Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 301 sampled Steam reviews (275 positive / 26 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing27% mention it
- Difficulty & balance8% mention it
- Visuals & art6% mention it
- Music & audio6% mention it
- Controls & UI5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing23% mention it
- Controls & UI23% mention it
- Visuals & art12% mention it
- Bugs & crashes12% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
69%
48 reviews
5-15h
90%
50 reviews
15-40h
97%
133 reviews
40-100h
97%
65 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 83 | 23 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 97 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 96% | 91 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 88 | 34 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 94% | 88 | 22 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 89.9, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 38,923 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 62 reviews sampled · 50 total reviews in window · weighted 46 up / 3.1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (90)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 90
“The Switch 2 port of Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is nearly perfect. It looks beautiful, plays wonderfully, and will keep tactical stealth gamers engaged for playthrough after playthrough. We need more games like this.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is an exciting and well-made game of a rare genre that definitely will appeal to fans of Commandos and all fans of tactical games. If you have already played XCOM 2 and Mario + Rabbids, then definitely try this project.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a really great and difficult game, it is a challenge for tactical thinking. If you liked the game Commandos, you like real-time strategy, stealth action and you like challenges and Japan, this game is for you. It's no wonder this game is holding high ranks in all the ratings.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a fantastic real-time tactics adventure that wows with top-notch gameplay, fantastic looks, and a set of delectable missions that challenge you to get into your ninja groove and bring the best out of a team of shadowy assassins. The signature shadow mechanic is a delight to use, and the cherry on top of an impressively flexible core combat system, whilst large missions give you endless opportunity to get creative.Oh, and it all looks and plays wonderfully well on Switch 2. With mouse mode, improved loading times, and solid performance to boot, there's precious little to criticise with this all-timer. Now, give us Desperados 3 and Shadow Gambit!”
read full review ↗ - 85
“For fans of Commandos and similar squad-based games, Shadow Tactics is a must play. It is a pure tactical bliss, even more so if you're into Japanese culture and history.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Filled with very interesting characters and unique, addictive gameplay mechanics, if you love stealth-based games that give you a hard but never unfair challenge, I highly recommend you check out Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun on the Nintendo Switch 2”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun and Aiko's Choice are exceptional strategy games held back by some unusual design choices. They're both still solid without any RPG mechanics, but being able to exploit the quick-save in a way that trivialises the experience was a mistake. It would have been nice to have bespoke checkpoints, though that might have impacted the large-scale, open-ended maps. The foundation for engrossing tactical planning and execution is top-notch, yet the story and character motivations end up being the most gripping aspect of the entire package between Blades of the Shogun and Aiko's Choice.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“If you enjoy stealth and tactical games and even some Japanese history I suggest that you pick it up. The game can be tough as nails and the temptation to rage quit when nearly an hour of progress is lost because you saved in the wrong place is there, but the satisfaction when you get things just right will soon have you coming back for more.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The game combines extremely well-designed maps, characters with complementary abilities, and a system that rewards planning and creativity. Even after several hours, I still found myself analyzing scenarios and thinking of new ways to solve the challenges.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“A welcome return to a type of stealth-strategy that hasn't been seen on PlayStation for many a moon. The period setting forms a great backdrop for the action, missions are steeped in atmosphere, and the central characters are just plain cool. Lack of co-op is a missed opportunity, but the addictive challenge badges will keep you coming back for more. Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun is a serious tactical treat..”
read full review ↗ - 93
“Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is the prince's sweet kiss on a beautiful sub-genre which has been sleeping for far too long. A revitalising effort which should be supported whole-heartedly.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“It is transformative to the point that I almost feel like the game ought to specifically recommend it to the player on startup. Underneath all of that is an interesting, though at times inconsistent, stealth game full of unique characters and scenarios. Just be sure to have a clear surface available mouse mode and plenty of patience as you whittle away at the challenge.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
GameMAG
Gaming Professors
Nintendo Life
PLAY Zine
Gfinity
Cubed3
Nexus Hub
Pizza Fria
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport…and 78 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Shadow Tactics Patch v2.2 is now available! (Full Public Rollout)Mar 22, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow Tactics Patch v2.2 is now available! (Full Public Rollout)Mar 22, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow Tactics Patch v2.2 is now available!Feb 20, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow Tactics Patch v2.2 is now available!Feb 20, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow Tactics available in ItalianMar 20, 2017
- New update available (1.2.1.)!Dec 20, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- New update available (1.2.1.)!Dec 20, 2016
- Meet us @ gamescom - Hall 10.1 Booth B030!Aug 16, 2016
- Meet us @ gamescom - Hall 10.1 Booth B030!Aug 16, 2016