Faisal Ghaffar 
A stealth tactics game, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew brings you a ghost talking ship run by a skeletal crew and has a quirky family of zombies. You have to manage teams of undead pirates who have been magic-infused to help them find a lost treasure, fulfill their last wishes, deliver justice and deal with the skeletal monkey terrorizing the ship.
A sense of humor has been incorporated by the developers in the game that takes the plot forward and the level design and visuals are downright wonderful. Likewise, the cast also proves to be diverse in terms of function and abilities.
The task
You have the job of controlling three pirates to accomplish some stealth mission objectives, which include navigating locations that are filled with civilians, enemies and other elements. There are eight different islands where these objectives have to be accomplished and each of them have a unique design. They do not just have pretty scenery, but also give you stealth puzzles. The game is quite accessible and the mission times vary, allowing you to have shorter play sessions.
Not everything is completely real-time because there is a shadow mode that allows you to hit pause, issue orders to the members of your crew and then unpause for the commands to be executed together.
The mission
All of the tasks you accomplish is for your own mission related to a magical island chain called the Lost Caribbean. This is basically an alternate version of the golden age of piracy of your own world. This place is strange because the dead resting there are uneasy and some of them even return to life as Cursed. To put it simply, they have to live a life of piracy because of the Inquisition of the Burning Maiden.
It may make you seem like the bad guy, but it is the Inquisition that are the true jerks. You need to revive Red Marley, the legendary ghost ship, but the characters and tales are undoubtedly wonderful. You will also visit every island more than once and since they are so intricate, it adds to the fun.
The tools
Of course, you will be given a number of tools to play this stealth tactics game and they are also an excellent piece of game design. It takes just a single button to identify guards and interactables. It is also possible to see the view cone of a guard. But, the most useful ability that you have been granted is that of telling who can spot a given character or location. You will always have the information needed for making a plan, which is definitely empowering.
Shadow Gambit proves to be a mastermind simulator that allows you to plan and execute the assassinations, heists and intelligence gathering tasks. It helps you feel like a clever planner and the illusion is very well-done.
The Verdict
If you are looking for an outstanding game in the stealth tactics genre, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew fits the bill quite well.
