Kate has a hidden gun, blind foes, and can charm the pants off a snake. Hector is the bear of the group, able to hit the hardest of enemies with his axe, lure with his whistle, or trap enemies. Doc McCoy is the doctor of death, with syringes, a long-range pistol, and a doctor’s bag that distracts. He can even dual-wield revolvers for going quick and loud.

In the gang, you’ve got Cooper who kills with a knife either up-close or at range by throwing it silently. The game often mixes ‘n’ matches you with different characters that fit with the mission, and sometimes gives you a choice. If you’re new, you’ll fall in love not long after starting the game. Mimimi Games retains the hand-drawn portraits and UI elements that continues to work so well. If you’ve played Mimimi’s previous game, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, you’ll find similarities in its presentation and gameplay. Desperados III features the traditional real-time tactics of Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive, but utilizes the 3D environments of Desperados 2: Cooper’s Revenge and Helldorado. Meaning, you can get this and jump right in without feeling you’ve missed out on anything. With that in mind, this game serves as a prequel to the first and second games rather than a sequel. There hasn’t been a new Desperados game since 2007, so it’s understandable if you’re not familiar with this series. It’s a simple quest, but what Cooper does after assembling his gang is all done in the name of redemption. And after some advancement of time, you’ll see the origins of Cooper (as he goes on to omit his first name) and his would-be gang. He follows in the footsteps of his father James Cooper from an early age until his untimely demise. Desperados III represents the best of the genre, and is the hallmark of excellence.

Desperados III sees the real-time tactics game with pause return in glorious fashion thanks to Shadow Tactics developer, Mimimi Games. This is a game of trial-and-error, where the use of quicksave and quickload become invaluable resources to rely on for getting through any given level. “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” This is Desperados III in a nutshell, where careful planning doesn’t always mean a flawless execution.

Desperados iii reviews