Mimimi Games' real-time Wild West strategy game Desperados 3 is one of the highest-rated titles of 2020 so far, based on the review aggregate site OpenCritic. Desperados 3's base campaign has 16 missions that encourage players to solve environmental puzzles with five unique characters, and post-launch content has added even more. Yesterday, publisher THQ Nordic announced that a crew of animals are the latest companions to join the game's playable roster.

The second set of Baron's Challenges in Desperados 3 were released for all players upon their announcement, headlined by the "Rescue Aid Society" challenge in which Stella the cat, Agent Floofs the dog, and Sergeant Cluckers the chicken have to team up and save Doc McCoy from his imprisonment. Each of these animal characters offer their own special skills that mesh together, according to the trailer released by THQ, like Stella being able to distract guards while Agent Floofs runs in with a killer bite.

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Three more challenges were released at the same time: "Three Men with No Name," which references the hide-and-seek children's book Where's Waldo; "Bear Trap Triplets," which centers around the trapper character Hector Mendoza; and "Some poor guy who fooled the baron and is now running for his life," according to the video description for THQ's trailer. Desperados 3 reviews praise its commitment to freedom and experimentation, and new challenges with additional characters should add to that enjoyment.

These Baron's Challenges follow up on four additional free missions released July 23, suggesting the game could have a decently long life if the developers decide to continue releasing content on a regular basis. Mimimi Games has been connecting with its players since the game launched, with some developers reacting to an impressive Desperados 3 speedrun last month.

The Desperados series dates back to 2001, and has remained a cult favorite despite going on hiatus after 2007's Helldorado, the canonical sequel to 2006's Desperados 2. THQ Nordic announced Desperados 3 in April, promising a prequel to the original game, and it seems the series could continue to branch out from here given how critically successful its revival turned out.

Though Desperados 3 stands out for its unique setting and tactical mechanics, it's not the only stealth game out there for those who want more sneaky puzzles. Indie games have been largely successful at innovating upon the stealth genre, and recently Sony announced that IO Interactive's Hitman 3 will have VR support when it releases next year.

Desperados 3 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

MORE: Top 10 Indie Games That Require A Lot of Stealth

Source: Baron's Challenges 1