Desperados III is a single player real time tactics stealth game set in the 1870’s Midwest America. Bounty Hunter John Cooper sets off on a mission to find the infamous Frank and settle an old score. The story begins in Colorado at a small town called Devil’s Canyon with his son. He proceeds to tutor his son, and subsequently the player, on how to survive in the west.
The locations include Colorado, Louisiana and New Mexico and they have a true look and feel of the late 1800’s that the game is set in. Over the first seven campaign missions the player will meet the team and John will be paired with new teammates that each have their own unique abilities and talents.
- John Cooper
- Team leader who has a few tricks up his sleeve and coins to get out of tough situations where needed.
- He uses a knife, both thrown and up close, to dispose of enemies.
- Has a two-shot revolver move for those patrols that always have two enemies to take down.
- Flicks coins to distract certain types of enemies for a few seconds to gain a new piece of cover.
- Arthur “Doc” McCoy
- Team doctor, mender of cuts, bullet wounds and other injuries to both himself and other members of the team.
- He uses a syringe needle to dispose of enemies.
- One of his special abilities is that he is able to throw out a doctor’s bag filled with gas that will stun an enemy for a few seconds while you either relocate to a new hiding spot or take out the enemy stunned.
- He also has a limited ammo custom long pistol that can cover a lot of distance if you need to be discreet and not get caught after taking down an enemy from afar.
- Hector Mendoza
- Team muscle who can carry two bodies at the same time while running and can take on a Longcoat advanced enemy alone.
- He uses an axe to dispose of enemies and it is quite brutal.
- He also makes use of a giant bear trap that he carries on his back along with a whistle to lure enemies into it. This is so satisfying when it works to perfection.
- Totes a sawed-off shotgun and can mow enemies down loudly if needed. Limited ammo and extremely loud so use with caution.
- Kate O’Hara
- Team disguiser and distractor extraordinaire, but only on the men! She uses her charms and looks to get the team to certain vantage points that they may not be able to reach without her.
- Throws perfume bottles to blind enemies temporarily. This is applicable to any enemies that are in a specific radius.
- Uses a handgun as a last resort.
- Super useful when she gains a disguise and can scout the enemy’s territory as long as she is not near a dog or a Longcoat.
- Isabelle Moreau
- Team mind and body controller from New Orleans.
- She can control enemies’ minds and make them kill other enemies nearby.
- She can also connect two enemies’ minds together so that they perform the same actions as each other and die if the other dies.
- Uses knives for stealth kills.
Real time tactics games are classically challenging, and Desperados III is no exception to this rule. All of the enemies have View Cones that show the line of sight that reveals the path that the player can travel and not be seen by a particular enemy. If the player highlights the enemy that they want to track and locks on then it will also highlight who can see this enemy and if it will raise the alarm if they were to be removed suddenly. The player will need to use all of the different skills available in order to advance to the next challenge.
A real game changer for Desperados III is the Showdown Mode. This allows for the player to pause the game in any difficulty level except for the toughest and plan out a move for each of the available teammates. Then depending on the situation, the player can choose whether to execute the plan all at once or one teammate at a time. Showdown Mode can be the difference between winning a specific challenge or finding yourself on the wrong end of an enemy’s gun or caught out in the open.
At any point if the player is sighted by an enemy the alarm will be raised and the player will have to deal with the reinforcements or reload the mission and try again from the last save. The player will need to save early and often as the game throws multiple challenges at once. This is one of the most frustrating parts of the entire game but the fact that the player can save with just the press of a button makes it a bit easier to deal with. If a failure occurs then reload and try again, and again, and again.
Desperados III has multiple difficulty levels and makes you work hard for every medal in every mission. Challenges also expand the game and will take multiple runs of every mission to complete, as some of the challenges are only achievable if the player is not able to complete others. For instance, the player cannot complete both Kill all enemies and Kill no enemies in the same run. The Baron Challenges become available after you complete the campaign and lift the level of replayability to another level with unique challenges that will take time and effort to complete.
With the main campaign lasting for twenty-five hours and perhaps longer at higher difficulties, this is a game that the player can get lost in for a long time. The Baron Challenges as well as the Hard Mode achievements will keep even the most avid player busy for well past the campaign time.
The game earns every bit of MA15+ rating as the main focus is for the player to kill or knock out as many enemies as possible and hide the remains in order to complete the level objectives. This is accomplished through weapons such as revolvers, shotguns, sniper pistols, knives, axes, needles, boots, fists and many other traps and dangers that can be found in the levels. Do not under any circumstances play this while the kids are around.
The game is able to be saved multiple times a mission and even has a time reminder for when you last saved (if the player leaves it on in the options menu). If the player needs to get up to take care of other responsibilities this is easy to do by pushing the Menu button.
From the story being detailed and well thought out to the fun gameplay, Desperados III is an amazing prequel to the games released back in the early 2000’s. This is the real time tactics genre at it’s best. The developer, Mimimi Productions, and the publisher, THQ Nordic, should be very proud of this achievement.
Final Verdict:
+ Wonderful story and character building
+ Real time tactics genre at it’s best
– And Hardest!!!
+ Fun gameplay and fantastic dialog
+ Great musical score
– Mission failure is frustratingly often!!
Score: 9/10 – Amazing
Rob for One for Game
Desperados III was reviewed on an Xbox One S. It is also available on PC, PS4 and on the Xbox and PlayStation Store for $99.95
The publisher provided game review code. The thoughts on this title were ours and ours alone.