Tactical spaghetti western. Filminess, gameplay and atmosphere interwoven in a unique combination. Great musical accompaniment is just the icing on the cake. [Issue#304]
Desperados III is a downright fantastic real-time tactics title. The gameplay is simple to understand and get started with and each stage puts players to the test. While each stage is contained in size, it provides a sandbox of open opportunity for players to experiment. Rarely does failing leave a bad taste in a player’s mouth. Instead, it simply inspires players to keep trying until they finally succeed. The utterly compelling gameplay immediately ropes you in and simply doesn’t let up. The real-time stealth tactics genre is back in grand fashion thanks to Mimimi Games and Desperados III.
Loved every second of it shame the company stopped for a **** much heart and effort put in to this such clever game design must play on hard to really experience the game normal is shocking how boring and easy it is.....thank you for this game .
From its effective narration to the depth of its gameplay, through its replayability and its challenges, Desperados III achieves almost flawlessness, and, if you are fans of the genre, we can only advise you to go for it.
What a hidden gem. This game is phenomenal! Every aspect of it is well polished. And even though it's not popular to admit it, I really appreciate the availability of an "easy" difficulty level. The large number of mechanics and capabilities, the blend of real time tactics with "pause and plan" elements, it's all a blend of gameplay that I haven't quite seen before. Add the lovingly crafted and superbly presented western setting and I'm in love with this game.
A solid Real Time Tactics entry
Desperados 3 is a Real Time Tactics game developed by the same group that did Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, so if you've played that you'll feel right at home with Desperados 3.
The first thing I'd like to highlight, is despite Desperados 3 being the "Third" main entry into the series, the game is actually a prequel/soft reboot. You do not need to play any of the other older Desperados games in order to understand the story, this game is rather self-contained and doesn't require any prior knowledge of the other games; thus making it easier to get into.
The game itself is very Trial and Error, you will be using Quick Save and Quick Load a lot, which isn't as bad as it sounds, to complete missions and have everything run smoothly. For those who have played Shadow Tactics you will notice that a lot of the abilities from that game carry over to this one.
The cast themselves are all interesting characters in my opinion, to your standard Cowboy main character archetype, to the seductress all the way to the voodoo woman, utilising their abilities and having everything connect together to complete missions, is nothing short of satisfying; especially after you pull off all five people doing something at once using Showdown Mode.
The story isn't anything to write home about but this is one of those games where the story merely serves as an excuse for the enjoyable and interested gameplay, it's unlikely you'll care about what's going on in the story but you'll be more interested in the set-pieces and enemy locations as to rack your brain to figure out the best solution forward.
There are dozens of ways to complete any given mission, different routes, who to use, what abilities to prioritise, this for me is what makes the game enjoyable; you can play the same mission twice but you probably won't accomplish it the same way twice.
Of course in games like this there are challenge modes, DLC missions and what not which are also enjoyable, I only just completed the main story when writing this review but I know some of them are effectively; "Do this mission with only these characters, instead of the original ones." And some are just brand new missions entirely, which means you can get a lot of time and content out of this game for what you pay for it.
To complete the main story it'll take around 15-25 hours at best, since there will be times where you're just staring at the screen, watching guard patterns and thinking. "This is bloody impossible." Only for something to click, an ability you rarely use becomes feasible and then you've got it.
Overall, this game has my recommendation, although I did prefer Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (Purely because I prefer the Japanese Sengoku Era aesthetic) This is a fantastic game and a great entry into the Real Time Tactics Genre and a must have for any stealth game enthusiasts out there.
7/10, fantastic gameplay, lacklustre story.
(german below)
Because of the different playable characters with different skills, you can try out different variations to achieve the goal. The individual characters are all a lot of fun. The game is rather difficult and you have to make good tactical decisions. Thanks to quicksave/quickload, the fun doesn't fade away. I had very few moments of frustration. The 16 levels are nicely and differently designed. Pleasant cutscenes before and after the levels (not too many). Good western feeling.
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Aufgrund der verschiedenen spielbaren Charakteren mit verschiedenen Skills, kann man unterschiedliche Varianten zur Zielerreichung ausprobieren. Die einzelnen Charakteren machen alle sehr viel Spass. Das Spiel ist eher schwer und man muss gute taktische Entscheidungen treffen. Dank Quicksave/Quickload vergeht der Spass nicht. Ich hatte nur wenige Frustmomente. Die 16 Levels sind schön und unterschiedlich gestaltet. Angenehme Zwischensequenzen vor und nach den Levels (nicht zu viel). Gutes Western Feeling.
I found desperados 3 a bit too complex for the fun it offers. I mean it's alright but hardly excites me enough to want to finish it. How you can leave a big bear trap in a house, kills someone and then watch the guards search for you whilst you are in a Bush or cupboard and then sneak out collect the trap, hide the body and then place it back in the same place is amateurish to say the least. Rinse and repeat. It's a bit silly and boring. Why is everyone giving their friends terrible games 10 out of 10? It's far from perfect. I wouldn't even say mediocre. Glad I didn't pay for it :D
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