Shadow Warrior 3: DefinitiveEdition by developer Flying Wild Hog and publisher Devolver Digital—PC (Steam) review written by Jim with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
I went into Shadow Warrior 3
without playing the first two games so I didn't know what to expect going into
this one. I knew it was a fast-paced FPS that was supposed to be funny and that
is exactly what I got. I also knew the game's main protagonist was Lo Wang who
was the same as the two previous games.
The story is pretty straight forward. You're Lo Wang, a sword and gun-wielding
ninja who must fight to save what's left of the world from the Evildoing Dragon
and yes that is its name in the game. It seemed like the game was a direct
sequel to Shadow Warrior 2 and playing this is making me want to play the first
two games. And I probably will. Not fully knowing the story from the first two
games didn't hinder my enjoyment of Shadow Warrior 3 though. The game's story
reminded me a little of Deadpool as Lo Wang will break the fourth wall at times
and the action is fast and furious. From what I can tell, almost all the
characters in the game are returning from previous games. Mainly just Lo Wang,
Zilla, Hoji, and the Evildoing Dragon.
The game levels are short and linear with a few hidden areas to find upgrade orbs for both weapons and Lo Wang's powers like his Chi blast and health. Each level has a set of challenges you can try to do to get upgrade orbs for completing and more challenges unlock once you beat the game once. Doing these new challenges rewards you with warrior rank points that can unlock special cosmetics for your weapons.
Lo Wang's arsenal has five guns and his katana. I liked all the guns and the katana as they all felt different and felt good to use for different enemies. Lo Wang can also use a Chi Blast to push enemies into spikes and off the edge of levels. You can even upgrade it to be able to push the bigger enemies which can come in handy at times. There are seven different enemies or Yokai in the game although not a lot every few levels a new one will appear. You will have to figure out the best way to kill it. There are only two bosses in the whole game which is a little disappointing. Some of the yokai designs are good though, so that makes up for the lack of different enemies and that even includes a gassy one that farts a lot while you fight it.
Lo Wang is a fast-moving character who can wall run and climb areas in a level marked with vines. He also has a grappling hook that he can use but with the levels being so linear you will mostly use it to get from one point of a level to the next. In combat, it is always best to keep moving much like in other games such as the new Doom games. As you kill yokai you can pick up health, ammo, and energy that they drop. Energy lets you use a finisher to instantly kill an enemy. The weakest enemy called a Shogai grants you health while the other enemies give Lo Wang a gore weapon that is strong but only lasts a limited amount of time and can turn the tide of a battle.
Shadow Warrior may not be the best-looking game on the market, but it does get the job done. They looked good in 4K and ran well too showing good optimization as my computer is starting to age. The sound and music were decent too. Nothing grand about the music but it wasn't bad either.
Shadow Warrior 3 is short clocking in at just about four to five hours to beat on normal difficulty but can be longer if you want to try to do every challenge and find every orb. Once you beat the game you unlock a new game+ mode that lets you select any level to go back to and have every weapon unlocked and all upgrades. It's a great way to try to find any orbs or challenges you missed. Also unlocking after you beat the game once is a survival mode where you will face wave after wave of Yokai. Before each wave, you will be able to select one of three guns, gun upgrade, or upgrade as none of the upgrades carry over from story mode to survival. It is fun and difficult but with only three different arenas the fun didn't last long. Getting so far in each level will again unlock cosmetics for Wang's weapons.
Summary
Overall Shadow Warrior 3 is a short, fun, and funny FPS that I enjoyed playing, but after beating it once I don't see any reason to return to it. The short time to beat may turn some people off, but if the game was any longer it would have gotten boring unless more things enemies, bosses, and weapons were available. The added survival mode is nice, but still isn't enough to keep me coming back. It's worth a play but don't expect anything more than a fun and short FPS, and a story that doesn't take itself too seriously. Good news! Anyone who owns the game already will get the Definitive Edition for free so it could be a good time to revisit the game.
Score: 7 out of 10
