Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice
Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice
Game
Game2016
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
Developer Mimimi Games
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a stealth-oriented real-time tactics video game developed by Mimimi Productions and published by Daedalic Entertainment. The gameplay is similar to that of the Commandos and Desperados series. It was released on December 6, 2016, for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux, in July 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, for Amazon Luna on October 20, 2020, and was released on March… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
298 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 1, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
90
LovedLoved
180 positive · 20 negative
95% range 85–93%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 180 | 20 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 26 | 0 | 57 |
| Mastodon * | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 5 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
10,756 of 11,335 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
90% recommend · 169 yes, 18 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 187 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (36,969 of 38,496 positive).
Players praise Shadow Tactics as a masterful tactical stealth game that revives the Commandos genre. [1][2][3] Some find it frustrating due to high difficulty and clunky mechanics. [4][5][6] Many recommend it for fans of stealth strategy, noting its rewarding gameplay and unique characters. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
The game is not bad, basically Commandos in feudal Japan. But it will annoy the hell out of you with it's clunky mechanics and weird logic (especially considering there are achievements for stealth, no kill and ect.): 1. You can knock enemies out, but not tie them up. And they wake up veeeery quickly. 2. Characters stop sneaking after swimming, which leads to many uncomfortable situations. 3. You can jump in water …
- [2]
One of the best stealth games ever made. Every character brings unique abilities, creating countless tactical possibilities and making experimentation incredibly rewarding. The story remains engaging from beginning to end. Simply put, this is the tactical stealth game by excellence. 100% steam achievements Time : 83.4H Completion Difficulty : 6/10 Playthroughs : 2 - 3 Missables : None Notable requirements : Complete …
- [8]
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Instead of rushing into fights, the game rewards patience and strategy. Each character has unique abilities — from silent assassinations to distractions and long-range kills — and you’ll constantly be figuring out the perfect way to slip past guards, eliminate targets, and stay completely unnoticed. What works well: • Excellent tactical gameplay: Every level feels like a puzzle …
- [1]
Shadow Tactics is an enjoyable game, though one that wore out it’s welcome a little bit in the end. At it’s core its a commandos style isometric tactical stealth game. That’s a genre I have occasionally dabbled in, playing Commando’s with a friend over a decade ago, but otherwise being aware but not really doing more than dipping my toes into the genre. Shadow Tactics is another of those games that ended up being …
- [3]
Yes, I know I played it almost 10 years too late, but it instantly became one of my favorite games, literally the best I've played in a long time. Great gameplay, great story, great characters, great soundtrack. Absolutely amazing, a true masterpiece. If you loved the good old Commandos or similar games, you HAVE to play it.
Summarised from 34 of the 263 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 9, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
90% of the 187 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. The complaint that keeps coming up: very high difficulty with trial and error. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Rock, Paper, Shotgun found the game better than Commandos 2 and Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive. The game received three Deutscher Entwicklerpreis awards (best German game, best PC/console game, best game design). The expansion Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator website Metacritic.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 298 · most liked first11. Shadow Gambit Developers Mimimi singlehandedly revitalized the stealth strategy genre when they released Shadow Tactics, and it's a shame that their last game flew under the radar, Shadow Gambit is a criminally underappreciated stealth murder puzzle gem. store.steampowered.com/app/1545560/...
neutral · AI labelView post →27. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun With this game, developer Mimimi singlehandedly resurrected the stealth strategy genre that started with the likes of Commandos and Desperados, and it's every bit the successor to that legacy you could ever desire, nobody did it quite like them. Play it!
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is incredible, as is the same crew’s Desperados 3 and Shadow Tactics. No one, and I mean no one, has done realtime stealth tactics better than Mimimi.
positive · AI labelView post →Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun still free to grab on Europe PSN (grab PS4 demo, then claim PS5 game) PS4 demo : store.playstation.com/en-gb/produc... PS5 game : store.playstation.com/en-gb/produc...
neutral · AI labelView post →LIVE on TWITCH I had never heard of Shadow Tactics until this week and this game is Extremely good twitch.tv/lancemcdonald just absolutely addicted. Dunno how I never came across this but super happy to have now. ⫶ ⤷ twitch.tv/lancemcdonald ⬅️SNEAKY LADY
positive · AI labelView post →The game is not bad, basically Commandos in feudal Japan. But it will annoy the hell out of you with it's clunky mechanics and weird logic (especially considering there are achievements for stealth, no kill and ect.): 1. You can knock enemies out, but not tie them up. And they wake up veeeery quickly. 2. Characters stop sneaking after swimming, which leads to many uncomfortable situations. 3. You can jump in water from a tall balcony just fine, but doing it off the ground requires a "beach". 4.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shadow Tactics is an enjoyable game, though one that wore out it’s welcome a little bit in the end. At it’s core its a commandos style isometric tactical stealth game. That’s a genre I have occasionally dabbled in, playing Commando’s with a friend over a decade ago, but otherwise being aware but not really doing more than dipping my toes into the genre. Shadow Tactics is another of those games that ended up being purchased on the cheap for £3.50 around 3 and a half years ago, and in an effort…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →aril fools im live on twitch twitch.tv/lancemcdonald #AprilFoolsDay tricked you heeha Getting pretty close to the end of Shadow Tactics now, this game rules sorry whomber
positive · AI labelView post →It's one of those rare games where I'm naturally good at it and I pick up real fast because I am already a real life basement ninja who has been sitting and hiding in my mom's basement for decades to avoid any social interaction. I can even crouch-walk to get to my microwave at 3 am without waking my parents up, so this game is like a piece of cake for me. It's a perfect simulation of my daily existence. 10/10 I can finally utilize my microwave tactic for a game, I’ve been training for this my…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shadows, yes; tactics... no Gameplay: As with Desperados 3, Mimmimi Games has done a great job. Even though I'm going to talk about the game's minor flaws, it's important to note that it's a awosme game and a very good tactical game. I'm very disappoint that the game is totatly design for shadows. More freedom would have been perfect. Killing all the enemies on the map is easy at the beginning of the game, but as you approach the end, it becomes impossible. You are forced to stay hidden…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Heya! Started Shadow Gambit, stealth tactics game about cursed pirates vs Eldritch Spanish Inquisition, from the Shadow Tactics dev (rip). I'm loving it! Interesting world and characters and the gameplay is addictive! More Against the Storm and some REmake4. Got a couple quick poinks the other day.
neutral · AI labelView post →A bunch i really liked were: - Hades (and Hades 2) (action roguelike) - Dead Cells (side scroller roguelike) - Celeste (Precision Platformer) - HexCells (puzzle game) - Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun (Stealth Strategy, the other games by the same dev are great too) - Prey (well, maybe its not an indie, but its great) - Vampire Survivors (Bullet Heaven, great to zone out too, lots of things to collect) - BugSnax (Not sure if Indie, but a lot more fun than it looks) - Cave Story (Side…
neutral · AI labelView post →Fredo's Game-Os: I'm going to make another post evangelizing the sadly now defunct developer Mimimi. I'm currently playing Aiko's Choice, the stand alone expansion to Shadow Tactics, and it fucking rules - much like the original game. Apparently their next game, Shadow Gambit - is even better
positive · AI labelView post →In short, I enjoyed this game a lot but I think it might not be for everyone. I started this game a few years back but dropped it part way through. Recently, I came back to it to give it another go and I really enjoyed it. The thing is, this game is a stealth game, and it is nothing else. While you can technically fight head on, this game accommodates open combat even less than series like Dishonored, Metal Gear Solid, Sniper Elite, and so on. The penalties for being noticed are harsh and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Indie games trending today 1️⃣ Duck Game 2️⃣ A Dance of Fire and Ice 3️⃣ What Remains of Edith Finch 4️⃣ Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun 5️⃣ Scrap Mechanic #gamedevelopment #gamedev #indiedev
neutral · AI labelView post →Game so good I dream about it. I'm at work thinking through strategies for whatever mission I'm on.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm feverish but I still wanna game, so booted up Shadow Tactics....every time I look around the map, I just go "how tf am i gonna do this?" 😅😂 almost every route requires a lot of effort to get through lol
neutral · AI labelView post →What is your one game you'll shamelessly promote until every person on the planet has played it? Mine is Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. It's somewhere between live and tactical. Just really fun gameplay in Edo Japan. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlp8...
positive · AI labelView post →One of the best stealth games ever made. Every character brings unique abilities, creating countless tactical possibilities and making experimentation incredibly rewarding. The story remains engaging from beginning to end. Simply put, this is the tactical stealth game by excellence. 100% steam achievements Time : 83.4H Completion Difficulty : 6/10 Playthroughs : 2 - 3 Missables : None Notable requirements : Complete the campaign, earn every badge in every mission ( speedrun, highest…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finished my last game for the year: Aragami. Base game + DLC. I enjoyed Nightfall a lot, reminds me of Shadow Tactics: ninjas with a mission. Also reminiscent of SW Rogue One with the whole suicidal mission thing 🙂
neutral · AI labelView post →There are 2 type of games that i usually spend time getting all the achievements 1st) easy and fun games that allows you to get all achievements in one playthrough 2nd) an addicting gameplay loop that keeps rewarding you as you play in multiple playthroughs This game fits the 2nd criteria One of the best stealth strategy game i've played. Every mission stage is a set piece, but the game allows you to be creative on how you approach objectives, and oh boy it can get quite crazy. This is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's been 0 days since the last game dev layoffs. German independent studio Mimimi makers of Shadow Tactics is shutting down and letting everyone go as the founders step back. Would have preferred this to be a game dev acquisition story tbh. www.gameswirtschaft.de/wirtschaft/m...
neutral · AI labelView post →Great Game Too good to be true in 2016: - game is thrilling fun for many hours - beautiful look - nice English or Japanese voice-acting - all texts are translated in many different languages - superb soundtrack - still works on small PCs, Macs and Linux-Systems without bugs - offers you a demo where you can play 1.5 hours for free
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is currently free on PSN store just add free demo to library and add game for free via game listing (got copy for myself)
neutral · AI labelView post →Now I'm playing Sumerian Six - a stealth-tactics game where you kill Nazis in an alternate WW2 with crazy technology. Feels a lot like a Mimimi game (e.g. Shadow Tactics, Shadow Gambit), and is also very stylish and well-polished so far.
neutral · AI labelView post →20 Day Video Game Challenge. 20 video games that greatly influenced you. No explanations, no reviews, just pictures. Day 20: Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun #GameChallenge #Games #GameDev
neutral · AI labelView post →Standout PC game deals today (Metacritic 80+): • Super Meat Boy — $1.19 (−92%) on Steam, Metacritic 87 • Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's… — $2.99 (−85%) on GOG, Metacritic 91 • Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun — $2.49 (−94%) on WinGameStore, Metacritic 85 #pcgaming #gaming #freegames
neutral · AI labelView post →When Super Metroid came out, you could basically count every release that came out in a year across all platforms. That's not possible anymore. There are probably plenty of great games we haven't played because the marketing was done no favors by their titles. To name one off the top of my head, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Blades of the Shogun is an excellent title, but they wanted a larger Shadow Tactics series that never came to be. That studio didn't see enough success to…
neutral · AI labelView post →An active engaging puzzle, strong themed about Japanese Edo period with enough challenge yet friendly for new comers. I really like some puzzle when I’m able to resolve them, when is not the case I can’t hide my frustration. Even so, there are many kind of puzzle and this game is an example of that, and has one of the best features, multiple solutions and ways to approach it. Maybe not your regular puzzle game, instead a strategy one with a great drive on keep things stealth. Shadow Tactics…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i really liked this game, but i despise speedrun achievements, and lo and behold, this game has one for all levels
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →0/10 – Bush Management Simulator 2016 Bought Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun to be a cool ninja. Instead I became an unpaid intern studying guard patrol routes for hours just to move 12 feet. Every mission: “I’ll just sneak past this one guy.” 3 hours later I’m quicksaving every 4 steps. Someone sees one pixel of my elbow through a leaf. Entire map enters DEFCON 1. The guards have supernatural vision. My elite ninja team gets stuck on rocks and whispers like they’re on stage at a metal…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yeah, I don't know, I might not be the right player for this genre. Every successful progress feels like cheesing to me. Overcoming enemies starts feeling repetitive really fast. The story/character design part is super basic and shallow. Design of the main character is literally a fail, was supposed to be a cool antihero but it feels too cringe to me, especially how they didn't want him to look and feel (lol) all that asian. Turning audio to japanese (as someone suggested) helped improve…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It didn’t hit me until way into Chapter 6 that this game is similar to Shadow Tactics in that it utilizes a real time tactics stealth mechanics. I guess this means I got used to real time tactics 😂 Kinda cool when I think about it like that 😃 #Eriksholm
neutral · AI labelView post →🔥 Dishonored is $2.49 (75% off) on Steam until Oct 20, 1 PM ET ⭐ Lowest Steam price in a year · 97% positive on Steam · Steam Deck Verified 💸 Also at all-time Steam lows: Death's Door $1.99, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun $3.99 🛒 7 more deals in the post #SteamDeals #PCGaming
neutral · AI labelView post →A so called Stealth-tactics game, like the Commandos games of old. Consistently fun and engaging. This is the type of game thats just fun to play from start to finish. I reccomend putting the difficulty on hard since its quite easy game. They are good at varying up the challenges through the campaign. such that i always were trying something new. good replayability with the secret objectives that changes how you approach the missions (could probably get 20 more hours out of those). okay…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The horrible camera control is off putting.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →easily one of the best games I have ever played. when you do simultaneous multiple assassinations, it feels amazing. it's meant to be played by making a lot of mistakes and learning from them so it requires patience. definitely recommended.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today's #pixelart character is Takuma, from Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, an excellent stealth strategy game that I'll probably replay on stream soon! #takuma #shadowtactics
positive · AI labelView post →Fun and strategic. You will like it if you enjoy similar games like Commandos or Desperados.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yes, I know I played it almost 10 years too late, but it instantly became one of my favorite games, literally the best I've played in a long time. Great gameplay, great story, great characters, great soundtrack. Absolutely amazing, a true masterpiece. If you loved the good old Commandos or similar games, you HAVE to play it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A large, challenging game similar to Desperados and Commdos - Behind Enemy Lines. Set in feudal Japan. If that's the kind of game you enkoy this is an excellent example.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mimimi were gods of stealth tactics. Ahhh what a fine game. It aged like wine
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought Shadow Tactics as it's only $3.99. I suck at it, but it's a very fun game and I still managed to complete the first mission. Heck yeah! \o/
positive · AI labelView post →If you're having a look at reviews at this time, you're probably not a RTT fan. To see whether you like to genre, you should first play Desperados or Shadow Gambit, which both are developed by the same company, Mimimi. They're superior games to this one. Once you enjoy those games, you should buy this one as well. TLDR: Buy the game already.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lots of fun, but terrible ending for all the thinking ya made me do!!! :D Def worth playing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While playing through it, I kept thinking it would be great to see a similar game set in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe—especially since the roles fit more or less perfectly.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Commandos: Ancient Japanese Edition
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is just a masterpiece of stealth tactics in a stunning setting!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My newest for Nintendo Insider: Shadow Tactics rules and it has great mouse controls, but the port feels a bit conservative compared to how the game feels on PS5 and Steam Deck. I also bought those Joy-Con 2 mouse control grips because I enjoyed the opening hour a ton and wanted proper grips.
positive · AI labelView post →Slowly getting back into the swing of things and just reviewed Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - great game! 🏆 videochums.com/review/shado...
positive · AI labelView post →Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Instead of rushing into fights, the game rewards patience and strategy. Each character has unique abilities — from silent assassinations to distractions and long-range kills — and you’ll constantly be figuring out the perfect way to slip past guards, eliminate targets, and stay completely unnoticed. What works well: • Excellent tactical gameplay: Every level feels like a puzzle where planning and timing are key. • Unique characters: Each member of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Commandos in Edo Japan? Yes, please. Shadow Tactics is a masterclass in tactical stealth. If you grew up playing the old Commandos or Desperados games, this is exactly the nostalgia hit you’ve been looking for. The developers clearly put so much time into making this a true stealth experience where every move matters. Why it’s a must-play: Gameplay: Pure, refined stealth perfection and needs to tactical. Challenge: The Badges add an incredible layer of difficulty, forcing you to approach…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've played all the classics (Commandos trilogy, Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive, and Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood) before starting Shadow Tactics so I have a good grasp of the differences and novelties. The game incorporates designs from Commandos and Desperados, and creates its own solutions to problems that were always a bane of this genre. All except one. Shadow Tactics is still brutally hard. It's on the level of Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines. Yes, the OG, known for its…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →OUTSTANDING GAME! Funny enough only this and Tenchu Stealth Assassins seem to be the ONLY two Ninja games about STEALTH?! Why is that rare? Imagine if there were hundreds of Pirate games but only two had ships, or hundreds of Westerns where only two had guns?! Yet there is only TWO Ninja games based on stealth and everything else is a side scroller beat em up or hack and slashed. Hope we get a second Shadow Tactics. Stealth based Ninja games are needed.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I miss mimimi. I sure wish they'd re-form with a new studio to do more games like this and Shadow Gambit. But, this game is solid and I've had a great time diving into this after having had it in my library for about two or three years!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of the easy recommendations people give, myself included, when it comes to tactical stealth games in the vein of the well known "Commandos" series or other similar games. If you are not familiar with that genre of games, this one can also serve as a good introduction to said genre. Expect about 20-25 hour worth of gametime, easily worth the price. The characters are fun, the story is enjoyable and the mechanics of the game/gameplay are well made.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The only game I have no problem with dying a lot of times. Does end up getting tricky sometimes but still a great game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredibly addictive. Love the problem solving aspect of the game. Didn't care at all that some missions took hours before I got my first kill. Such a shame the studio closed down
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game does so much right, but it isn't as tight as Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun was. Still, it's a thoroughly enjoyable game with an active custom mapping scene besides if you're hungering for more. Shame this was the last Mimimi Productions game.
neutral · AI labelView post →Standout PC game deals today (Metacritic 80+): • Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's… — $1.99 (−90%) on WinGameStore, Metacritic 91 • Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun — $2.49 (−94%) on WinGameStore, Metacritic 85 #pcgaming #gaming #freegames
neutral · AI labelView post →
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