PC Games

Published on April 10th, 2023 | by Chris O'Connor

Shadow Warrior 3 Definitive Edition PC Review

Shadow Warrior 3 Definitive Edition PC Review Chris O'Connor
Gameplay
Graphics
Audio
Value

Summary: Lo Wang is back and after some soul searching he's out to save the world... again... or at least try.

4.8

Wayward Wang


Shadow Warrior 3 Definitive Edition puts you back in the wisecracking shoes of Lo Wang, corporate shogun, who we find in a funk over accidentally unleashing an ancient dragon. With a bit of a pep talk, Lo Wang sets off to attempt to recapture the ancient dragon and perhaps save the world.

It’s been a long time since the first outing of Lo Wang… back when it looked like a somewhat reskinned version of Duke Nukem (the first person Duke Nukem… not the original side scroller). But Mr Wang seems to get better with age and his wise(ass) quips are still a welcome bit of humour in amidst the gore and general viscera of the main gameplay. This particular edition is the third outing, but with some additions to give players the most challenge. Essentially the additions boil down to game modes, so if you felt the main game was too easy… you can crank up the difficulty and gain new weapons skins and rewards.

Visually the game is striking. There’s a lot of neon but it never feels too intense… or at least, not out of place. I mean that’s a relative term given some of the unique enemies you will find yourself facing… but that’s kind of the thing, the game world feels like a well thought out mix of realism and surrealism. Plus… you know… the whole danger of killing rabbits ;)

The voice cast are all excellent here and really add a lot to the game. It’s one thing to be fighting fantastical beasts and having a smart ass mouthing off in the face of giant terrors… it’s another to hear those lines delivered with great timing and emphasis. Some games you just want to skip the cutscenes to get back to the gameplay… but Shadow Warrior 3 Definitive Edition cutscenes are genuinely entertaining and worth sitting through.

I found the challenge level (ie the default setting) to be right for me… it was enough to allow me to feel skilled and powerful… but also enough that at certain points where you start getting a bit overwhelmed… a few deaths would be enough to figure out the most effective way to tackle the particular foes. I did have a bit of trouble with one of the “slide” moments. Free running is a pretty big part of the game play… but there are some sections that basically become a linear path… you just have to jump, swing etc at the right points to move on. That in and of itself is ok (not great as it always just feels like an arbitrary shift in challenge section to something that boils down to timing of actions like a quick time segment rather than any real “skill”) but one section seemed really hard to figure out where I need to go to progress. If you imagine a roller coaster and at a point where you have developed a lot of speed but the track disappears from under you and you have to figure out where to go/what to do to keep moving rather than falling to your death… yeah, something like that. But after a number of attempts I did manage to find the path… so perhaps I was the issue in this scenario?

Final Thoughts?

Overall though I continue to find the Shadow Warrior games a lot of fun… it’s nice to have a different main character to the muscle bound blond balls of brawn we are usually provided. Lo Wang is the hero we don’t deserve… but he’s all we’ve got… and it’s a lot of fun playing as him.

Grab a copy now and feel like a true sword wielding hero!


About the Author

chrisoconnor@impulsegamer.com'

Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.



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