I played a smidge of the original Shadow Warrior as a kid, but Duke Nukem 3D was the game from 3D Realms’ vault that I fondly remember. When the Shadow Warrior remake was announced, I was certainly interested, as Flying Wild Hog, the developers of Hard Reset were at the helm. While the former wasn’t perfect by any means, it was a solid shooter with an interesting setting.
Shadow Warrior is a step above that. Cast in the role of Lo Wang, a mercenary for hire who soon stumbles upon a conspiracy that spans dimensions, players are tasked with sending men, demons, and even bunnies to their maker. Though I’ll warn you, ruthlessly killing our furry friends comes at a heavy price!
While the story isn’t the best, I’ve come to appreciate the banter between Wang and a demon sidekick he picks up in the course of his journeys.
During your travels, you’ll find a variety of guns and explosives to aid you in your blood-soaked quest. Each weapon offers a series of upgrades that you can purchase as you find cold, hard cash peppered throughout the game’s levels. Character advancement progresses in a similar fashion, with options to increase sprint speed, sword mastery, and a variety of physical talents. Last on the list are a variety of options in the realm of magic. Players can unlock offensive or defensive techniques, pumping points into healing spells for a variety of attacks that can do anything from supercharge the player’s sword, to knocking enemies off their feet.
As players unlock various abilities, they can see the changes to their weapons, or even Wang himself, as different magical spells learned take the form of tattoos that adorn our protagonists’ body. Little touches like these made me feel that Shadow Warrior was a labor of love. A lot of time and care went into the game, and it shows.
Combat offers standard shooter fare we’ve come to expect. Practically everything explodes, and quite a few things in the environment can be destroyed in a spectacular fashion. The real star of the show here, and what makes Shadow Warrior an absolute blast to play, is the sword.
While nothing like Die by the Sword, Shadow Warrior offers simple controls that empower players and makes the game an absolute joy to play. Players can use all their sprint stamina in a single rush, or expertly tap it as they dodge and weave through a group of enemies, taking heads and arms along the way. There’s nothing quite so exhilarating as taking on thirty demons, dashing into their ranks, and reducing their numbers to a series of stumps and ground chuck. During such moments, the game will spit out statements akin to Bulletstorm as you slice and dice your way through swaths of enemies. At the completion of such epic events, Wang will yell out triumphantly, often mirroring your own feelings as you lay waste to the demonic hordes. The game then ranks your efforts at the conclusion of such instances, doling out experience so the vicious cycle of customizing your Wang can continue. 
Visually, the game’s quite pretty. If there’s any complaint I had, it’s that when things get hectic on-screen, the frame rate drops. It’s a damn shame too, because combat is clearly this title’s strong suit. What should be a visceral, fluid experience is reduced to almost an interactive slide show. Though I have to do some more tweaking on my end, there seems to be a variety of fixes for this issue. When the game runs as it should, it’s damn fun.
In the musical department, the soundtrack is surprisingly good, with strong drums and choruses that kick in to accentuate the action. The game also features boss fights, which so far, have been pretty fun. Shadow Warrior is one of those games that can be challenging on higher difficulty settings, but for the most part, is as easy or hard as you allow it to be. Get sloppy, and death will find you rather quickly.
This is certainly an interesting title. It gives you that old school vibe, but doesn’t feel as sloppy as Rise of the Triad. I briefly mentioned it earlier, but Shadow Warrior is reminiscent of Bulletstorm in that the emphasis is on combat and making it fun. The story is a bit wonky, but in an odd way, the silliness of the characters complements the over-the-top action and spectacular visuals. What emerges is a title that simultaneously blends the blistering chaos we fondly remember from old-school shooters, adds a dash of button-mashing (via combos), and layers in character progression to create something that feels fresh. Has it been done before? Certainly. But Shadow Warrior does so much of it right. That alone makes it worth your time and money.
Header image courtesy of Dead End Thrills!
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