Carrying out complex stealth tactics isn’t easy especially when you have several moving parts. But Shadow Tactics: Aiko’s Choice makes management easy while shifting to consoles. You see everything your enemies can do, your goals are clear, and experimentation is easy. There’s a lot of trial-and-error for each mission especially because the objectives are varied. Fortunately, the shift to console is seamless, making it easier to carry out your stealth operations.
Shadow Tactics: Aiko’s Choice is a standalone expansion to Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun, which originally released on PC in 2021, The expansion’s events don’t affect the main story, instead diving into the background of Aiko, one of the five characters. Her past catches up to the main team in an unexpected way, forcing a brief separation. The team must work together in various ways and Aiko must confront her past in the form of her old mentor, Lady Chiyo.
There is a short explainer at the beginning of the game to help you understand the general story and characters. Even if you haven’t played Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun before, you still know everything you need for this story. What happens in Aiko’s Choice doesn’t affect the main story, though you get access to all five characters early. It may be weird to play the expansion first but it helps you see if Blade of the Shogun is a good game for you.
The standalone expansion isn’t long but still provides a thrilling tactical stealth experience. This can be a difficult transition if you haven’t played tactical stealth games before. Fortunately, there is a decent tutorial and notes to study for more information. Experimenting is part of the formula and you should expect failure. Fortunately, making a quicksave and reloading when something goes wrong is easy.
Switching characters is also easy on a controller, especially when you prepare Shadow Mode takedowns. Shadow Mode lets you queue actions in slow motion, letting you utilise multiple characters in a stealth takedown. Planning everyone’s actions simultaneously is a difficult task but once you learn how to transition, it’s easy to put into action. There are also no lag times, letting everyone take action quickly without stalling.
Most of the game is viewed from a third-person perspective, with enemies looking small if the map is large. It’s easy to tell enemies apart from a distance, like knowing which enemies wear a straw hat and thus aren’t easily distracted. You can also highlight objects on a map to clearly identify hiding points and ledges. Each character has their own colour to help you see where they are, even if they are hiding.
Shadow Tactics: Aiko’s Choice looks great on consoles and keeps all the details you need for stealth. There are no compromises in performance and the takedowns retain their stylish look. If you need an entry into tactical stealth but aren’t sure you are up for a long adventure, Aiko’s Choice is perfect.
About the Author
Victor Tan
He/Him
Victor spends his time trying to help players out of tricky situations and give them the guidance they need to succeed. Outside of the video game world, you can find him training at the gym or doing simple improv activities.
