Shogun Showdown is a 2D turn-based tactics game by Roboatino that I’ve been playing on and off for a few months now. It’s a great game and already in my round-up of the best roguelike deckbuilders, but with its full release on multiple platforms this month, it was time to play it excessively and thereafter share my considered thoughts.
Two steps forward, one step back
Shogun Showdown is one of those games that sounds simple on paper, but in practice it ends up being a pleasant challenge. The combat is turn-based and takes place across a limited number of spaces on a 2D plane. Say there are seven spaces; you might start in the middle and enemies could spawn in on either side of you. Using your abilities and simple left and right controls, you must move around your opponents, deal some damage, and avoid taking too many hits yourself.
Playing as a starting character called the Wanderer, you get one special ability and two basic attacks, and both are on cooldown timers so you can’t just spam them. Your sword attack damages anything on the tiles either side of you, while your bow fires in the direction you’re facing and hits whatever target is standing in the way. The Wanderer’s ability is to swap places with an enemy directly in front of her, which doesn’t do any damage but, when timed right, can be a useful way of moving your enemies around so that they hit each other.
Things get more complicated over time, but that’s the essential gist of how to play: move left and right, control the space, time your attacks, and think as many moves ahead as your poor brain can manage.
Roguish elements
The second unlockable character, the Ronin, is less nuanced than the Wanderer, but he makes up for it by being able to shove opponents into one another, dealing damage as he does so. While the Wanderer starts off with a blade and a bow, the Ronin comes equipped with a spear that deals damage across two spaces instead of one. He also has a smoke grenade that allows him to swap positions with an enemy in front of him; another useful way of controlling the space and moving opponents around against their wishes.
Once you’ve beaten a level you either visit a shrine or a shop, or you’re granted a new attack card to add to your deck. Shrines offer quick upgrades, such as added damage, powerful curses, or reduced cooldown timers. Shops, on the other hand, will sell you health potions, items that grant passive buffs, and they also have shrines so you can upgrade your cards. Finally, if you’re offered a new attack type between battles, they open up new ways of taking down your opponents. There are loads, although I’m not going to spoil any of them as discovering the new weapons and their uses is half the fun.
The battles themselves are different each time, as are the contents of the shops and the shrine types. As such, each new run is a completely new experience. What’s more, every time you begin a new attempt it’s a cold start, so in this respect it’s more roguelike than roguelite. The different characters have their own abilities and starting loadouts, but I wouldn’t call one an upgrade over the others, especially as all characters can use any of the weapons that you’ve unlocked so far.
Pacey combat
What I love about Shogun Showdown is the way the combat feels. Yes, this is a turn-based deckbuilder, a setup that doesn’t feel like it should facilitate smooth, fast-paced combat, but it somehow does just that.
Once I started getting more confident with each of the weapons, the different characters and their starting setups, and the various spells and items you can unlock, I began playing with more pace. While I would make the odd mistake, the back and forth feels really good. The game never rushes you, which I appreciated, but it also lets you string moves together, queueing up your actions in a way that you can take down multiple enemies at once.
When it comes together, and your best laid plans come to fruition, it results in some of the most satisfying combat I’ve ever encountered in the turn-based arena. Your little character will dance between enemies, slashing this way and that. A stab here, an arrow fired there, a potion glugged, a dash back, a trap thrown forward. You’ve got loads of options, and each combat encounter is also a puzzle to solve.
Not only does it feel great to play, but it looks and sounds great, too. I love the pixel-art graphics and the stunning details that have been baked into the backgrounds. I think Roboatino has done a damn fine job balancing complexity with visual clarity. It’s also a great fit on the Steam Deck, which is where I’ve been playing for the most part.
All told, I’m seriously impressed by Shogun Showdown, and thanks to its nuanced combat and replayable structure, it’s a game that I’m going to keep coming back to. I love everything about it, and alongside Balatro and Hades 2, it stands as one of the best roguish releases of the year.
Shogun Showdown is out now on Steam and on PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox as of September 5. Links to all platforms can be found here.
