Developer – Flying Wild Hog

Publisher – Devolver Digital

Platforms – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC

Shadow Warrior 3 is the sequel to the original that took everybody by surprise. I say the original, because Shadow Warrior 3 forgets the second game, and harkens back to the classic 90’s arena shooter the original title created.

Back then, arena shooters were everywhere but haven’t quite hit the saturation point they had by 2000. Now if you look on any platform, especially Steam, arena shooters, are back and everywhere. Only a handful are worth mentioning and even fewer are the ones that are truly excellent.

Shadow Warrior 3 separates itself from the pack with it’s take on Doom Eternal and much of the concepts that title introduced. air jumps dash, grappling hook and even the glory kills.

It isn’t perfect by a long shot, but returning to the 90’s roots helps Shadow Warrior 3 stick out compared to the previous entry in many ways.

Shadow Warrior 3 doesn’t seek to re-invent the wheel, instead it opts for a more refined, honed and balanced approach and upgrade to all of the little parts of the first game that could have been better or maybe should have had more variety. A large increase in weapons, and a slight upgrade system with few but meaningful changes.

It starts with a very impressive and fun prologue sequence that introduces you to the heroes and world you will be cutting your way through. Presenting itself in a much more cinematic focus than the first game ever attempted.

The enemies have made some upgrades as well. The sheer number of them and the scale and scope of some of the boss fights are fun and satisfying to slash through.

Two handed Kitana, guns, and the guts of dead enemies can even be used as weapons. No matter what weapon set you have equipped they all feel unique. The balance of staying back with ranged weapons and knowing when to dive in is present and more important than ever. It’s bloody and gory in all the right ways.

Great sound design and visuals really bring the world to life. Every sword swing and gunshot leads to a satisfying and bloody death and really immerses you in the skirmishes and major battles. It isn’t perfect by any means however.

Shadow Warrior 3’s main protagonist feels like a throwback in all the wrong ways, and he just unfortunately grates more than he makes a funny joke. While the classic arena shooter vibe is a welcome one, this game does lose a ton of replay factor and the entire co-op multiplayer that gave Shadow Warrior 2 some real longevity. I prefer the one and done style of this campaign, but it is short and doesn’t offer much reason to dive back in for seconds.

I could go on and break things down to a the tiniest of details but at the end of the day, Shadow Warrior 3 is fun. It’s good sequel to a classic shooter that reminds the shooter world keeping it sweet and short can still work.