14 DAY TRIAL // There’s a two-man patrol moving regularly through this section of the fortress. Two towers on the wall are occupied by zealots, constantly shifting their cones of view to cover most of the space. A few other enemies stand around. My three-man team, made up of Afia and newcomers Yuki and Zagan, are hidden in a big bush, pondering their next moves.
Zagan can kill at a distance, but I haven’t yet found a position that would allow him to use that power without being spotted. Afia will surely have to stun a Commissar for a little while and then use her dash strike to eliminate another enemy. Yuki’s trap will also come in handy, with Kuma ready to draw the patrol in.
I’ve tried this plan once already and it failed, with one of the kills spotted by another patrol. My biggest problem is the lack of direct distractions. Red Marley brought us back to the last save and I hope that a simple tweak to the timing will lead to success. Otherwise, it’s time to find new tactical approaches.
Yuki's Wish & Zagan's Ritual are developed and published by Mimimi Games. These are downloadable content packs created for Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, bringing in a fan-favorite character and adding new islands to explore.
The name of the first DLC makes clear that players will be able to recruit Yuki from Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, who is accompanied by Kuma, her tanuki. She has become the Twilight Corsair, able to place wire traps and use her pet as a way to entice guards to move toward her position.
Zagan, known as the Apostate, is a much darker character. A Progonosticar working with the Inquisition seeks knowledge linked to the Maiden’s Fire but is also affected by the curse of the undead pirates. The first mission that introduces his powers is a little disturbing, even to players who have been killing Inquisition without regrets.
His powerful long-range magic strike will freeze enemies before killing them but costs 1 hit point. He can heal with his main ability, which fills a guard’s mind with visions and makes them catatonic. Zagan also stuns guards that spot him for a few seconds.
Yuki's quest is all about a wish-granting dragon and the island where the magical creature is supposed to reside. Players will revisit known locations to get a compass and find their way to Dragon’s Dream, a piece of Edo Japan transported to this fantasy space, featuring a semi-ruined castle and a stone garden. Zagan is more interested in harnessing Maiden’s Fire and his missions are horror-influenced.
Shadow Gambit’s stealth action mechanics remain impressive. The game offers a lot of variety both when it comes to character powers and enemy setups, asking players to come up with solid plans while also testing their capability to deal with chaos.
Both the new characters and their missions will show up once players complete the core mission Fruits of Her Labor on the Dread Vine’s Cove island. I found Yuki to be the more interesting, both in terms of interactions and abilities, but Zagan is also capable and can strike at a distance to unlock plenty of the game’s tactical puzzles.
Yuki's Wish & Zagan's Ritual adds more locations and characters to this undead pirate fantasy world. Shadow Gambit has visual character and also benefits from strong voice acting, including for the newcomers, and a good soundtrack.
Conclusion
The game also gets new Treasure Hunts in the associated free path, offering more late-game content. Shadow Gambit is a genre-defining game and it’s sad to know that this DLC drop is the final one from Mimimi.
Review keys provided by the developer.
