Review for Desperados III. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 16/06/2020
Desperados III is not a chapter of any saga, however after almost 2 years from the western masterpiece Red Dead Redemption 2, which indelibly marked the current videogame generation, many believed that it would be difficult to try this setting again. The comparison with the Rockstar title is in fact now a worm for anyone who just wants to think about telling stories of horses, duels and dusty roughness. Unless you have the right reputation to spend, because in the world of bounty and bounty killers, name is everything. John Cooper and his band of Desperados certainly had the name they needed to make their way, and THQ Nordic has decided to give Mimimi Games the task of renewing the glories of the house. Polish the spurs and load the revolvers: let's see how they did it.
5 characters in search of an author
We could dwell, even with pleasure, in the introspection of the five characters that make up the band of Desperados III, some already known to fans of the series, others new. We could describe to you why and how they arrived in that band and with what reasons whatsoever they stayed there, from time to time. Starting of course with the gunslinger cooper, of which the enfant-prodige deeds of the outlaw are also told in this chapter, ending with the two damsels as fascinating as they are lethal O'Hara e Moreau, or the bear-like giant Mendoza (we like to think of our late Bud Spencer, how much we still love him!). Obviously without forgetting the inevitable doc-sniper McCoy. We said that we could tell you a lot about them, but we honestly believe that it is really much more pleasant and appreciable for you to learn about the characters mission after mission, discovering personal nuances and innate abilities. Even the absurdity of a huge bear trap used as a precision remote device, after a few hours spent in Desperados III, will seem natural to you. The best incipit for this novel in Colorado sauce could be: once upon a time there were 5 runaways more penniless than a potato root, who upset a lot of states doing more damage than the plague ... just because they hated injustices. Do you really need more?
Never change a winning team
The old adage is certainly not of western origin, but it fits perfectly with the new Cooper & co story. The guys from Mimimi Games, in fact, took advantage of the dynamics already experienced in their previous Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, trying to improve, without upsetting it, an excellent level and critical success RTS. Desperados III tells his old west stories using a Typical isometric gameplay, very similar to the Shogun game set in Japan released 3 years ago. The version tested on console has in no case made you feel nostalgic for the mouse, rather. In some cases the use of the analog sticks is more immediate and intuitive than the necessary selections on a PC keyboard, especially when, by mistake, you are faced with unplanned situations and you have to react in real time as if it were a game with a visual. from third person. Obviously everything is customizable, but we found the default settings more than responding to the set of greater convenience.
Thanks to an in-depth and enjoyable tutorial, as well as a series of tips illustrated during the various missions, the feeling with the controls, both of the fov (field of view) and of the practical execution of orders, is immediate. In Desperados III you will be able to lead your protagonists individually, in small groups or all together, without any limitation whatsoever, even if it is strongly discouraged to do anything not previously planned. In fact, right from the start, you will be led to translate the thought into the matter, not before having thoroughly studied its potentially lethal consequences. All this happens with an absolutely natural progression that immerses you in the true spirit of a real time strategy, without creating the slightest frustration.
Immediately in the mechanisms
The tools available to analyze the situation are extensive and accurate, and range from the possibility of verifying the movement routines of the enemies to the analysis of the possible noises that may make your activities. It is essential and very useful to check the 'observation point' of a precise detail of the map, with respect to the patrols and sentries. The spearhead of any complex planning will then be the 'reckoning' mode, which we will discuss in more detail later.
Each of the five protagonists of the gang has two basic skills available immediately and another four that will be acquired over the course of the story. Without going into the details of the individual, just know that these skills will allow you, if necessary, to interdict, distract, inhibit or if necessary eliminate physically one or more enemies whatsoever. The same possibilities can be coordinated between two or more components of the band, sequentially or simultaneously. Watching your heroes carry out the most diabolical of plans you have studied in detail, simply will be priceless! The game allows (indeed advises, insisting a lot) very frequent rescues without compromise, which in the end turns out to be very useful. Not only to avoid starting in a frustrating way after fatal events, but also to allow yourself the luxury of experimenting with daring and / or unscrupulous tactics. The on-screen controls are clear and permanent, even if in some cases they crowd the screen, but in particular at the beginning we found them very useful.
Keep your head down, boy!
A senior Mr. Cooper delivers his son John to a career as a future gang leader with this essential but vital advice. No frills, as befits a true Western tough guy. A prototype that everyone, like it or not, is fond of, whether it's clichés or not. Desperados III shows no intention of subverting the classic fil-rouge that binds each western opera for passionate palates, on the contrary, he often winks with pleasure at the reference filmography. We find the cynical way of acting and the hostility of the wild settings to reaffirm, chapter after chapter, that what is being told is not a country for old people. Cooper (father) knows this, and with that sentence he also gives the player the keystone of the next ones numerous hours that will lead him to the credits.
The title of Mimimi Games is in fact strongly marked by stealth conduction. Any superficial and overly arcade approach will inevitably be washed with virtual blood: yours. Whenever you move away from the joypad, you can't help but think about planning the next mission phase: which protagonist to choose, which features to focus on, which approach to prefer. In this we believe that on the affability and longevity of the game the developers have built a small masterpiece (emphasizing that the writer is not a strategic videogame fanatic).
Last but not least: all completists will love the universe of badges and trophies that is behind each mission, which can also be analyzed, once completed, from move to move. The Baron's Challenges mode will also call you to replay some of them with different objectives and tactics.
The splendor of 70mm in deed of the outcasts
In the cutscenes that open and close each mission you will find everything that, in fact, the game cannot give you in action: the morale of heroes without fear but also without horses, at times. It is there that the story unfolds and offers us the soul of the characters that we have just led or that we are getting to know for the first time. In these introductory or final videos we appreciate the curiosity of new arrivals or we enjoy the coveted release: always and in any case strictly in the 70mm format! Tarantino hadn't randomly dusted it off for his masterpiece The hateful height.
In general, apart from the scenic effects to rightly emphasize the narrative transitions, Desperados III has a very respectable graphic sector. The map is cared for in detail, quality textures and exemplary lighting. The engine Unity does its duty without any hesitation or smudging, aided by the fact that the zoom level does not get to show minute details that are superfluous in this type of game. The player's field of vision is ultimately always dense with NPCs in Brownian movement, and never has any notable imperfections. Small blame for the character swimming animations: somewhat ugly and out of the chorus.
The sound of the production is valid, which aims not to be too intrusive in the waiting and preparation phases, emphasizing instead perfectly the excited moments (excellent blues in the swamps of Mississippi and jazz in New Orleans). The sound effects look like they were pulled out of a Lucky Luke cartoon, and therefore fit perfectly. Absolute gold medal for the punch on the head, Hector Mendoza's primary skill: once again Bud revived! (tear, goosebumps, curtain).
La Showdown"Not a warning, not a question. A bullet! "
Some people take decades to understand the consequences of their actions in real life. In Desperados III, when you first start the Showdown feature, you will immediately have the demonstration of what ruthless and lethal war machine any combination of gang members under your orders can be. But unfortunately also how abruptly irreparable a villainous or botched planning can be. Holy rescues.
In Showdown, a function that can be activated at any time during the game via the digital up button, the game freezes and allows the player to assemble a series of character actions at his disposal at that moment, then deciding if and when to activate the whole sequence or for single hero. The results are not always the ones hoped for, the unexpected is around the corner. You will discover along the way if you are an accurate strategist at the table, or if improvisation is your strong point. One limitation: at maximum game difficulty, the mode does not stop the game loop. This means that you will have little time to think and less time to act: weren't you sworn to be champions of real-time strategy? A tip before diving headlong into the dusty Colorado or the swamps of Mississippi: make the most of the visual mode to understand the observation areas and the timing of enemy paths. Otherwise you will not receive a warning, (nor) a question, but a bullet! [cit.]
Ransoming outsiders has never been so much fun
With this third chapter of the saga, the Mimimi Games team has put all the credentials in the hands of THQ Nordic to definitively clear the RTS genre to the general public, which has always been considered a niche. Desperados III is a fun and very enjoyable game regardless. The story does not shine for its originality, but in decades of western iconography, not everyone can aspire to Tarantino. After all, the declared link with the first chapter Wanted: Dead or Alive bound the plot in some way. Perhaps a localization of the dialogues, with the right voice actors, would have given much more charm to the production, but on this the budget, as we know, can have a considerable impact. The hours spent with Cooper's gang will in any case be many and with inevitable empathy towards your little protagonists, therefore the mission of Desperados III can be said to be substantially accomplished in a great way.
► Desperados III is an RTS-Strategy-Tactical game published by THQ Nordic for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 16/06/2020
