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Game Review
Shadow Warrior (2013)
Shadow Warrior (2013)
Back in May I wrote a little review of 3D Realms' original 1997 FPS game Shadow Warrior. In the process, I learned that a re-imagined SW game was in the works and since then I've been patiently waiting for it to be released and come down in price a little – hence this review coming now. As an added bonus, the original game is now free on Steam and because the two expansions have been available free for a while, that means that the whole original SW experience can be had for nothing. If you're a fan of classic shooters I definitely recommend it – rather than use DOSbox you should definitely check out my guide to running the game through the SWP source port, which is within my previous review. Now, on to the new game!
1) Background
Apparently, publisher Devolver Digital (best known for Hotline Miami) had been in discussion with 3D Realms for a while about making a new Shadow Warrior game. The studio tasked with creating the game is Flying Wild Hog, the Warsaw-based developer of Hard Reset. The studio seem to have thought extensively about which elements from the original they wanted to keep, and which to modernise – the end result is something which feels fresh and radically different from the 1997 game, but which preserves a lot of the original's classic feel, OTT violence, stylings, and focus on humour. It feels balanced quite finely between the classic and the modern, but the key thing is that the cover mechanics and dull techno-military shooting of many modern games is out, and katanas, quad-barrelled shotguns and bloody beheadings are definitely in.
2) Concept and Story
In the original game, player character Lo Wang was essentially a stereotypically Asian dirty old man version of Duke Nukem. In this 2013 effort, Lo Wang is still our man but he is re-imagined as a much younger character, brash and over-confident with a comics collection to match his finely-tuned martial arts skills. Also, rather than having already become arch-enemy of Master Zilla, Lo Wang is very much still in his master's employ when this game starts.
Story was a very minimal aspect of the 1997 game, but it takes a much bigger role here. In the beginning, Lo Wang is sent by Zilla to purchase the Nobitsura Kage, a mystical sword, from a wealthy collector named Mizayaki. Before long a full-blown demonic invasion is underway and Lo Wang has been forced to bond with Hoji, a banished armourer and mystic being from the “shadow realm” from which the demons also came. Mostly, what follows is simple enough but the really clever part comes in with the beautiful animated cutscenes, which document traumatic events in the backstory of the shadow realm. Rest assured, Lo Wang ends up with more than enough reasons to take up arms (and take off arms, legs and heads) in defence of his beleaguered world.
The humour is quite different from the original game, most notably in that the racist and sexist gags have been dropped and a lot of the jokes come from the snarky dialogue between Lo Wang and Hoji. As in the original game, there are a lot of gameplay and visual jokes too, including arcade machines featuring earlier Devolver/Flying Wild Hog games, an extended parody of Half-Life's opening, and secret areas containing partial recreations of 1997 Shadow Warrior maps.
3) Gameplay
Being a '90s shooter, the original game worked on a strict level basis, with a stats screen at the end of each one – what made it different was that it was not divided into a series of episodes in the way almost all of its contemporaries were. While I would have liked the new game to continue down this route, I can understand Flying Wild Hog feeling that a large series of small, diverse levels wouldn't work in a 2013 game, especially if it prevented them from bringing in large, detailed environments that gradually unfold. What we do have is a series of 17 chapters (and a prologue) which still end in stat screens and which are divided into three episodes. This approach means that the settings are both less varied and much less outlandish than in the original game, but they are all beautiful.
This game goes out of its way to present the player with a huge and occasionally bewildering array of killing methods. There are nine distinct weapons, of which six are directly upgradeable by spending money collected in levels – the katana gradually grows in strength and changes in appearance, and has a large raft of special abilities you can learn. It is so fun to play with and so powerful that a lot of players seem to neglect the firearms, but I think that to do that would be to miss out – a very fun revolver, a hilariously powerful and cool-looking shotgun and a crossbow that can be upgraded to have remote-detonated explosive bolts are all there for the taking. I would say that the flamethrower is a little underpowered, however. On top of all this, Lo Wang can acquire other skills which can be used in tandem with either guns or the sword. These range from a (vital) healing spell to a spell which levitates enemies off the ground to make for easy pickings. Flying Wild Hog have put so much emphasis on the fluidity of combat that Lo Wang can actually fire and even reload one handed while he uses an ability with his left.
Gameplay in Shadow Warrior tends to occur in two main phases which alternate – the first is a kind of scouting phase where enemies are few or non-existent but Lo Wang can find boxes which contain health, money, and ammo. This works well enough, but it can feel a bit farcical as the game wears on and you realise you have opened about two thousand boxes. The other phase is the combat phase, where you find yourself in parts of the map which are broadly arena-like while enemies burst out of shipping containers, smash through walls or crawl through shadow realm portals. When the demons are dead, you can progress. Occasionally, the two phases will merge to a certain extent, but this dichotomy is something you'll get used to in this game. The key thing is that the gameplay is rich, brutal and with a lot of options and - box-searching aside – consistently fun and challenging.
4) Level Design
As I mentioned before, Shadow Warrior draws much more on modern level design than it does on the level-based nature of the original or of, say, Duke Nukem 3D. There are some concessions to those days in the secret areas, but honestly I found these a little disappointing – they are often just located around a corner or down a corridor. That being said, the locations are still pretty varied – from the streets of a demon-infested Japanese town at dusk to a rain-swept Zilla shipyard, by way of an imposing temple set within a dark cemetery. Within the maps, certain areas can look a little samey and it is possible to get confused about where you're meant to be going, but while they are a little utilitarian as modern FPS maps tend to be, Shadow Warrior's are pretty good.
I have to give a special mention to the shadow realm environments, which are mostly used for the surprisingly enjoyable boss battles – these look truly huge and beautiful, and provide a great and interesting break from the rest of the level design.
5) Useful Links
TotalBiscuit's “WTF Is...” video (note: this is of the game's beta)
Flying Wild Hog's website
Shadow Warrior on Wikipedia
Shadow Warrior Steam store page
Shadow Warrior Classic FREE on Steam
Shadow Warrior Classic Redux Steam store page
7) Pros, Cons and Final Score
The Pros
+ Much of what was good about the '97 original, and none of the bad
+ Beautiful models, effects and environments
+ A superb katana combat system and fun weapon upgrades
The Cons
- Environments can be slightly bland at times
- The plot is slightly confusing and unclear
- Many secrets are uninspiring
Final Score
8 still-beating demon hearts out of 10
Next Time:
A game that isn't Shadow Warrior, I promise.
