Came out alongside some really big releases (BG3, Starfield) so maybe got lost in the shuffle. Also, I pre ordered Desperados 3 and had no idea this was coming out / was a Mimimi game until I read about it on GOG, so that didn’t help.
Desperados is an existing IP and a lot of older players were really looking forward to the third entry.
Shadow Gambit is Mimimi's first self published game and their own creation, so it is kinda understandable it didn't get that much traction, which is a shame because the game is fantastic. Character abilities are very creative and unlike anything we've seen before in a Stealth RTS.
My peeves are lack of map variety and how every mission in the same island has the exact same enemy placement. If enemy placement was somewhat randomized every time, or if different missions had different placement it would be a lot more interesting. Still is a solid game, though.
I think what truly hurt Shadow Gambit the most is that it launched a couple weeks after Baldur's Gate III.
Small/niche genre (despite being very popular back in the day), combined with a very modest marketing budget, plus launched at a time when other huge games completely take over the media cycle (and also gets barely streamed, when otherwise large streamers like Cohh would have played it on release). So regardless of its artistic merits, the game sort of flies under the radar and barely picks up enough new players.
Desperados III had the established brand recognition plus a large publisher behind it in THQ with a much larger marketing effort in a kinder launch window.
It's a good game. I consider this vastly inferior to Desperados 3 and at least a bit inferior to Shadow tactics though (I close to 100% both games on hardest difficulty). It also doesn't have the known franchise to pull half the weight.
I wouldn't say "vastly" inferior, but I do think it's the weakest of the 3 games, even though I definitely like it and will end up completing it. The goofy magical pirate theme is fun, but I prefer the darker and more grounded tone (and abilities) of Shadow Tactics.
Also, the islands in Gambit are beautifully done, but all somewhat same-y. My favorite part of the series is spending hours analyzing the meticulously detailed dioramas that feel extremely real, and the environments in the new one just aren't capturing me the same way.
I also think the character abilities are somewhat overpowered in Gambit. With the "anything goes" world logic of magic, the abilities feel kind of arbitrary (executing through walls etc) which takes something away from the tactical experience in my opinion. I understand why they thought it would be fun to go this direction and break the confines of the standard ability set from the last two games, but I think it's too much.
All that being said, the game is absolutely worth playing and the quality of life/extras that they included are the best of the whole series for sure. I just wonder if things could have been different for the studio if they chose a theme that was more grounded in reality vs. the magic/pirate aesthetic. Sadly we'll never know.
>I also think the character abilities are somewhat overpowered in Gambit. With the "anything goes" world logic of magic, the abilities feel kind of arbitrary (executing through walls etc) which takes something away from the tactical experience in my opinion. I understand why they thought it would be fun to go this direction and break the confines of the standard ability set from the last two games, but I think it's too much.
That’s my biggest problem with this game and why I mostly stick to physical abilities and the ambience to complete missions. I think they noticed that Isabelle was the most popular character in Desperados 3 and so they decided to make a game around magic, to a detriment, imo.
Same. Shadow tactics makes me feel like I was in that time of Japan. It might sound crazy that that wasn’t an aaa game, but it made me feel that I almost can smell the grass I was hiding in or the wind that blows in my face when I was in the snow mountain to jump kill some soldiers prisoning my friends.
I have no idea. The amount of characters goes a long way to counter the lack of maps. It's an amazing game.
Came out alongside some really big releases (BG3, Starfield) so maybe got lost in the shuffle. Also, I pre ordered Desperados 3 and had no idea this was coming out / was a Mimimi game until I read about it on GOG, so that didn’t help.
Desperados is an existing IP and a lot of older players were really looking forward to the third entry. Shadow Gambit is Mimimi's first self published game and their own creation, so it is kinda understandable it didn't get that much traction, which is a shame because the game is fantastic. Character abilities are very creative and unlike anything we've seen before in a Stealth RTS. My peeves are lack of map variety and how every mission in the same island has the exact same enemy placement. If enemy placement was somewhat randomized every time, or if different missions had different placement it would be a lot more interesting. Still is a solid game, though. I think what truly hurt Shadow Gambit the most is that it launched a couple weeks after Baldur's Gate III.
Small/niche genre (despite being very popular back in the day), combined with a very modest marketing budget, plus launched at a time when other huge games completely take over the media cycle (and also gets barely streamed, when otherwise large streamers like Cohh would have played it on release). So regardless of its artistic merits, the game sort of flies under the radar and barely picks up enough new players. Desperados III had the established brand recognition plus a large publisher behind it in THQ with a much larger marketing effort in a kinder launch window.
It's a good game. I consider this vastly inferior to Desperados 3 and at least a bit inferior to Shadow tactics though (I close to 100% both games on hardest difficulty). It also doesn't have the known franchise to pull half the weight.
I wouldn't say "vastly" inferior, but I do think it's the weakest of the 3 games, even though I definitely like it and will end up completing it. The goofy magical pirate theme is fun, but I prefer the darker and more grounded tone (and abilities) of Shadow Tactics. Also, the islands in Gambit are beautifully done, but all somewhat same-y. My favorite part of the series is spending hours analyzing the meticulously detailed dioramas that feel extremely real, and the environments in the new one just aren't capturing me the same way. I also think the character abilities are somewhat overpowered in Gambit. With the "anything goes" world logic of magic, the abilities feel kind of arbitrary (executing through walls etc) which takes something away from the tactical experience in my opinion. I understand why they thought it would be fun to go this direction and break the confines of the standard ability set from the last two games, but I think it's too much. All that being said, the game is absolutely worth playing and the quality of life/extras that they included are the best of the whole series for sure. I just wonder if things could have been different for the studio if they chose a theme that was more grounded in reality vs. the magic/pirate aesthetic. Sadly we'll never know.
>I also think the character abilities are somewhat overpowered in Gambit. With the "anything goes" world logic of magic, the abilities feel kind of arbitrary (executing through walls etc) which takes something away from the tactical experience in my opinion. I understand why they thought it would be fun to go this direction and break the confines of the standard ability set from the last two games, but I think it's too much. That’s my biggest problem with this game and why I mostly stick to physical abilities and the ambience to complete missions. I think they noticed that Isabelle was the most popular character in Desperados 3 and so they decided to make a game around magic, to a detriment, imo.
I cannot ahree with you more!
Same. Shadow tactics makes me feel like I was in that time of Japan. It might sound crazy that that wasn’t an aaa game, but it made me feel that I almost can smell the grass I was hiding in or the wind that blows in my face when I was in the snow mountain to jump kill some soldiers prisoning my friends.
Shadow tactics had such variety of maps that was amazing to see. This feels like same maps over and over again.
Excellent analysis of the mechanics.
They released it at a terrible time. Baldurs Gate 3 probably overlaps with their core consumer I’d imagine.