![]() You can chop them in half with your sword or blast them apart with one of the six guns you get. The game starts at a blistering pace, throwing players at demons invading the earth. It’s about as straightforward as you can get with a first-person shooter. That’s why Shadow Warrior 3 is so perfect, especially right now. New ideas are being introduced, and they have to be placed somewhere in the ever-growing game mechanic pantheon. They demand more attention, a weightier critique. They’re all something new, and while that’s exciting, it’s also pretty exhausting. Most of the games I mentioned try to revolutionize their respective genres in some way, or are marked by their inventive gameplay mechanics. Suffice it to say, things are pretty busy. The monster that is Elden Ring has a stranglehold on the entire industry. Horizon Forbidden West is getting heaps of praise for its evolution on the original game’s formula and beautiful graphics. Sifu and OlliOlli World have both come out and blown me away. I’m writing this on February 18, smack-dab in the middle of the busiest month for games so far in 2022. Let me add some context to this weird line of praise I’ve got going on. You run, gun, and listen to Lo Wang spout off ever-grating ’90s references. There wasn’t a lull, a midgame slog, or anything other issue because the game isn’t that complicated. ![]() Not unlike a syndicated sitcom, Shadow Warrior 3 starts without a misstep, stays interesting throughout, and never slows down. In that way, Shadow Warrior 3 is kind of perfect. So long as you don't take it seriously – and you shouldn't – this mature-rated gorefest is fun. But if you can get past its brevity, gameplay that doesn't push the envelope, and Lo Wang's repetitive jokes, you'll have a good time with Shadow Warrior 3. One last issue: the game is only about five hours long. On a related note, this game is also linear, which means you can't go back to collect items to bump up Lo Wang's arsenal. You'll kill a bunch of demons in an arena, make your way to the next area, and repeat the process (though the maps are mostly cleverly designed). That means you won't like be incentivized to look for these extras much. Those who like to explore to find hidden goodies will be disappointed in Shadow Warrior 3, as there are only a couple of ammo or upgrade boosts you can discover. How they die is equally over-the-top, not to mention the cringy Mortal Kombat-like finishing moves – but from a first-person perspective. It's fun to play around with all the ways you can kill these creatures using a combination of guns and explosives, katana slices, and some magic abilities (like slowing down time). The speed (including double-jumps and strafing) and platform-like elements are fun, and the demons are laughably crazy-looking. But for unadulterated fun, or as a means to blow off some steam at the end of a bad day with Lo Wang's six weapons and grappling hook mechanic, there are far worse games to play than this digital download. The lack of included multiplayer is also unfortunate. ![]() But it has some assorted issues, though, and it doesn't try anything new or interesting to push the genre forward. Shadow Warrior 3's controls are easy to pick up, the graphics are colorful, and some of the boss fights are memorable. If you like absolutely ridiculous amounts of blood and gore, and cheesy one-liners, then you'll enjoy blasting away at demons in this fast-paced first-person adventure. As with its predecessors, the gameplay balances gunplay and swordplay, with mayhem including cutting off heads (or crushing them with your bare hands), ripping off limbs or a spine (and in some cases, using these body parts as a weapon), and other grotesque finishing moves. There are platformer-style gameplay elements, like running and jumping over chasms, swinging from a grappling hook, climbing up some walls, and minor puzzle-solving (mostly environmental obstacles you need to figure out to escape an area). This is a first-person shooter, with plenty of big guns, but also supports melee combat (mostly with a razor-sharp katana sword), and powerful magic attacks. The only other supporting characters are a sorceress named Motoko and a banished spirit named Hoji (who also helps in the Shadow Warrior reboot from 2013). Taking place after the events of 2017's Shadow Warrior 2, mercenary warrior Lo Wang bands together with former employer and antagonist-turned-sidekick Orochi Zilla to find and destroy an ancient dragon that has left the world in ruins. SHADOW WARRIOR 3 is the third installment in the over-the-top 25-year-old action game series.
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