Desperados III

Desperados III is a real-time tactics stealth video game. The game features five playable characters, with each having access to unique weapons and abilities. Players can play the game as a stealth game, in which they can assassinate enemies silently or disguise kills as accidental deaths. It is possible for players to complete missions without killing anyone by knocking out and tying up enemies. Bodies of incapacitated enemies need to be hidden or else other enemies patrolling the area will discover them and trigger an alarm that calls for reinforcement.[2] The cones of vision of all enemies are displayed, allowing players to navigate the map without alerting them.[3]

Players can also play the game as an action game and utilize the showdown mode to temporarily stop the game, allowing players to coordinate and chain up the actions of the player's squad. In showdown mode, players can issue commands to each of the character in the party. When the player exits showdown mode, the characters will execute the commands issued by the player simultaneously.[4]

The story is a prequel to Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive, the first game in the series, and explores the origin of the series' protagonist John Cooper. The game is set in the Wild West in the 1870s and features various locations including Colorado, Louisiana and Mexico. In addition to John Cooper, the game also includes Hector Mendoza, Doc McCoy, Isabelle Moreau, and Kate O'Hara as playable characters.

The game was developed by German studio Mimimi Games, the developer of Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, whose gameplay mechanics were similar to this game. THQ Nordic, which acquired the rights to the franchise from Atari in 2013, served as the game's publisher.[5] Since the last game in the series was released more than a decade ago, the team made Desperados III a prequel story so that it can be accessible to new players who are new to the franchise or new to the genre. To achieve this, the team ensured that the game features an adequate tutorial system that teaches the player the gameplay foundation, and implemented gamepad controls for players who use a controller to play.[6][7] The game's showdown mode, which allows players to pause time completely, was created after receiving players' feedback about the limitations of Shadow Tactics's "shadow mode". Unlike Shadow Tactics, the game features a more playful tone, with characters bantering with each other more frequently.[8]

The game was officially announced by THQ Nordic in August 2018.[9] Initially set to be released in 2019, the game was released on June 16, 2020 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[10]

The game received generally positive reviews upon release according to review aggregator Metacritic.[11][12][13]

• Official website