to the rule: it uses the same graphics engine as the original (which has aged very poorly), is based on the same gameplay and does not bring any major new features. Concretely, the game simply extends the lifespan of the original by 5 missions of varying duration. It will not take more than 4 to 6 hours for most players to complete this extension, which is very short even for an addon.
Should we therefore ignore this game? Certainly if you hadn’t played the original, since you will be completely lost in terms of the plot. The game is certainly stand alone but it doesn’t have much interest if you haven’t played the original Shadow Tactics. For those who have already touched it, we must admit that this Desperados-like samurai style is rather pleasant. The expansion focuses on the character of Aiko, while of course allowing us to continue to lead her entire squad. As in Desperados or Commandos, you have to lead several characters in parallel to try to accomplish your objective. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Some are faster and will have to infiltrate behind their opponent’s back to assassinate them, others will be able to attack head-on. It is typically a stealth game that is played in isometric view (from above). The formula works very well but it must be admitted that the game has aged poorly both aesthetically and gameplay-wise. A lot of water has flowed under the bridges in eight years. Furthermore, the developer makes no effort to offer us anything new. There is no new type of enemy on the horizon and the settings do not differ much from the original game… For our part, we will mainly criticize this extension for its lack of creativity in the level design, which is simpler than in the original and the AI of the enemies which has hardly evolved. And it shows. They will be satisfied with a small alert and a patrol after finding a corpse. After just a few seconds, they will return to their activities, without further delay.
So yeah, if you were a big fan of the first one, why not. But we must admit that apart from timidly extending the lifespan of the original, this stand-alone extension really doesn’t bring anything more to fans. And it’s a shame when we know the immense talent of the studio, which delivered its swan song…
Conclusion
An unexpected sequel to the nice Shadow Tactics which ultimately takes the form of a very light add-on playable in a stand-alone manner, Aiko’s Choice doesn’t bring much new to the original. It’s the same graphics engine, the same mechanisms and cogs as in the title released eight years ago. No new developments on the horizon or surprises for fans. Certainly, it is pleasant to return to the world of Shadow Tactics, but we could still have expected better than such a light DLC…
_
Follow Geeko on Facebook, Youtube and Instagram so you don’t miss any news, tests and good deals.
Receive our latest news directly on your WhatsApp by subscribing to our channel.
-Shadow Tactics : Blades of the Shogun – Aiko’s Choice
We like:
An unexpected “sequel” for fans
True to the spirit of the original
1 or 2 very nice missions
We like less:
Gameplay that has aged poorly
L’IA
Technically behind
Very light content, even at this price…
