Synopsis: 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.
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Reviewed on: PC (Intel i5-9400F, @2.90GHZ, RTX 2060, 16GB RAM)
Also available for: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Cast: Mike Moh, SungWon Cho, Andromeda Dunker
Developer: Flying Wild Hog
Lead Credits: TBA
“If you can’t do it in style, why bother?” – a mid-game quote from Lo Wang succinctly summarises the philosophy of Shadow Warrior 3. The gameplay is fast and chaotic in all the right ways, while Lo Wang is back with his unremitting snark in a game that had me gripped and engaged from the first pull of the trigger to the last.
The gameplay and structure in this third entry in the Shadow Warrior series take more from the 2013 Shadow Warrior than 2016’s Shadow Warrior 2. Gone are the loot and side quests; back are the set number of weapons unlocked and missions directly leading into another. Within these missions, the structure is generally platforming challenges across the mid apocalyptic world, landing in an arena and cutting through swarms of demons, rinse and repeat. This might sound simple, but all combat and the movement in the game are top quality and are incredibly fun to play around with.
The movement and platforming are new for the series, with the addition of wall running and a grappling hook slotting in well to the already established quick movement and dash in the previous entries. This makes up the bulk of the platforming between arenas as you chain jumps, wall runs and grapples together to cross some cavernous spaces. The movement is exactly what it needs to be in this sense; fun and just enough of a challenge to be engaging. It also adds an excellent layer to the combat, as the arenas are designed with quick movement in mind. Grappling in arenas is available at both grappling points and into enemies, allowing you to both move out of and into danger. In some arenas, the way you can chain all of these moves together whilst bouncing around slashing and shooting foes can almost feel on rails due to the seamless way you can tie it all together, if successful.
Of course, movement is not all of the combat, and being back to a set weapon list is a boon in this sense due to the quality of each weapon. These are standard FPS affairs, except maybe the saw blade shooting crossbow, but each weapon is meaty and satisfying to use. Switching is quick between weapons, and while each has its niche, they are versatile enough to be used in most situations. The iconic Shadow Warrior swordplay is also back and required to regain ammo for your guns. However, the sword does not take a place in your numbered hotbar; instead, it is always bound to right-click, which also means that there is no way to aim down sights. Though I did not miss this feature, considering the speed that you traverse around, aiming down sights would be largely unnecessary.
Something that has made the leap from SW2 to Shadow Warrior 3 is elemental effects. These are mostly barrels scattered around the arenas to be shot strategically or flung at enemies with the Chi Blast. They do offer some smart combos, whether you need a little explosion or a way to slow down the enemies bearing down on you through an electric stun or freezing them completely. They are part of another of the big changes in Shadow Warrior 3 from previous entries, the focus on using the environment. I have already touched on how the arenas are crafted for you to speed around gracefully, but they are also designed for you to be paying attention to barrels and other traps around, offering further flexibility in how you deal with the demons. Some surprises are as simple as spikes on a wall, which you can Chi Blast a smaller enemy into for an instant kill. More elaborate traps involve you activating whirling blades to carve anyone caught in their wake. One of my favourite arenas was a trap door (leading to deadly blades) with two platforms on either side with a grapple point in the centre. I merrily grappled around, raining hell from above and activating the trap door when enough enemies had unsuspectingly stepped on it. And that is the magic of Shadow Warrior 3. It is equal parts chaotic, fast, meaty whilst also offering plenty of versatility in approaching an arena.
The story in Shadow Warrior 3 retakes centre stage due to the linearity of the game’s structure. There are more cutscenes to delve into than in previous entries, and Lo Wang is out of mojo after essentially causing the apocalypse and must regain it while saving the world. Lo Wang is written with the same irreverence and sarcasm, mouthing off and making jokes about the demons he has just sliced through, and the new voice actor for Lo Wang might speak with a different cadence to what we are used to, but I think he does a great job embodying Wang. The overall story is as crazy as ever but largely acts as a set dressing for the vibrant locales to be visited.
The only real complaint I have to level at Shadow Warrior 3 was its length. I finished my playthrough at just under 6 hours, and I wanted more opportunities to play around in the arenas and the world that Flying Wild Hog has created. Of course, the game’s length is not entirely a negative point. The frantic pace the game keeps up is because there is no fat to trim, with you swinging from set piece to set piece, arena to arena in ways that make it hard to put down. Other than that, there is nothing I disliked about my time with Shadow Warrior 3. Lo Wang’s return is a joy to play, with all the systems combining seamlessly. Movement, weapons and well-designed arenas are the centre marks for this experience, an experience that would be enjoyed best over a day or a weekend.
(Shadow Warrior 3 code provided for review)
