Shadow Warrior 3 Review

General Information and Story

The Shadow Warrior series might not be widely known, but the third installment launched on March 1. This time, the game takes a fully linear approach with connected missions. You play as Lo Wang, the last samurai on Earth, facing a massive dragon threatening to destroy the planet.

The story is tied to previous entries, especially in terms of characters. There’s little introduction to whether a character is a friend or foe, but you figure it out as you progress. The plot is simple, designed to push the events forward, with comedic cutscenes. Lo Wang’s humor is over-the-top, with jokes referencing popular movies like Spider-Man and Fast & Furious.

The story is enjoyable but short. On the hardest difficulty, the game lasts about six hours. At a $50 price tag, the value-for-money aspect might feel lacking.

Gameplay

If you’ve played DOOM, Shadow Warrior 3 will feel familiar. The game borrows heavily from DOOM’s fast-paced FPS style, featuring quick movements, dashes, gore, and over-the-top violence. Combat is brutal yet highly entertaining.

The game revolves around arena-based combat, where you face waves of enemies with unique designs and attack patterns. Weapons unlock gradually, offering six options including pistols, shotguns, and katanas. You can upgrade weapons and character stats like health and abilities using points earned from gameplay challenges or exploration.

Overall, the gameplay is the heart of Shadow Warrior 3, delivering a fast, enjoyable experience.

Graphics and Technical Performance

Tested on Xbox Series X, the game runs at 60 FPS with a resolution likely higher than 1080p but below 4K. As a port of a last-gen game, true 4K with 120 FPS support could have been expected for newer consoles.

The visuals are decent, with some great cinematic moments, though textures and physics feel outdated. Pre-rendered cutscenes of lower quality also detract from the experience. Additionally, there were minor visual glitches, checkpoint issues, and poorly designed mission segments requiring repeated retries.

Conclusion

Shadow Warrior 3 is a fun and fast-paced FPS, especially for fans of games like DOOM. While the gameplay is excellent, the short runtime and technical shortcomings make the $50 price tag hard to justify.

Rating: 7/10

Highly recommended during a sale!

7/10