The team that brought us the original ninja squad is back again with a new adventure following Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Sending it out as a standalone DLC, Mimimi Games gave us Shadow Tactics: Aiko’s Choice, which was published by Daedalic Entertainment. If you had a chance to play the original title, then you know what to expect with this one, but if this is your first title to this growing series, then get ready to have your strategy skills put to the test!

Story

This expansion focuses on one of the main protagonists of Shadow Tactics; the master of camouflage, Aiko. Although Aiko was certain that she left her old life behind her, Aiko's former sensei, the cunning spymaster Lady Chiyo, reappears from the shadows to challenge her. Together with her deadly companions she sets out to hunt down the ghosts of her past...

Gameplay

Just as we saw from the base game, this game will have you take control of a small squad of ninja-type assassin’s. Each member of the team has a different expertise and skill set, so utilizing the correct team member to do the correct task is not only important but the difference between success and failure. If you don’t know your squad, then I strongly suggest taking the first level to really learn each one, even if that means repeating it once or twice - it will help you later on in the game.

When it comes to setting up your strategy, you have to take your current surroundings into account. With the top down view, you can look around to see where all the guards are, the different types of guards that are around, the pathways you can take, and everything else that goes into your plans. Whether you plan to keep some in the bushes or on the rooftops to keep them hidden while utilizing one ninja at a time or have a plan that requires taking multiple team members at the same time, all of the options are on the table for your disposal. All you have to do is come up with a plan and then execute it.

Using a mixture of distraction items, ranged attacks, sword attacks, and the unique abilities of each member, you will be leaving bodies around and possibly even making some noise. Whenever possible, it is best to hide fallen soldiers in the bushes so if an alarm is sent out and they begin looking for you, they will spend the least amount of time in search. They all give off a cone of visual so you know how to avoid getting caught, but mistakes happen in a game like this.

If you successfully distract an enemy, their cone will go from green to purple and they will investigate whatever the distraction was. If they notice you, it will go red, so either grab the quick kill before they sound the alarm or get to a hiding spot. While searching, all enemies in the area will have a yellow cone, so you will have to wait for it to turn green again and for them to return to their posts before going in - unless, of course, the alarm was sounded as part of your strategy.

Video and Audio

I have to say that I really enjoy the music in this game. It is suiting to the location that the game takes place in, Edo, Japan, and it doesn’t distract you from the game itself. It is proper background music that helps build tension, even when in a calm state. The voice work, however, could have been used a little less as far as quantity goes. Almost every action you set in motion, your characters will say something and this becomes both tedious and annoying pretty quickly.

Visually, the game looks a lot like the original game, meaning it has decent graphics that can be compared to a high-detailed civilization-building game. The top-down view with tiny figures to represent the characters almost makes it feel like a tabletop game, which is pretty fitting considering the type of gameplay it provides.

Replayability

Once you beat the game, there isn’t much reason to go through it again. There are different difficulty options though, so if you thought the game was too easy the first time or are just looking for a punishing level of difficulty in your strategy game, this game might offer you what you are looking for in a second run.

What Could Be Better

As I mentioned above, the voice work is a bit overdone. While the quality is great, they didn’t need to have every character say something every time you interact with them. You interact with each character a bunch of times in every section of every level, so it really got obnoxious pretty quickly.

The game is made with the presumption that you have played the original game. By that, I mean that there is little-to-no tutorial for the game and it just throws you into the events right away. Even as a DLC or expansion to the original title, this game should definitely have a solid tutorial to help players know what to expect from it. It is a standalone title that doesn’t need the original game to be played and it has been released five years after the first game… They shouldn’t expect players to just be ready to get back into the action.

Verdict

Shadow Tactics: Aiko’s Choice is a thriving strategy game that provides an endearing challenge! The experience in the game is frustrating at first, but once you start to get the hang of it, the game is a lot of fun to play through. There are endless options when it comes to completing areas and it is built in a way that really lets the player decide how everything goes down. As long as you get the objective complete, this game will let you do whatever you want. If you have a brain for strategy games and like to be challenged, I definitely recommend this title for you.