Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition Review – More of the Same

Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition Review

In a market increasingly saturated with games that try to add a few too many hours of game, it can be hard to stand out. But Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition manages to do just that with a very streamlined approach to its gameplay. As I delved into the game’s unique world and fast-paced action, I found a breath of fresh air in a game that is fun in a bite-sized kind of way.

Rebooting back in 2013, the Shadow Warrior franchise has seen a bit of a resurgence. The story continues on from Shadow Warrior 2. Protagonist Lo Wang and nemesis Orochi Zilla team up to take on an ancient dragon last seen at the end of the previous game. Overall, the story is a bit out there. But is unique compared to other games in its ability not to take itself too seriously. Likewise, the characters and dialogue are all there in good fun, but they do a good enough job of moving the plot forward. Think summer blockbuster movie-type of narrative quality, but a bit more whacky. The setting of Shadow Warrior 3 is perhaps the most interesting aspect It takes place in an ancient Asian land with magic, technology, and demonic yokai.

For our original review of Shadow Warrior 3, you can click here. The Definite Edition brings a few new features along with it to the current console generation. Among them are “New Game Plus”, “Survival Mode”, “Chapter Select”, “Hardcore Difficulty”, and “Hero Mode”. Most of these are self-explanatory, but Hero Mode is a game modifier that adds a greater challenge. These new features help to provide longevity and replayability to the relatively short game.

Rinse and Repeat

The primary gameplay loop of Shadow Warrior 3 involves some platforming from one arena to another, battling waves of enemies. Then, rinse and repeat, along with some narrative points sprinkled in along the way. While the various weapons and tools were fun to experiment with early on, the gameplay quickly became repetitive. Surprising, given that the game is as short as it is. Though the game can be beaten fairly quickly, it does seem to drag on a bit at times which was interesting. Overall, the gameplay is well done, but it gets repetitive and certain fights take way too long.

While Shadow Warrior 3 isn’t going to win any awards for Best Graphics, it doesn’t look horrible. In addition, the various demonic yokai and mythical settings do great in stylizing the game to a specific tone. That said, at times there is a lot going on on the screen, especially with so many different highlighted portions among the waves of bullets and enemies flying everywhere. It’s a bit of sensory overload if you ask me. As for the audio, it is serviceable, though the among of chatter dialogue could be lessened. While Lo Wang loves to crack jokes, it gets a bit much when he has the same lines of dialogue from arena to arena.

Fan Service

Overall, Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition brings more Shadow Warrior 3 to its fans. You know exactly what you get with Shadow Warrior 3: fast-paced combat, wise-cracking jokes, and a pretty streamlined experience. The Definitive Edition gives players more to do and allows them to go back to their favorite parts of the game. In addition, it brings a higher quality of the game to current-gen consoles. As far as Definite Editions go, Shadow Warrior 3 does a solid job in implementation.

*** A review code was provided by the publisher ***