Desperados III is a real-time tactics stealth video game. The game features five playable characters, with each having access to unique weapons and abilities. Players can play the game as a stealth game, in which they can assassinate enemies silently or disguise kills as accidental deaths. It is possible for players to complete missions without killing anyone by knocking out and tying up enemies. Bodies of incapacitated enemies need to be hidden or else other enemies patrolling the area will discover them and trigger an alarm that calls for reinforcement. The cones of vision of all enemies are displayed, allowing players to navigate the map without alerting them. Players can also play the game as an action game and utilize the showdown mode to temporarily stop the game, allowing players to coordinate and chain up the actions of the player's squad. In showdown mode, players can issue commands to each of the character in the party. When the player exits showdown mode, the characters will execute the commands issued by the player simultaneously.
Story
The story is a prequel to , the first game in the series, and explores the origin of the series' protagonist John Cooper. The game is set in the Wild West in the 1870s and features various locations including Colorado, Louisiana and Mexico. In addition to John Cooper, the game also includes Hector Mendoza, Doc McCoy, Isabelle Moreau, and Kate O'Hara as playable characters. The story follows bounty hunter John Cooper as he pursues Frank, a notorious bandit leader responsible for the death of John's father, James Cooper. Along the way, Cooper meets Doctor McCoy, who was hired by DeVitt Company, a wealthy corporation, to defend the train Cooper was taking on his way to the town of Flagstone. Once at Flagstone, Cooper learns from his friend Hector Mendoza that Frank is at the mansion of the soon-to-be-married local mayor. In the meantime, mayor's prospective bride, Kate O'Hara, finds out that her betrothed had sold her family's ranch to Devitt Company. In the escalating altercation, O'Hara shoots the mayor as John Cooper walks in, seeking Frank. The newly met pair promptly escape the mansion and head for the O'Hara ranch to defend it from the attacking DeVitt company men. The defence is successful, though Kate's uncle Ian perishes in the battle. The group eventually get captured on their way to New Orleans, where Frank is located. They're rescued by a Voodoo practitioner called Isabelle Moreau, who joins them in order to find her partner, Marshall Wayne. Frank's gang imprisoned many people out in Louisiana wetlands, to be shipped off to work in DeVitt's mines. Once they rescue Wayne, the group sets fire to the old riverboat that functioned as a headquarters for Frank's people. This act puts Frank on alert and he locks down the city. Having snuck past the roadblocks and guards, Cooper asserts that he wants to face Frank alone, to which Kate and Hector object. At Hector's mention of John's father, who is revealed to have been killed by Frank, John snaps and shoots Hector. At the docked freight ship, Frank and Cooper duel, but Cooper is outdrawn and wounded. With the rest of his group also captured, they're all sent to DeVitt's gold mines as slaves. Eventually escaping, the group has a falling out due to John's selfishness that got them captured. McCoy cuts his losses and abandons them, whereas the rest eventually reconcile and undertake Wayne's commission to abduct DeVitt himself from a lavish party at this mansion. They manage to spirit DeVitt out, but at the last moment their captive outwits them and hold them at gunpoint, only to be shot down by a returning McCoy. With the group back together, they undertake one final job to hunt down Frank at the Devil's Canyon, where James Cooper and a young John pursued Frank years ago. Frank and John have another stand-off, watched over by Frank's lieutenants. The rest of the group overpowers Frank's posse, while John outdraws and finishes off Frank.
Development
The game was developed by German studio Mimimi Games, the developer of , whose gameplay mechanics were similar to this game. THQ Nordic, which acquired the rights to the franchise from Atari in 2013, served as the game's publisher. Since the last game in the series was released more than a decade ago, the team made Desperados III a prequel story so that it can be accessible to new players who are new to the franchise or new to the genre. To achieve this, the team ensured that the game features an adequate tutorial system that teaches the player the gameplay foundation, and implemented gamepad controls for players who use a controller to play. The game's showdown mode, which allows players to pause time completely, was created after receiving players' feedback about the limitations of Shadow Tacticss "shadow mode". Unlike Shadow Tactics, the game features a more playful tone, with characters bantering with each other more frequently. The game was officially announced by THQ Nordic in August 2018. Initially set to be released in 2019, the game was released on 16 June 2020 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
