Shadow Warrior 3
The martial arts shooter targets Doom
Kicking off our list of the hottest 50 games coming to PS5 and PS4.
FORMAT PS4 / ETA TBC / PUB DEVOLVER DIGITAL
DEV FLYING WILD HOG / PLAYERS TBC
With the splattered blood settling on the recent Doom Eternal DLC, fans of fast-paced, gore-soaked shooters will be seeking a new challenge. As if Flying Wild Hog read your games collection and your mind, it finally announced its new run-and-gun extravaganza will be heading and beheading to PS4 later this year.
Praying at the same altar of chaos as the Doom revivals, Shadow Warrior 3 is a fast-paced blast that pits hero Lo Wang against an army of demons hell-bent on destroying a futuristic China. Blending Asian myths and legends with triggerhappy shooting, the game is a uniquely old-fashioned thrill with modern flourishes.
“Assuming that our Shadow Warrior series contributed to this renaissance a little bit, I would bet my money on the nostalgia factor,” says game director Kuba Opoń when we ask why old-school shooters are making a comeback. “Of course,” he adds, “the trick is how do we evoke these nostalgic emotions using contemporary design solutions.”
Picking at the scabs of old games, Opoń believes many of yesteryear’s classics worked because they ignored real-world rules, adopting a “greater ‘blindness’ to certain elements that are purely ‘videogame-ish’ and not realistic,” he explains. “We feel that there’s some driving need for fast, flippant
fun, given the last few years of serious, realistic, or dark FPS games. This is the kind of unfettered creativity that we ourselves strive for when creating Shadow Warrior 3.”
DRAGON SPIRIT
While the previous game featured procedurally generated maps to keep us on our toes, this sequel is going to offer a more curated set of levels. Tighter design and a focussed story suggest Shadow Warrior 3 could be a more rewarding shooter.
“Encounters are much more thought out, less chaotic, and at the same time, they will allow the players a lot of freedom and creativity when choosing the way with which to defeat their enemies,” reveals the developer. He tells us the story takes on a greater role, and enables the team to craft “spectacular moments”.
It also means, sadly, there are no online modes in Shadow Warrior 3. Yet, when the story-led events are massive – at one point Lo Wang’s pitted against a dragon – we can forgive the lack of a deathmatch. The dragon fight is no small feat either; this beast is huge and, Opoń reveals, has grown a little out of control as development has progressed.
“When we started talking about the dragon in 2019, we used comparisons to the Great Wall of China. However, things have changed a bit since then and the dragon has gained a bit of weight, both literally and metaphorically,” he says. “We also wanted to present our dragon from a slightly different side to what we’re used to in games and have Lo Wang feel like an annoying insect on its back!”
Clearly, while Shadow Warrior 3 shares a sense of purpose with Doom there are fundamental differences, most notably Lo Wang is a gymnastic ninja and not a clumping hell marine.
This sequel is developing the hero’s movement further than
“WE FEEL THAT THERE’S SOME DRIVING NEED FOR FAST, FLIPPANT FUN.”
previous games. In the first game you could dash, the second brought in double jumps and parkour moves, and in this third entry the team are going “all in” with slides, wall-runs, ground pounds, and – the most visible change of all – the grappling hook. “[This] brings a whole new dimension to traversal and combat, especially when combined with other new features and weapons we’ve created,” exclaims Opoń.
The developer tells us the new movement mechanics have affected the team’s approach to level design. “I have to admit that this was one of the biggest challenges during the whole production,” he says, explaining how the combination of wall-runs, dashes, and grappling hook swings makes it possible for you to move huge distances without touching the ground. “The ability to instantly be two floors up has affected both the design of the arenas and the challenges posed to our AI,” he adds.
It’s made the team think in terms of vertical spaces when designing levels. The slide move also had repercussions, which “opened up new possibilities that we use in our set-pieces and arenas, creating various passages through which the player can escape from the clutches of pursuing monsters.”
CUT ABOVE
When it comes to the weapons, a mix of sword combos and guns, it’s a slightly different story as Shadow Warrior 3 has new arenas that act as
environmental weapons. “And it’s not just exploding red barrels, but entire complex machines that serve one purpose: to exterminate successive waves of enemies. Of course, the player should be careful of their current location when activating such a device, as they spare absolutely no-one.”
In action we see one of these Doom-like cauldrons designed to test your reflexes. It’s possible to use traps to your advantage, releasing whirring buzzsaw pillars to mince enemies. Getting more hands-on, Lo Wang can mix sword-based moves and guns to chop chunks out of his foes. Just like in Doom it’s possible to ‘execute’ beasts when up close. It’s bloody, and it’s brutal.
“To our traditional set of blood, gibs and guts, precise and clean katana slashes, bullet holes, and crushing opponents we added a whole set of finishers, which are completely new to our series,” says Opoń. “They are intended to be very brutal and painful, but always with a certain amount of humour and craziness resulting from both the character of our main hero and the original designs of our Yokai.”
Some of this humour translates into literal overkill. When Lo Wang yanks the new Double Trouble miniguns – an aptly named ‘Gore Weapon’ – from the belly of a demon and dual-wields the powerful firearms to turn the screen red, it’s a wild ride.
The knockabout FPS gameplay is backed by a complex progression system that enables you to upgrade both Lo Wang’s skills and firearms. Upgrade points collected in the world are the currency, and suggest you’ll need to explore in order to boost your abilities.
“We have always appreciated players who like exploration, and this time their efforts will be rewarded,” says Opoń. “Tailormade upgrades to weapons change their default actions in significant ways, evolving the gameplay and opening up entirely new options.”
LO AND BEHOLD
Progress and character development can be boosted by completing challenges found in the arenas, “which require improved crowd control, a focus on acquiring Gore
“IT’S POSSIBLE TO USE ENVIRONMENTAL TRAPS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE, RELEASING WHIRRING BUZZSAW PILLARS TO MINCE ENEMIES.”
Weapons, and managing the resources gathered from enemies.”
Finally, though Shadow Warrior 3 is releasing only on PS4, Opoń says it will be forwards-compatible with Sony’s latest console, saying: “The game will take advantage of the speeds that come with SSD drives, the game itself will run at a higher resolution, and players will see an improvement in framefrates.”
This sounds so good, we’re happy to be Doomed.