Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew just became one of the best gaming deals you can grab right now. Playsum is offering the undead pirate stealth-strategy masterpiece for $8.98 using code CHEERS, representing a massive 78% discount from its $39.99 regular price. This isn’t just any indie game on sale. It’s the swan song from Mimimi Games, the studio behind beloved tactical stealth titles like Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun and Desperados 3, and it represents 15 years of refinement in a genre they essentially perfected before closing their doors in 2023.
What Makes Shadow Gambit Special
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew takes the isometric real-time stealth-strategy formula Mimimi mastered and applies it to the most unique setting imaginable: an alternate history Caribbean Golden Age of Piracy populated by undead buccaneers with supernatural powers. You command the Red Marley, a literal ghost ship with a living soul, as you recruit a cursed pirate crew one by one and hunt for the treasure of your missing captain, Mordechai.
The setup channels Pirates of the Caribbean’s first film in the best possible way. That perfect blend of goofy haunted slapstick mixed with genuine heart and real dramatic stakes permeates every mission. Your crew consists of eight unique undead pirates, each with distinct supernatural abilities that fundamentally change how you approach objectives. Gaëlle’s magical cannon launches allies or enemies across the map. Mr. Mercury can traverse underground. Von Presswald possesses enemy bodies. The synergies between these powers create infinite possibilities for solving Mimimi’s expertly crafted stealth puzzles.
Choose Your Own Crew
One brilliant design decision sets Shadow Gambit apart from Mimimi’s previous work: you decide the order in which to revive your crew members. Their corpses are scattered around the ship, and as you collect the necessary magical artifacts from story missions, you choose who comes back next. This means your playthrough feels genuinely personal rather than following a predetermined character unlock sequence. Different players will experience vastly different campaigns based on which abilities they prioritize unlocking first.
The Mimimi Legacy
Mimimi Games spent 15 years becoming the undisputed kings of real-time stealth-tactics games. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun in 2016 brought the genre back from near extinction with its tale of ninjas in feudal Japan. Desperados 3 in 2020 revived a dormant Wild West franchise and proved the studio could apply their formula to different settings while maintaining excellence. Shadow Gambit represents their final evolution, the culmination of everything they learned across those projects.
Tragically, Mimimi announced Shadow Gambit would be their last game before it even launched. In August 2023, co-founders Dominik Abé and Johannes Roth explained that working on increasingly ambitious games took a heavy personal toll on them and their families. Rather than push through to inevitable burnout, they chose to end on a high note. The studio wrapped up 15 years of development with their best work, then closed the doors for good. It’s one of the saddest and most mature decisions in recent gaming history.
Hooded Horse Takes Over Publishing
In December 2024, strategy publisher Hooded Horse announced they’d acquired the publishing rights to Shadow Gambit from Mimimi. The game is in its final form with no further updates planned, but Hooded Horse will handle ongoing commercial needs and help the game reach more players. CEO Tim Bender called Shadow Gambit the pinnacle of stealth strategy games, and he’s not wrong. The partnership ensures this masterpiece remains available for years to come rather than fading into obscurity.
How Shadow Gambit Actually Plays
If you’ve played XCOM, Hitman, or any tactical puzzle game where positioning and timing matter, you’ll understand Shadow Gambit’s DNA immediately. Each mission drops you onto an island controlled by the Inquisition of the Burning Maiden, the religious zealots hunting your undead crew. Your objectives vary from rescuing captured allies to stealing artifacts to assassinating specific targets, but the core loop remains consistent: study enemy patrol patterns, identify opportunities, and execute your plan.
The genius of Mimimi’s design philosophy shines in how it rewards both playstyles. You can be the ghost who infiltrates without anyone knowing you were there, silently dispatching isolated guards and hiding bodies in bushes. Or you can embrace chaos, using your supernatural powers to create explosive chain reactions that wipe out entire patrols. Both approaches work. Neither feels cheap or exploitative. The game simply presents you with a sandbox of tools and enemies, then trusts you to find creative solutions.
Save Scumming Is The Point
Shadow Gambit builds its entire structure around time-manipulation magic that makes save scumming not just acceptable but integral to gameplay. You can save and load at any point instantly without penalty. Experimentation becomes encouraged rather than punished. Want to see if you can possess that guard and walk him off a cliff? Try it. Doesn’t work? Reload and try something else. This design philosophy transforms trial-and-error from frustration into joyful discovery.
PC Gamer called Shadow Gambit the Best Stealth game of 2023, praising it as superb squad-based stealth strategy that embraces the magic of save-scumming. Reviewer Dominic Tarason highlighted how previous Mimimi games had quirky abilities, but Shadow Gambit’s full suite of magical undead pirate powers widened the possibility space exponentially. The studio showed their range across ninjas, cowboys, and pirates, hitting each theme perfectly before bowing out.
The Complete Package
Shadow Gambit received two expansion packs after launch: Zagan’s Ritual and Yuki’s Wish. Both add substantial content including new missions and character storylines. The base game at $8.98 gives you the complete campaign with all eight crew members and dozens of missions. If you fall in love with it, you can grab the DLC later, but the base experience offers more than enough content to justify the price several times over.
GameSpot awarded Shadow Gambit high marks, calling it a bountiful blend of stealth, strategy, and swashbuckling. The review emphasized how character-driven the narrative becomes, with each crew member receiving meaningful development through missions and optional conversations aboard the Red Marley. The ship itself serves as a hub where you choose missions, upgrade abilities, and unlock character backstories through dozens of optional dialogues.
Non-Linear Excellence
Shadow Gambit’s mission structure embraces player agency in ways most story-driven games avoid. You can tackle objectives in basically any order you want. The first half of the campaign involves gathering artifacts to revive all eight crew members, but which islands you visit and in what sequence remains entirely up to you. This creates natural replayability as different players experience the story beats in completely different orders based on their choices.
Why It Didn’t Sell
Despite universal critical acclaim and a 96% positive rating on Steam from over 30,000 reviews, Shadow Gambit didn’t achieve commercial success. The game sold roughly 100,000 copies, which sounds respectable until you consider the development costs and years of work Mimimi invested. Several factors contributed to the disappointing sales. The setting, while unique, doesn’t have the same instant appeal as ninjas or cowboys. The August 2023 release date put it against massive blockbusters. And honestly, real-time stealth-tactics games remain a niche genre no matter how excellent the execution.
Mimimi’s closure wasn’t Shadow Gambit’s fault specifically. The studio had been burning out for years, and no amount of sales would have changed their decision to prioritize developer health over continued production. But the relatively modest commercial performance does mean this incredible game flew under the radar for most players. At $8.98, more people than ever can finally experience what critics and hardcore fans have been raving about.
PC Requirements and Performance
Shadow Gambit isn’t particularly demanding by modern standards. Minimum requirements include an Intel Core i5-4460 or AMD FX-6300, 8GB RAM, and a GTX 950 or Radeon R7 370. Recommended specs bump that to an Intel i7-4770K or Ryzen 5 1600, 16GB RAM, and a GTX 970 or RX 580. Most gaming PCs built in the last five years should handle it at high settings with smooth framerates.
The game runs on Unreal Engine 4 and features gorgeous art direction that makes up for any lack of cutting-edge graphical effects. The Caribbean islands look vibrant and inviting despite being occupied by religious fanatics. Character designs pop with personality. The UI is clean and functional, presenting complex information clearly without overwhelming you. It’s simply a well-optimized game from a studio that knew what they were doing.
FAQs
How much is Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew on Playsum?
Shadow Gambit is currently $8.98 on Playsum with code CHEERS applied at checkout. This represents a 78% discount from the regular $39.99 price. The deal includes a Steam key for the base game.
Who developed Shadow Gambit?
Mimimi Games developed Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew. The Munich-based studio was founded in 2008 by Dominik Abé and Johannes Roth and became known for stealth-tactics games including Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun and Desperados 3. They announced Shadow Gambit would be their final game before closing in August 2023.
What kind of game is Shadow Gambit?
Shadow Gambit is a real-time stealth-tactics game where you control a crew of undead pirates with supernatural powers. It plays similarly to XCOM in terms of tactical planning but executes in real-time rather than turn-based. You infiltrate enemy-controlled islands, using stealth, abilities, and creative problem-solving to complete objectives.
Do I need to play Mimimi’s previous games first?
No. Shadow Gambit is completely standalone with no connection to Shadow Tactics or Desperados 3. Each Mimimi game tells its own story in a different setting and time period. You can start with whichever appeals to you most.
How long is Shadow Gambit?
The main campaign takes approximately 20-30 hours depending on how thoroughly you explore and experiment. Optional content, side missions, and replaying levels with different crew combinations can easily push that to 40+ hours. The two DLC expansions add several more hours each.
Is Shadow Gambit difficult?
Shadow Gambit offers multiple difficulty options and embraces save-scumming as a core mechanic. You can save and reload instantly at any point, making experimentation painless. The game rewards creative thinking over twitch reflexes, so it’s accessible to players who struggle with fast-paced action games.
Will there be more Mimimi games?
No. Mimimi Games permanently closed in August 2023 after releasing Shadow Gambit. The studio’s co-founders explained that the toll of increasingly ambitious game development on their personal lives and families led them to shut down rather than risk burnout. Shadow Gambit represents their final work.
What happened to Shadow Gambit’s publishing?
In December 2024, Hooded Horse acquired the publishing rights from Mimimi Games. The game is in its final form with no further updates planned, but Hooded Horse will handle ongoing commercial support and help the game reach more players over the long term.
Conclusion
At $8.98, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew represents one of the absolute best deals in gaming right now. This isn’t some janky indie experiment or outdated classic riding on nostalgia. It’s a 2023 release that won Best Stealth Game awards, earned a 96% positive rating on Steam, and represents the culmination of 15 years of refinement from a studio that mastered their craft. The fact that it’s also Mimimi’s final game adds poignant weight to the experience. You’re not just playing an excellent stealth-tactics game about undead pirates with magical powers. You’re experiencing the last will and testament of a legendary developer that chose to end on the highest possible note rather than fade into mediocrity. The Caribbean setting, supernatural abilities, non-linear mission structure, and embrace of save-scumming as gameplay philosophy all combine into something special that deserves far more attention than it received at launch. Hooded Horse’s acquisition of publishing rights ensures Shadow Gambit will remain available for years, but at this price, there’s zero reason to wait. Use code CHEERS on Playsum, grab your Steam key for under nine bucks, and experience the stealth-tactics masterpiece that most people missed. Mimimi Games may be gone, but their legacy lives on through this brilliant final adventure. Don’t let it be forgotten.