The 10+ hour campaign takes you through a variety of locations, from stereotypical Japanese villages, to shipyards, laboratories, mountain fortresses and, of course, the Shadow Realm itself. Plot grievances aside, the game plays beautifully. That said, it’s a little inconsistent as the final third of the game is a bit less about witty one liners and lot more about the fate of the world hanging in the balance, which makes sense from a narrative point of view, but perhaps isn’t the way Shadow Warrior should have gone. The script is sharp and funny, and the banter between Lo Wang and Hoji is pretty hilarious at times. Shadow Warrior is packed with Easter eggs and nods to its predecessor, and there are lots of references to other 3D Realms and Devolver Digital games, too. The tone of the gameplay seems skewed toward a simpler narrative and, while it doesn’t detract too much from the experience, the confusion caused does taint proceedings slightly. The internal politics of the Shadow Realm come to the forefront in the latter half and it’s hard to follow exactly what’s going on. The plot becomes a little convoluted as you learn more and more about Hoji and the fated sword, and it’s a little overly dramatic for the genre. After learning that the Nobitsura Kage actually refers to three swords, you form a reluctant partnership with a banished spirit called Hoji, who has a surprising knowledge of pop culture for a someone who has been locked in the Shadow Realm for several millennia. The transaction, of course, goes monumentally awry and you find yourself facing a host of Yakuza rejects and an impressive cast of demons and deities. The deal goes smoothly, you return to your master and live out your days in peace and wealth. The opening act finds you en-route to buy a legendary sword, the “Nobitsura Kage”, a mystical katana with untold powers. You again play the role of Lo Wang, master swordsman, comic book collector and henchman of Master Zilla. It’s not quite a remake, but nor is it a sequel it’s more of a re-imagining. Now, 15 years later, Flying Wild Hog’s take on Shadow Warrior brings back a lot of fond memories by capturing the subtle elements that made the original such a blast and presenting them in a beautiful, updated package The last time I booted up a game called Shadow Warrior was in 1998 on a Macintosh (yes, before it was shortened to the much hipper “Mac”) and, while it never surpassed its studio stable-mate, Duke Nukem, it was still a whole lot of ultra-violent fun.
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