Shadow Warrior 3 Review

Who wants some Wang? A seminal catchphrase from our lovable ninja, Lo Wang. It’s been a hot minute since Shadow Warrior 2 graced our screens, yet here we are, five-and-a-half years later, and Shadow Warrior 3 is about to take us on a rollercoaster ride.

A lot has changed in this sequel; gone are the loot rarities, role-play mechanics, and health-bar-laden enemies. No more “open-world” gameplay loop or element-resisting bastards to contend with; Flying Wild Hog has dialled things back to create a simpler, yet frantic shooter to enjoy.

Lo Wang teams up with his former employer-come-nemesis Orochi Zilla to recapture an ancient Dragon — that Wang conveniently set free — and force it back into its eternal prison. The game opens up with Wang in his underpants, talking to the mask of his “deceased” friend and trickster, Hoji, as Lo Wang is in mid-existential crisis questioning where his mojo has gone after being defeated by the aforementioned ancient Dragon. Zilla turns up and the pair discuss plans to conquer the Dragon.

Thus kicks off another adventure filled with toilet humour (which is right up my street), gunplay, swordplay, gory executions, and some freerunning for what is a linear unadulterated romp. Combat is quite slick in Shadow Warrior 3 yet also simple to grasp; with left-click of the mouse to shoot guns and right-click reserved for your katana, it didn’t take long for me to pick up the basics and paint the levels red with the blood of my foes. Weaponry is also kept relatively simple as there’s a limited arsenal that Lo Wang picks up throughout the levels. You begin armed with a revolver, shotgun, and dual-wield submachine guns; there is also a grenade launcher, railgun, and shuriken launcher to be collected.

Upgrading Lo Wang’s abilities and weaponry has also been simplified as we’re no longer relying on RPG mechanics, so simple upgrade orbs are dotted around the levels to be discovered. In addition to the world spawns for these orbs, Shadow Warrior 3 provides challenges to be completed — such as using explosive barrels to kill 50 enemies — which will reward you with either an ability orb or weapon orb once claimed. As these are split between weapons or character abilities, it is well worth exploring the levels and completing all the challenges to find these tokens should you wish to max out Lo Wang’s potential.

Executions play a large role within the game with enemies dropping orbs that build up your finisher meter; this energy can also be found as pick-ups from the levels. Upon filling a bar, you can instantly kill a mob in a rather gruesome fashion and be granted either a weapon or a buff. For example, dispatching a common grunt will boost your health to 200 hit points. This additional HP can’t be replenished and the effect will dissipate once dropping back below 100 health. Another example would be tearing off the arm of a hammer-wielding baddie, in order to use that very hammer for a limited time for skull bashing duties. Nearly every enemy in the game has a “Gore Weapon” or perk to be extracted via a finisher.

There is no denying that Shadow Warrior 3 is a very pretty game to look at. Environments are lush and beautifully detailed, ranging from the back of the angry Dragon, to a massive Oriental-themed architectured dam, to swinging through the trees of a jungle; the art team have certainly delivered a feast for the eyes. This detail doesn’t stop at level environments either, as the enemies are equally as varied as the levels they inhabit. The standard humanoid enemies in their gi outfit look suitably authentic, then the artbook is thrown out the window as each new foe encountered raises the ridiculous factor in terms of looks. Seriously, you’ll see what I mean once you encounter the derpiest looking chicken early into the game. For those that are wondering, yes the demon bunnies are referenced again, just this time it’s a big mob wearing bunny ears that wants your blood, not some coked-up rabbit.

One part I do feel is missing resides in the soundtrack for the game. I know this is a personal gripe, but I much preferred the soundtrack from Shadow Warrior 2 and the sultry tones of Stan Bush, opening up with “The Touch” and closing with the absolute banger of “Warrior”; unfortunately for me, there’s nothing that tickles my thirst for 80s power ballads in this sequel. I’m not saying the soundtrack is bad by any means, I just feel it lacks that impact that can only be achieved by some classic rock music!

Flying Wild Hog and Devolver Digital claim that there’s around 8-10 hours worth of gameplay in Shadow Warrior 3. I feel this is being a little optimistic, with my own time clocking in around six and a half hours in my initial run. Perhaps those less savvy to first-person shooters would be completing more in line with developer estimates, I just feel that the majority that would pick this up may be left feeling a little short-changed, following an approximate six-hour romp. 

Overall I loved my time with Wang. I laughed, I conquered, I facepalmed as I failed basic jumping, it was all part of an enjoyable experience in another solid entry in the Shadow Warrior franchise.