Shadow Warrior 3 is a first-person shooter developed by Flying Wild Hog and published by Devolver Digital. The exploration sections are a little rough around the edges, but there's no denying that the combat in Shadow Warrior 3 is an absolute blast to play, with fast-paced action that never grows dull throughout the game's runtime.
Lo Wang is back in Shadow Warrior 3, but things aren't exactly working out in his favor. An ancient dragon is terrorizing the world and all of his attempts to slay it have been rebuffed, as he's practically a flea running around on its back. Lo Wang must seek the aid of his former nemesis Orochi Zilla in defeating the ancient dragon, as conventional weapons won't harm the beast. The two embark on a journey to seek powerful magical artifacts that are scattered throughout the land, in the hope of creating a weapon strong enough to stop the dragon. The only problem is that hordes of yokai are now roaming the land, and it's up to Lo Wang to slice and shoot his way through them.
Shadow Warrior 3 has some light RPG elements, as the player can find orbs that can be spent on upgrading Lo Wang's abilities and his weapons, but it's an old-school first-person shooter at heart. The bulk of the combat in the game takes place in small combat arenas that lock Lo Wang inside until he has slain all of the foes. The player starts out with a katana and a revolver, which are used to cut down basic enemies that do little but run around. As Shadow Warrior 3 progresses, Lo Wang's arsenal grows to include the likes of twin uzis and grenade launchers. The new weapons are matched by new enemy types, such as massive katana-wielding yokai that can block gunfire or floating helmets whose weak point is on the back of their head. Shadow Warrior 3 really hits its stride once there are a lot of different enemies on the field, and the presence of barrels and environmental weapons means that battles never grow dull.
There are a few new gameplay elements in Shadow Warrior 3 that can be used in battle. Lo Wang can gather execution orbs from defeated foes, which fill a meter that can be used to perform extremely gory executions. Not only will this give a health refill, but Lo Wang will gain temporary use of an enemy's weapon and can turn it on their allies. Lo Wang also has a grappling hook that can be used to zip towards enemies or swing from designated spots. There are also patches of vines that allow Lo Wang to wall run, as well as a quick dash he can perform with the press of a button. These extra movement options really improve the combat, as the player needs to constantly be on their toes and moving around the arena, making the extra verticality a welcome addition to the game.
Where the wall-running and grappling hook aren't so impressive is in the traversal sections throughout levels. The sections between the combat arenas generally consist of chase sequences, where Lo Wang must quickly wall run, double jump, dash, and grapple his way from platform to platform, often while out running environmental hazards. There are many instances where it's not obvious where to go on the first run, as the next ledge/grapple point is out of the player's line of sight, or there are ledges that are just part of the background and will kill Lo Wang if he lands on them. The wall-running vines can also be temperamental in whether they decide to let Lo Wang stick to them or not. Luckily, Shadow Warrior 3 has a generous checkpoint system during these segments, so the player generally won't be repeating too much, but there are still lots of frustrating moments during these sections of the game.
Shadow Warrior 3 is around 8-10 hours in length, but there is never a dull moment throughout its run. The acrobatic sections have their frustrating moments, but the combat is top-notch, and slicing through hordes of enemies and switching tactics on the fly in the face of a new foe never grows old. Lo Wang's constant commentary and quips might make him feel like Jerry Seinfeld with a katana, but there's no denying that this adventure is an awesome throwback to the blood-drenched shooters of old.
Shadow Warrior 3 will be released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on March 1, 2022. Screen Rant was provided with a digital code of the PC version of the game for the purposes of this review.
