As both emails of the press release told me, if you’re from Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, go away for another hour (if I have my time zones correct), you are embargoed until 3 PM. Yes, I find that strange too but it is a common thing being on this side of the keyboard/emails from Mimimi Games and other developers, publishers, and PR teams. That aside, the developer of the recent revival of the Desperados IP with its third installment as well as the Shadow Tactics series reviving the stealth strategy genre has revealed its latest game.

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is a stealth-focused strategy release with Mimimi’s signature style making the pirate-y time-bending adventure seem familiar. The first introduction of some new elements to the formula were set out by the Edo period-focused Shadow Tactics and western-focused Desperados. The press release states that alongside being the first self-published title, “we’re also pushing the stealth strategy genre to the next level by introducing magic, supernatural elements, and more exciting new features.” Some of those features have been shown off in a new gameplay trailer alongside the announcement.

In each mission, you’ll be supervising three of eight new characters from aboard the cursed ghost ship sailing the Lost Caribbean as you take on the inquisition (no, not Spanish) of the Burning Maiden. The inquisition stands between you and the treasure of Captain Mordechai. Let me cut you off at the pass, no that isn’t Homer’s look-a-like Mordecai Barrows or Greek WWI officer Mordechai Frizis. Jokes aside, in the trailer we got a glimpse at three of the eight characters we’ll eventually play throughout Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew.

Commanding your ship and her crew which you’ll assemble throughout the campaign, you’ll see pirate navigator Afia who can remove the sword from her chest, and Dishonored-like blink across the map to attack enemies. Gaëlle le Bris commands the cannons of the Red Marley, taking one with her where she goes. This gives her the ability to suck up enemies and place them elsewhere, or take fellow crew members and place them in those hard-to-reach areas.

The Red Marley’s builder and caretaker Mr. John Mercury also gets a showing, as he carries an anchor on his back and uses it to access “the shadow sea”. He hides underground at a moment’s notice and pops up to kill with brutal efficiency.

When I said you command the Red Marley, it is sort of true as with it the quick-save and quick-load function known to the genre far and wide is incorporated into the narrative. Miss dropping a rock, as shown in the gameplay trailer? Don’t worry, quick-load to have the Red Marley rewind time and you get another go at making a member of the Burning Maiden inquisition as flat as a pancake. Though that’s not all! Similar to FTL‘s space bar pause mechanic, your ship can stop time whenever you want to allow for something more akin to a turn-based gameplay style.

A large portion of the gameplay trailer and the press release reinforced the idea of giving more freedom to the player, greater immersion, and a more dynamic experience. One such change toward the latter is the ability to enter missions from several points. Being fantasy pirates, missions for your treasure will be on that land thing I’m not too fond of. Ok, diluting the sea with enough vomit that one time I tried being on a boat makes that as believable as Francis Drake’s fortune. Either way, you’ll have options on how to tackle each mission, with the gameplay trailer noting that yes, there are character-focused missions too.

I’m quite excited to see what Mimimi Games do with Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew when it releases later this year, as the current release window seems to be. Releasing on Steam and the Epic Games Store as well as PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, there is no definitive date at this point aside from the 2023 window. The first fantasy take on the genre from Mimimi, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is certainly something I can’t wait to see more of in the coming months. For more info (including dev diaries and streams) you’ll most likely want to keep an eye on Mimimi’s YouTube channel.

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