Shadow Warrior 3 – Review

February 28, 2022March 3, 2022 Darren 0 Comments devolver digital, Flying Wild Hog, shadow warrior 3

Our Score: 8.5/10

Shadow Warrior 3 launches the offbeat first-person shooter series to the next level with a seamless blend of fast-paced gunplay, razor-sharp melee combat, and a spectacular free-running movement system.

Third Time’s The Charm

Lo Wang, a former corporate shogun, and Orochi Zilla, a former adversary turned sidekick, embark on an impossible expedition to reclaim an ancient dragon they unwittingly released from its endless prison. Lo Wang must traverse uncharted corners of the planet. Armed with a punishing mix of swords and guns in order to track down the dark beast and push the apocalypse back again. All it takes is a dead god’s mask, a dragon’s egg, a dash of magic. And enough firepower to stave off the impending disaster.

The plot picks up shortly after the events of Shadow Warrior 2. During which Kamiko transforms into a gigantic dragon in order to seal the portal between the Human and Shadow Worlds.. Instead, the dragon has been wreaking havoc on the earth. And Lo Wang has teamed up with his old adversary Orochi Zilla. And the grumpy witch Motoko to put an end to it.

Shadow Warrior 3 Mask

The campaign in Shadow Warrior 3 is mainly successful in terms of speed, moving forward quickly and without much delay. Despite reservations about Kamiko appearing to be retconned, the setup is intriguing at first. Even if it swiftly veers away from Wang and Zilla’s compelling friends-turned-enemies dynamic.

Slicing and Shooting

The combat and level design are what will finally entice you to join Shadow Warrior 3’s antics. Forget randomised treasure of various rarities, character stats, and a massive armament. There are only a few firearms and Wang’s katana to choose from. Each with three upgrades. Wang also has a few upgrades, like passive health regeneration and increased explosive barrel damage. From the devastation of the Riot Gun to the headshots of the Revolver. And the kick of the Basilisk. All of the weaponry are tremendously satisfying and further cement Wang’s status as a true force of nature.

Of course, there are other things to replace the looter shooting features from the prior game. Traps abound throughout the environment, most of which are huge buzzsaws that may be activated by firing switches. Of course, you could just use the Chi Blast to push enemies into wall spikes and off the map. Wang’s mobility has also been improved thanks to wall-running, double-jumping, and dashing; the grappling hook, which can be used to grab on to specific adversaries and drag explosive barrels across an arena; and the new Gore Weapons earned through execution.

In essence, when you execute an adversary, you are removing a weapons piece from them. Ice bombs and enormous mallets are among the weapons available, as are a floating eye that automatically assaults adversaries and a grenade that transforms into a mini-disco ball of lasers. You may need more than one bar of Execution metre depending on the strength of an enemy – and their Gore Weapon. As a result, it’s either use a single bar on smaller foes for health boosts and crowd control, or save two bars for the big weaponry.

The Length of this Wang

Shadow Warrior 3 virtually insists on not overstaying its welcome, with a length of less than five hours on Medium difficulty. Even with its flaws, the campaign is a comprehensive experience — it’s just that once it’s finished, you’ll be hungry for more. You could choose Hard Mode, which increases the difficulty of adversaries’ attacks, as well as completing the check-list of challenges for upgrade points.

The level design is significantly more guided and unified than the randomly generated sections of Shadow Warrior 2. Or, at the very least, as cohesive as a world can be with a huge dragon bending gravity and weather on the spur of the moment. You’ll visit abandoned constructions on cliff faces, subterranean caves with lush vegetation, and even a failing dam. The game’s battle arenas and traversal parts are well-balanced, and the surroundings have a surprising amount of beautiful features. The levels, on the other hand, are incredibly linear, with little in the form of mysteries or bonuses.