Desperados III (PS4) Review
Release Date: June 16, 2020
Publisher/Developer: THQ Nordic/Mimimi Games
Platform: PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Xbox One, PC
Price: $59.99 regular, $69.99 Digital Deluxe (contains $14.99 Season Pass with 3 additional levels added at a later date)
After a fourteen-year hiatus, the Desperados franchise comes back. Rather than rebooting for a new generation, Desperados III smartly goes for a prequel: enough to whet the appetites of new gamers enough to go back and seek out the originals, and enough references and improved gameplay mechanics for all the fans from over a decade ago.
Desperados III is a real-time strategy stealth game, where up to five characters join up in a story-driven narrative that involves taking down loads of bandits and outlaws in order to bring justice to the West. Players follow the story of Cooper as he goes on his quest for redemption. A ragtag team joins him, from a stealthy sniper to a trapper, a seductive mistress to a voodoo priestess. Each teammate brings unique skills and a new way to approach the patrolling enemies.
Stealth is the name of the game. You can go in guns blazing, but you had better be prepared. Each teammate can take around 3-5 shots before they die, and an alarm can put ten fully capable outlaws hot on your tail. The game is shown from an isometric perspective with a fully controllable camera allowing you to zoom in for detail or out to see a large swath of the game field. Scattered about are plenty of hiding places to sneak up on the enemy or hide out if you are spotted. Enemies are quick to forget about you, giving another chance at the level, but this usually results in extra patrols canvassing the area. All of the enemies follow strict routes, and the name of the game is finding the right time to launch an attack.
Personally, I haven’t played a lot of games of this exact niche, used to the turn-based strategy of games like Fire Emblem that let you stop and think. If you are hiding in the shrubs, you have plenty of time to plan, but once it hits the fan the enemies don’t stop. This is where Showdown mode shines, allowing you to pause the chaos and plot the next move for every member of your party. Whether in the middle of chaos or stealthily planning to take down several enemies at once, it is immensely satisfying to dial in a combination that drops several enemies and leaves your stealth intact.
Desperados III runs a tight ship and relies on save-scumming, if anything it’s a feature of the game as it reminds you to save any time you go a minute of game time without it. While there are several paths you can take, you will fail a lot. One teammate death is a game over, and health is in short supply. A range of difficulty options and several secret achievements means these levels have some major replay value for anyone looking for a challenge.
I only have a couple small complaints that resolve with time spent with the game. In Showdown Mode I would prefer to see where my other plans are “going” as I plan the next teammate’s moves. Sometimes I would set up two kills to find one happened just “off” enough to allow the second stealth kill to alert the rest of the enemies. It took some getting used to as if I nudged the analog stick a little bit after setting a plan it might cause a teammate to falter and the well-oiled machine to fall apart. Another small frustration came when I started a new level, and the usual save-scum came up after my first death. I clicked it and ended up reloading my last save from the previous level. Not a problem as my progress was still saved, but it was frustrating having to reload and restart after a simple error.
Once those simple rhythms are tuned into your head, though, Desperados III is a blast to play. It’s not for gamers who hate to fail, as you WILL fail. A lot. Nailing the perfect stealth in Showdown mode is immensely satisfying, and there are plenty of challenges for the perfectionists out there. Each party member is unique and offers a different way to take on each level, and it’s thrilling to realize how to integrate the special moves of each teammate into each other for the ultimate combo kill. Desperados III offers plenty of content as is, and the expansion promises plenty of extra content in the upcoming months.
Pros:
-Brilliant stealth strategy in an excellent Western atmosphere
-Unique characters offer a mix of gameplay styles
-Plenty of challenges to bring replay value to each stage
Cons:
-Not a game for people who dislike failure
-Some controls in Showdown Mode or with the save-scumming take some getting used to
Special thanks to THQ Nordic and Mimimi Games for providing a code for review!