Aiko's Choice is the anticipated standalone expansion to the acclaimed stealth strategy game Shadow Tactics. Set in Edo Japan, you take control of the skillful kunoichi adept Aiko and her deadly assassin friends to hunt down the ghosts of her past.
The game casts players in control of a team of five unique assassins - Aiko, Hayato, Mugen, Yuki, and Takuma - in a real-time tactics stealth game set in Edo-period Japan. Players must utilize the specialized skills and abilities of each character to infiltrate enemy strongholds, eliminate targets, and complete mission objectives without being detected.
Players must carefully plan their team's movements and coordinate their actions to sneak past guards, lure enemies into traps, and silently eliminate targets. The game encourages experimentation, as there are often multiple viable approaches to each situation. Players can choose to execute non-lethal takedowns, deadly assassinations, or a combination of both, depending on their preferred playstyle.
The diverse skillsets of the playable characters are a standout aspect of the gameplay. Aiko can blend in as a geisha, Hayato is an agile ninja adept at silent takedowns, Mugen is a powerful samurai who can defeat multiple foes at once, Yuki is a skilled trapper who can lure enemies into deadly pitfalls, and Takuma is a long-range marksman who can provide support with his sniper rifle and loyal pet companion, Kuma. Effectively utilizing the unique abilities of each character is crucial to success.
The "Shadow Mode" allows players to plan a coordinated sequence of actions for their team before executing them simultaneously. This requires careful positioning and timing, as players must ensure their characters' movements and attacks align perfectly to take down their targets without raising the alarm.
Players must navigate through heavily guarded environments, dealing with sentry patrols, alarms, and other obstacles while completing their objectives. The game does not provide explicit guidance, instead encouraging experimentation and creative problem-solving to overcome these challenges.
While the core gameplay loop remains the same, the game offers multiple paths to success. Players can choose between lethal and non-lethal approaches, and their decisions can impact the story and outcomes of the missions. This, combined with optional challenge objectives and difficulty settings, provides a high degree of replayability for players seeking to master the game's mechanics.