One odd aspect of videogaming is how entire subgenres can fall out of fashion, go dormant for a decade, and then be eventually picked up by nostalgic indie studios. Point and click adventures are the best known for this, but the same can be said for a certain sub-category of isometric Real Time Tactical games. Up until its closure last month, Mimimi Games was a company rekindling a very specific format, inspired by the likes of Commandos and Desperado. Their last hurrah is Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew.
Gambit puts you in control of a motley crew of undead pirates of the ghost ship, The Red Marley. They (you) must use their assortment of unique magic powers to free the rest of the crew and rescue the world from the tight grip of an evil inquisition. These are the Disney sort of pirates, who we don't see commit violent acts of piracy, but act loveable, say "Argh!" and drink a lot instead. Each of the eight crew members you can bring on missions have their own quirks and special abilities. Afia has a magic sword impaled through her chest, which allows her to teleport short distances. Gaelle carries a cannon on her back, which she uses to blast her comrades and enemies through the sky. My favourite is Quentin, a greedy, headless little skeleton who snatches valuables.
Gameplay involves carrying out a series of covert missions across a Caribbean Archipelago, knifing hundreds of soldiers who get in your way, and quick saving and quick loading due to you always messing up. In universe, quick saving is a magic power that your ghost ship has to constantly use to keep your undead crew alive (relatively speaking). Gambit is the only game I've ever played which politely nudges you to quick save every 30 seconds. It's a big deal, even the villain's plot revolves around them trying to get their own quick saving powers too.
Gambit's main appeal is in finding clever combinations to get you past the next batch of guards, and feeling smart about it. It's almost like solving a sudoku puzzle, albeit with more murder. In that respect, I enjoyed the game a lot. Where the game falls down a little is in repetition. There are only five types of enemy throughout, and killing them every mission can get dull. And too easy. Even on the hardest difficulty settings, once you work out the most over-powered combinations of abilities, you become utterly unstoppable. Some of the crew get so powerful, they can destroy hordes of enemies singlehandedly. I had to discipline myself to not resort to these cheap, easy solutions that defeat the point of the game. I sorely wish Gambit had more enemy varieties, or beefed up their abilities and AI to counteract these cheesier solutions.
I enjoyed Gambit, and it has got me looking into Mimimi Games other titles. But if you are hoping for something to be as punishingly difficult as the old Commandos games, you are going to be a bit disappointed.
VideoGame What does a Skeleton Pirate Spend its Treasure on, Anyway?
One odd aspect of videogaming is how entire subgenres can fall out of fashion, go dormant for a decade, and then be eventually picked up by nostalgic indie studios. Point and click adventures are the best known for this, but the same can be said for a certain sub-category of isometric Real Time Tactical games. Up until its closure last month, Mimimi Games was a company rekindling a very specific format, inspired by the likes of Commandos and Desperado. Their last hurrah is Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew.
Gambit puts you in control of a motley crew of undead pirates of the ghost ship, The Red Marley. They (you) must use their assortment of unique magic powers to free the rest of the crew and rescue the world from the tight grip of an evil inquisition. These are the Disney sort of pirates, who we don't see commit violent acts of piracy, but act loveable, say "Argh!" and drink a lot instead. Each of the eight crew members you can bring on missions have their own quirks and special abilities. Afia has a magic sword impaled through her chest, which allows her to teleport short distances. Gaelle carries a cannon on her back, which she uses to blast her comrades and enemies through the sky. My favourite is Quentin, a greedy, headless little skeleton who snatches valuables.
Gameplay involves carrying out a series of covert missions across a Caribbean Archipelago, knifing hundreds of soldiers who get in your way, and quick saving and quick loading due to you always messing up. In universe, quick saving is a magic power that your ghost ship has to constantly use to keep your undead crew alive (relatively speaking). Gambit is the only game I've ever played which politely nudges you to quick save every 30 seconds. It's a big deal, even the villain's plot revolves around them trying to get their own quick saving powers too.
Gambit's main appeal is in finding clever combinations to get you past the next batch of guards, and feeling smart about it. It's almost like solving a sudoku puzzle, albeit with more murder. In that respect, I enjoyed the game a lot. Where the game falls down a little is in repetition. There are only five types of enemy throughout, and killing them every mission can get dull. And too easy. Even on the hardest difficulty settings, once you work out the most over-powered combinations of abilities, you become utterly unstoppable. Some of the crew get so powerful, they can destroy hordes of enemies singlehandedly. I had to discipline myself to not resort to these cheap, easy solutions that defeat the point of the game. I sorely wish Gambit had more enemy varieties, or beefed up their abilities and AI to counteract these cheesier solutions.
I enjoyed Gambit, and it has got me looking into Mimimi Games other titles. But if you are hoping for something to be as punishingly difficult as the old Commandos games, you are going to be a bit disappointed.