Cooper is back with a new gang on a new adventure across the Wild West in Desperados 3. Mimimi has created yet another stellar stealth, real-time tactics game.
For this Desperados 3 review, we were provided with a free copy of the game.
Platforms: Windows, Xbox One, PS4
Players: 1 Player
Genres: Real-time tactics, stealth, strategy, western
Developer: Mimimi Games
Price: £44.99
It’s been a long time coming, but we have finally been treated to a 3rd installment in the Desperados franchise. Might I add, that the wait was certainly worth it as we get to experience some of the best stealthy tactical gameplay from Mimimi to date.
Desperados 3
Join Cooper and his friends as he embarks on a quest for redemption. Taking players from rural towns, swampland, and the bright lights of the big city. Utilise stealth, cunning, and a wide range of unique skills from all playable characters to best your enemies. Lead them into traps, take on disguises, or simply take them out from the shadows. Desperados 3 offers the freedom to approach missions how you want. Furthermore, the large open levels allow you to tackle objectives in various manners.
The Crew
John Coopers gang consists of five characters all with their own talents for handling situations. For each mission, you take on you will have the use of set characters. Therefore, you will need to learn how to master each character’s skill set.
John Cooper has access to a knife perfect for up-close kills or throwing. Additionally, Cooper also has two pistols for when things get a little hairy.
Then we have the quiet and composed Doc McCoy. McCoy has a sniper pistol for long range kills, poisonous syringes, gas to knock out enemies and a medical bag that can be dropped to create a distraction.
Hector is the muscle of the group and carries around his beloved bear trap ‘Bianca’. Combine this with his ability to whistle and attract enemies. They make great tools for setting traps. Hector is also the only one who can deal with the bigger tougher enemies by himself.
Kate O’Hara is a master of disguise and can take on the unassuming role of an innocent bystander. That being said, this doesn’t fool everyone and you’ll still need to keep your white about you. Kate can also distract enemies by chatting with them or using her charms to get them to follow her. Perfect for creating opportunities for others to make a move.
Finally, we have Isabelle Moreau – probably my favourite character to play with. She has the most interesting set of abilities. Isabelle can use a powerful concoction fired through a blow dart allowing her to control other people. Furthermore, she can ‘link’ two enemies together, meaning whatever fate befalls one, shall happen to the other. Plus, she has a cat and I love cats.
The Mission
There are 16 missions in Desperados 3 spread across 3 chapters. Each mission provides players with a large map to explore and find the best angles for attacks and traps. Additionally, each of the missions usually features multiple objectives and hidden secret tasks to complete. With each mission also comes multiple ways to complete some of the objectives. You can make use of environmental hazards to make things look like accidents for example.
Each level is wonderfully crafted and packed full of detail. The towns and cities you visit feel alive with civilians roaming around and streets teeming with activity. Then you have the more rural areas that are full of vegetation – perfect for hiding bodies in. There is a uniqueness to a lot of the levels which makes them genuinely fun to explore and playthrough.
Completion time can vary from mission to mission. Some take less than an hour, whilst there were others I could spend almost two hours on. That being said, I am usually one to take my time when it comes to stealth games. There are also awards for speed running – which I don’t see how I could ever do, so props to you if you manage it!
Conclusion
When I previewed the game previously I knew it was going to be a fantastic game. That hasn’t changed now whilst playing through this Desperados 3 review. I didn’t find much at fault. Shadow Tactics was a surprise hit for me when I played that a few years back. Desperados 3 looks fantastic, has a great soundtrack, and is a joy to play. There didn’t seem to be a bug in sight and the performance of the game was faultless for me. Once again Mimimi games have created another excellent title. The only slight downside I can really see is that the story isn’t all that engaging and is a little forgettable. However, everything else about the game is so much fun that I just don’t really care.
If you’re a fan of stealth games that require strategy and planning to complete then this will be a hit with you.
-Will
