Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is a tactical real-time strategy game (RTS) by the German Mimimi Games. Interestingly, this is the first self-published game of this studio - their previous productions were published by THQ Nordic (Desperados III), Daedalic Entertainment (Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun) and Unity Games (The Last Tinker: City of Colors).

Plot

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is set in the Lost Caribbean - the fictional equivalent of the real-life islands, created to tell an alternate story of the Golden Age of Piracy. The main protagonist is a pirate named Afia, currently hunted by the Inquisition - just like all the other pirates.

This sinister organization rules the aforementioned archipelago, plagued by the so-called Curse of Lost Souls. To be able to stand up to them, Afia must find the treasure of the legendary Captain Mordechai, which is actually a powerful magical artifact. The only way to find it is to infiltrate the Inquisition strongholds - covertly, or not.

Mechanics

Afia isn't alone during the heists, thanks to her crew resurrected by the power of the Black Pearls The game features eight recruitable companions - each one is a fully playable character with their own story, quests and skills. It is not possible, however, to take every single one with you. Prior each mission, the player must compose a team of several crew members.

Using their strengths is key to success. Some allies are better in open combat, while others are extremely useful if we're trying to be sneaky - which we should usually strive for, as the enemies often outnumber us. The player is, however, free to experiment and adjust their tactics to suit current needs and personal preferences.

Afia's crew traverses the seas aboard The Red Marley, a ghost ship with a living soul. One of its powers is time manipulation, also known as active pause. This lets you stop time to carefully consider your next steps during combat or to create a command queue.

Technical aspects

Like Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun or Desperados III, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is only playable in singleplayer. Mimimi Games, however, made sure the Lost Caribbean offers plenty to do. All the available islands, as well as the tropical beaches and pirate slums they house, have been handcrafted and filled with various surprises.