Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew Review (Zen Dog)
After being blown away by Mimimi Games' near-perfect Desperados 3, I couldn’t wait to see what they had in store next with Shadow Gambit. And once again, they delivered exactly what they do best – a technically flawless, immersive tactical game set in a captivating world. For fans of tactical and strategy games, this is definitely a title worth checking out. However, I must admit that Desperados 3 left a slightly stronger impression in the end.
Shadow Gambit feels a bit too heavy on its characters – or more specifically, their backstories. There are eight main characters, and you need to go through each of their side stories in a repetitive pattern. While these stories are engaging and occasionally humorous, the approach can start feeling tedious. How long can you keep repeating tasks that follow such a similar pattern? Don’t get me wrong, though – the variety of characters with unique skill sets is a real highlight, offering players plenty of choices. But unlocking them and completing their side missions eventually became monotonous.
I’m also not particularly drawn to pirate themes, but I don’t think that’s the main selling point of the game. Shadow Gambit truly shines in its ability to let players experiment with different tactics, which is its core appeal. The stories and theme serve more as a backdrop to shape the overall experience. That said, fans of fantasy and pirate themes will likely be more than satisfied, and judging by player feedback, it seems they are.
Much like with Desperados 3, finishing the main story doesn’t mean you have to uninstall the game right away. Once you complete the main story, you can dive into challenges and badges, testing your skills with various tasks across different maps. If you stick with these challenges long enough and succeed, you’ll unlock an exciting bonus character at 85% completion. This adds a lot of extra playtime and gives you even more reasons to stick with Mimimi Games’ latest (and possibly final) release a little longer.
Whether you’re a fan of tactical games or just looking for a fresh, captivating adventure, Shadow Gambit offers plenty to delve into. And if you’re in it for the long haul, the extra challenges and bonus character will significantly extend your experience.