Absoultely amazing game. One of the best stealth games out there. In my personal list, this is only topped by Desperados 3, Shadow Gambit, and Sumerian Six -- in that order, from best to worst. I would put Shadow Tactics on place 4.

It's an absolutely outstanding game but if you have played any of these other mentioned games, it can be a little bit jarring to go back to Shadow Tactics. This is because all of these other games inherited from Shadow Tactics and built on top of it, especially in terms of Quality of Life, balance, and creativity. That's why Shadow Tactics can feel a little bit "bare-bones" after playing those other games.

One of the biggest flaws I see in this game is that it invites you to "cheese", especially playing on Hardcore difficulty. On that difficulty, the levels don't always seem entirely balanced. Desperados 3 had a similar issue; I believe that Shadow Gambit and Sumerian Six do better in that regard.

I also wanted to shout out that I really like the story of this game. I'm usually not into video game stories but this one is fairly interesting. What's really stunning though are the characters: I love all of their little interactions and quibbles with each other. Yuki in particular is quite a stunning character which is why it's no wonder that she was brought back for the Shadow Gambit DLC!

Well, since my refund was refused, I guess I'll share my stance. I've always hated Commando-likes, that masquerade as something else but are essentially puzzle+time management. Last I messed with them I wasn't of the age of majority, but it's been over 18 years since then anyway, so I figured I'd give it another go. Apparently this one is the best of it's genre...and while I'm willing to believe it, I apparently still hate Commando-likes. Don't hate me for trying an old thing a new time, but the question is, "would I recommend it" and the answer is no. If you didn't like Commandos, which very many people do, but I do not, then I would not recommend it.

Weird, too, because I probably SHOULD like those kinds of things, but I think the problem is the illusion of choice and the getting locked-in to helpless situations as a result of a mistake. Like making the wrong decision gets you softlocked to failure even if it's only a circumstance that lasts a minute or so, I spend that minute in panicked agony trying to decide if I made a genuine mistake, or if it's bad luck, or if I'm still missing something...and that's a horrible minute to experience over, and over, and over, and over. When it comes to puzzles (which I love - see my Hexcells record), I vastly vastly prefer the immediate feedback, and covering it in a guise of choice doesn't actually work for me.

One of the best stealth game & overall a really good game
10/10 Story, Visuals & Game play