If there’s one game Shadow Warrior 3 desperately wants to be, it’s Doom Eternal. Yes, there are death traps, some fun swordplay, and annoying humor, but at its heart, the latest Shadow Warrior FPS is a Doom game. This isn’t necessarily a problem, except that’s a lofty bar to hit and I’m not sure it reaches those heights.
It’s been six years since Shadow Warrior 2, and once again Flying Wild Hog has completely reinvented the gameplay — for better or for worse. Flying Wild Hog’s 2013 reboot was a faithful but linear retelling of the 1997 original with better swordplay and magic katana powers. Shadow Warrior 2 took that gameplay but added co-op and randomly-generated levels to create a challenging but ultimately less rewarding game. Shadow Warrior 3 changes things up yet again, but some of these alterations could have been left by the wayside.
Shadow Warrior 3 Arena
Shadow Warrior 3 is still a linear FPS with a wacky protagonist you’ll grow sick of quickly, and we’re back to static levels with no co-op like the superior first game, but it’s not a corridor shooter. As mentioned, it’s essentially Doom Eternal — confined combat arenas linked by platforming sections. If you’re the type of person who likes secret hunting, forget it, because there’s nothing to find. The game is rigidly linear all the way — hop off the ride even slightly and you’ll probably die.
This didn’t have to be a bad thing, but in this case, it made for a repetitive, predictable experience in a way I never felt playing Doom Eternal. Id Software’s game did a good job of disguising the arenas as if they were actual locations, having smaller encounters between the big battles, or offering reasons to explore the levels. Shadow Warrior 3 has none of that. The entire game consists of brief free-running platform sections followed by closed-off floating arena battles against swarms of demons.
Fight Club
Fortunately, the actual gameplay is fun, for the most part. The Prince of Persia-like free-running is entertaining and fast-paced but I’m more pleased that I always knew where to go — Flying Wild Hog does a good job of never letting the player feel lost, even when the whole level is crashing down around them.
Still, it’s the arena-based combat encounters that are the main part, and they’re generally breathlessly intense. Enemies are all unique, so it’s easy to identify the main threats, and the design variety is great. Doom’s executions have been replaced with “finishers” that require charging a meter to perform, but they also allow the player to steal enemy weapons, which is pretty cool. I also like how shooting enemies gives health and attacking with the sword gives ammo, so it forces players to swap between both.
I just wish these arenas were more varied. Graphically the game looks imaginative but the combat encounters all feel pretty similar. The giant environmental traps are fantastic but there are only like five in the entire game, and the weedy Chi-Blast (Force Push) is nearly useless. Eventually, I started groaning every time I was about to enter a new arena, which isn’t exactly what you want from an arena shooter.
Shadow Warrior 3 Review: The Final verdict
The thing that cripples Shadow Warrior 3, and really sets it apart from an id Software game, is how buggy and unpolished it all feels. I encountered many problems — including moments where climbing didn’t work, either myself or enemies getting caught on scenery, falling through solid platforms, and more — all of which usually meant my death. I encountered problems like these regularly.
It’s also not a long game — it took me just under 6 hours to finish on Medium, and I can’t imagine playing it again. I love short games but it feels like a lot was cut out — for example. there are only two boss battles in the whole thing, and there were many times where I thought I could go somewhere and couldn’t. While the shooting and free-running gameplay are enjoyable when everything works, Shadow Warrior 3 remains both fun and frustrating in equal measure — while it lasts. There isn’t even any rabbit humping…
Shadow Warrior 3 was reviewed on PC with code provided by the publisher.
