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Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew

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Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
Developer(s)Mimimi Games
Publisher(s)Mimimi Games
Director(s)Dominik Abè
Designer(s)Moritz Wagner
Composer(s)Filippo Beck Peccoz
EngineUnity[1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseAugust 17, 2023
Genre(s)Real-time tactics
Mode(s)Single-player

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is a real-time tactics video game, the final one developed and published by Mimimi Games before the studio's closure. The game was released for the PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X and Series S in August 2023.

Story

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The game is set in an alternate version of the Golden Age of Piracy, in which a mysterious curse has revived the dead and granted them with supernatural abilities. The player must assemble a cursed pirate crew to explore an island chain named the Lost Caribbean and steal magical artifacts from the Inquisition, which seeks to hunt down all the Cursed individuals.[2][3]

Gameplay

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Playable characters in the game must evade enemy's cone of vision to stay undetected.

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is a real-time tactics video game played from an isometric perspective. The game features eight characters at launch. Each character in the game has their own unique abilities. For instance, Pinkus can briefly possess enemies and enter restricted areas, while Suleidy can distract enemies with plant spores, and spawn a bush anywhere in the game as a hiding spot for other players.[2] Their magical abilities can also be further upgraded by collecting a resource named "vigour".[4] Players will visit the game's various islands multiple times in order to collect Black Pearls, which can be used to resurrect other characters in the game. Characters, once resurrected, will join the player's crew.[3]

Each map in the game is an open region, and players can use a multitude of ways to approach their objectives. While there are multiple ways for players to enter an island, they must escape through "Tear Into The Below", a portal that magically transports the crew back to their ship, the Red Marley, which also serves as the game's hub area.[3] Enemies are alerted to loud noises and footprint, and players need to avoid enemies' sight, which is displayed as green cones of vision. Players can activate Shadow Mode, which briefly pauses the game, allowing players to issue commands to several characters and execute them at once. They can also use the environments to their advantage. For instance, a large boulder can be dropped onto an enemy, killing them without alerting nearby hostile units.[5] The game also features a quick-save system, allowing players to quickly rewind time after making an undesired tactical error.[6]

Development

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Shadow Gambit features a fantasy backdrop, allowing the team to significantly expand character skills. The game also features a more open-ended structure, as the player can recruit characters and complete missions in any order they want.[7]

The game was developed by Mimimi Games. Internally codenamed "Project Süßkartoffel", it was developed with funds from both the German government and Kowloon Nights. It is the studio's first self-published game,[8] as well as its last game.[9] Sweet Baby Inc. consulted on the game's script.[10] The game was officially announced by Mimimi in January 2023.[11] It was released for Windows PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and Series S, on August 17, 2023.[12]

Soon after the game's release, on 29 August 2023, it was announced that Mimimi Games would be closing down due to the rising costs of development and not enough revenue being generated.[13]

Reception

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The game received generally favourable reviews according to Metacritic.[14]

References

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  1. ^ Saver, Michael; Pung, Julia; Stanton, Devon (2024-01-04). "Made with Unity: 2023 in review". Unity Technologies. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  2. ^ a b Barnett, Brian (June 12, 2023). "Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew's Unique Stealth-Strategy Is One of 2023's Biggest Surprises". IGN. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Castle, Katherine (June 12, 2023). "After 7 hours, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew might be Mimimi's most joyful stealth strategy game yet". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  4. ^ Denzer, TJ (June 12, 2023). "Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is artfully blending ghost pirates & stealth tactics". Shacknews. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  5. ^ Brown, Fraser (June 12, 2023). "Undead magic and tight stealth tactics make Shadow Gambit a joy to play". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Smith, Ed (January 23, 2023). "New Steam strategy game is like Sea of Thieves meets XCOM and Hitman". PCGamesN. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  7. ^ Brown, Fraser (January 24, 2023). "The team behind Desperados 3 and Shadow Tactics wants you to lead an undead pirate crew to riches and glory". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  8. ^ Handrahan, Matthew (February 5, 2021). "Mimimi Games: "Self-publishing was a dream -- we never expected it to happen this quickly"". Gameindustry.biz. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  9. ^ Square, Push (2023-08-29). "Shadow Gambit Team Mimimi Forced to Close Over Rising Genre Costs". Push Square. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  10. ^ Randall, Harvey (7 March 2024). "A company called Sweet Baby Inc. Has become the target of 'anti-woke' gamers because it offers consultancy work, an industry-standard service that's been normal for years". PC Gamer.
  11. ^ Wales, Matt (January 24, 2023). "Desperados 3, Shadow Tactics dev unveils pirate fantasy stealth-strategy Shadow Gambit". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  12. ^ Romano, Sal (June 11, 2023). "Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew launches August 17". Gematsu. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  13. ^ Bonthuys, Darryn (August 29, 2023). "Weeks After Releasing An Acclaimed Game, A 15-Year-Old Studio Is Shutting Down". GameSpot. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  14. ^ "Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
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