Shadow Warrior 3 - Review

The modern reboot of the Shadow Warrior series is interesting because all three games are conceptually different. The first from 2013 is the old school FPS that revived Lo Wang and its long language that makes jokes and jokes at almost every turn.

The second part made a turn so we got a cooperative looter shooter or something close to that. Now on our screens is the third part that looked to the new Doom games, but it would be a bit of an exaggeration to say that this is a Doom clone. Shadow Warrior 3 maintains its distinct look, as well as a wry sense of humor that isn't for everyone and demonstrates the creative side of the game's creation in the form of enemies and weapons. 

Shadow Warrior 3 continues directly to the end of the second part. In short, a huge ancient dragon has entered our world, destroyed everything, and we have to send it six meters underground. There are no crazy surprises, unexpected plots, unfoldings, and similar elements.

The story is just digestible, and Wang is still a boy trapped in an adult body and likes to comment on anything and everything. But the way he does it won’t suit everyone, just like his humor. There is no luck here with the characters either. Of the supporting ones here, we meet the witch Motoku, whose role is a little harder to understand because as the story progresses, its importance falls to the level of a footnote.

I will emphasize the obvious: the story is not the thing that makes Shadow Warrior 3 play. It is more of a trigger for the presentation of all the locations we will visit in the colorful neo-feudal Japanese environment. There aren't many of these locations, but the ones that are there aren't bad. From running on the back of the already mentioned dragon and fighting in its womb, there are still forests, dams, rivers, mountains, etc.

It is mostly shot in the fresh air, and the variety of locations is quite satisfactory. The locations are not boring or repetitive, and this is important because of the design of the game itself. It is a very linear title in which there is no research or revelation of secrets. Expect shooting in the arena, running and jumping to another arena, and so on in a circle.

This is an interesting approach as it is very focused on action with only a few breaks between arenas designed as mini levels. Each one is different, but some have special add-ons that we can include to help eliminate demons. One of the arenas thus has the possibility of opening a hole in the floor to grind opponents or it is possible to include huge saws.

The point is the ability to interact with the environment that has a satisfactory result. There is, of course, the indispensable hook that opens a quick movement around the arena, whether fleeing death or preparing a deadly attack. The same goes for the option of running on walls or certain parts of the walls because the speed of movement is what keeps us alive in Shadow Warrior 3.

Standing still is an option that will activate the last shooting point, and the reason for that are the colorful opponents. The development studio has been recognized for its innovation, which includes both the visual and attacking aspects. So we have a standard team running with explosives in their hands or throwing ice cubes, through samurai, bomber cooks to demons moving like a spiral spring.

These are just some examples of opponents, and it is interesting how each of them gets a few seconds of a separate presentation when they first meet them. This presentation is not pointless, but we can immediately see what weapons that opponent will leave us after we send them two meters underground.

Shadow Warrior 3 uses the health and ammunition recovery system we saw in the last Doom. Elimination with long-range weapons leaves much-needed health and katana bullets that wear out quickly. This is an additional reason to use the full range of weapons. Lo Wang has six weapons at his disposal (plus a katana) which at first does not sound promising.

There's a standard revolver, then a shotgun, a pair of Uzias, a grenade launcher, a railgun, and a crossbow that fires shurikens. It is not a wide arsenal, but the praise goes to the design of weapons as well as their sense of use or massacre of opponents. Even Lo Wang knows how to wonder whose blood it is given the chaos going on on the screen.

We gain essence by killing demons, which we use to fill the finisher move. When the finisher is full, the demon, regardless of size, dies from the first and leaves an intriguing presence in the form of a weapon. It is a great addition to fighting because it creates an element of tactics from collecting weapons.

For example, after using a finisher on a samurai, we fall into the hands of a fantastic sword that cuts opponent after opponent in flight. The already mentioned chef leaves a bomb that draws all opponents into the center of his explosion. It doesn't make sense to list everything because it would just be a pleasant surprise, but this element is creative and makes an already attractive fight even more attractive.

An additional layer of depth can be seen in the possibility of upgrading the standard weapons of our character. Each weapon has three levels. So let's say a railgun on the second upgrade breaks through opponents, and on the third backstage one and immobilizes the demons around that frozen one. Wang's upgrades are chi, which is the magic we use to force demons into the abyss and upgrade health, resources, and explosive interaction.

None of these upgrades change the gameplay and bring about drastic changes. But interesting is at least the way we collect extra points to upgrade. There are additional challenges ranging from the conventional kill x opponents with a katana or shotgun to the usage of hooks and the like, in addition to the standard means of finding them on the path to new combat. On the positive side, they are fun and do not give the impression of forcing one style of play but encourage the use of all available options for the massacre.

After the successful completion of the arena, there is a bit of jumping, ie a break and preparation for a new conflict. This part of the gameplay is quite solid although it is mostly monotonous. A little running, jumping, using the hook, then running and jumping again to the new arena. Far from saying that this is a bad or completely boring segment, it is not an element that provides a lot of surprises.

Two parts break the concept a bit, but that’s it. As it has already been said, it is a matter of taking a break and recharging the batteries for the new arena as well as for the development of the story, because dialogues are taking place in these parts.

What is surprising is the length of the game. More experienced players can complete Shadow Warrior 3 in about five hours and those less skilled can hardly stretch the duration to more than eight hours. On the one hand, there is no material fatigue because the game is not stretched with meaningless content.

On the other hand, after the end, you have no reason to come back to it again. This is a shame because it would fit that there is some sort of horde mode or something like that since the action is at a high level. In addition, the length of 5-6 hours hardly justifies the price of $ 49.99, no matter how much fun it was to spend time with the game.

Lo Wang may be exaggerating a bit with all the comments in the new game, but the more his tongue is, the more attractive the action. The combination of a range of weapons and the ability to interact with the environment creates perfectly fun and colorful chaos. Interesting opponents should not be forgotten here either, although it is a pity that there are no more boss battles.

On the one hand, this is understandable due to the length of the game, but most of the objections will be on the price-duration ratio anyway. In the end, Shadow Warrior 3 doesn’t bring anything new to the genre, but what it presents does in quite a solid way. Excluding the action, because that element will not be remembered.