Shadow Warrior tells the story of Lo Wang, Zilla Enterprise's corporate shogun, who is tasked with finding the Nobitsura Kage blade which is known to contain legendary powers. The blade is not your ordinary weapon and has a connection to ancient gods of another realm. A banished spirit from the realm by the name of Hoji will guide Lo Wang through the perilous journey ahead to stop the incoming demonic invasion.
Gamers will enter a world where they must master the art of gun, blade and magic to defeat the evil forces ahead. Shadow Warrior manages to combine some of the best elements of classic first-person shooters with that of bold new combos and special attacks. Upon booting up the game, players will notice right off the bat that Shadow Warrior features a fantastic soundtrack that takes gameplay to an entirely new level. There are several choices for gamers to pick from the main menu which includes the main campaign, Ex Mode, Heroic Mode and Survival Mode.
The main campaign of Shadow Warrior starts out with a fun clip from the original game that premiered in 1997 and shows you just how far the title has come since then. Shadow Warrior on Xbox One is a reimagined version of the cult classic and blends in modern visuals and fun new combat mechanics for an enjoyable new adventure. The opening cinematic of Shadow Warrior really gives the player more insight into the main character of the game which features Lo Wang driving down the road just singing along to the radio as his bobble-headed dragon sways back and forth on the dash. Lo Wang is an intriguing character with his offbeat humor and over-the-top stylistic approach to combat. Basically, players will have a blast from Lo Wang's humorous commentary throughout their adventures and the voice acting for the character is spot on.
Shadow Warrior contains some very brutal and bloody combat sequences with a full arsenal of weapons at your disposal. Players can slice and dice their enemies with their trusted Katana or blow them to smithereens with revolvers and shotguns. The way you play is entirely up to you, however, gamers will have a blast during combat no matter the weapons they choose. Every weapon in your arsenal can be upgraded as you progress throughout the game with the ability to increase power, speed and firing options. Shadow Warrior features fluid combat with responsive controls alongside a diverse amount of enemies to keep gameplay fresh and entertaining. There are plenty of great options available to utilize during combat and players can call upon their mystical powers to take the action one step further.
The game looks and plays beautifully on next-gen consoles while maintaining all of the fun gameplay elements from the initial release on PC. There are times when the game features a few minor technical problems when it comes to the game's frame rate alongside minor glitches throughout the game. However, even with that said, Shadow Warrior still manages to offer up one hell of a good time even if it is about the same exact release that we saw on PC over a year ago.
In the end, Shadow Warrior is a fun new release for Xbox One and offers up a unique new gameplay experience for fans of the original classic from 1997. However, if you played Shadow Warrior on PC with its release last year, then there may not be a lot of reasons to play the release on Xbox One since it offers about the same experience. Shadow Warrior features beautiful visuals alongside an amazing soundtrack, addictive gameplay and humorous, dark undertones that always make it enjoyable a second-time around! So what are you waiting for? Unsheathe your sword and get ready for the action-packed fun that can only be found in Shadow Warrior!
Shadow Warrior is now available for Xbox One and the PC for $39.99. Shadow Warrior is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. For more information on the game, check out the official Shadow Warrior website.
Game Features:
Game Information:
Developer: Flying Wild Hog
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Available for PC and Xbox One (reviewed)
Release Date: October 21, 2014
