

Of course, having played the original, you'll understand more of what's going on. So it's going to be a challenge to get into if you haven't played the original or if you haven't played a similar real-time tactics game. That "as soon as possible" is the second level - the first is one of the interludes - and it never lets up from there. That's what Aiko's Choice gives brings here as it wants to get you into the thick of things as soon as possible. Think of the usual learning curve you get in a game, up until the point where you have all features and all enemies, and place that in just two levels. As a standalone, it does offer a sort of introduction, but even this presumes you have played the original. Consequently, it throws you into the deep end.

There are three larger, full-fledged areas, three smaller and more focused areas (interludes), which occur roughly three-quarters through the original game. It costs £16.99, roughly half the price of the base title. So what exactly does Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice bring? First, let's talk price. Even better is that if somebody who hasn't played Shadow Tactics feels like playing this expansion, this makes an effort to bring them in - even if it's likely to remind people of what happened five years ago. As a small standalone expansion to Shadow Tactics, Aiko's Choice looks to carry on the greatness and take you back to a place you likely haven't visited in a while, and it does it admirably.
