A bloody fight against evil demons

Shadow Warrior mixes a shooter with razor sharp martial arts. In search of a mighty sword, the player must do only one thing: fight hostile demons with a sword or high-caliber weapon.

Demons beget demons

Lo Wang’s task is quite simple. With a suitcase full of money, he’s ready to buy an exceptional sword. But things go awry, and instead of negotiations, the deal ends in a bloodthirsty massacre that marks the beginning of a lengthy search for the legendary sword. Life is made difficult for character Lo Wang not only because of a disgruntled business partner, but also the appearance of bloodthirsty demons. To defeat the demons, he’s forced to make a pact with a demon himself.

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The pact with the demon gives your extraordinary powers, letting you can learn powerful special attacks or restore your health. You can find money and locate karma points to acquire new fighting skills.

During the game, the player encounters the Shadow, a demon with different skills. Some skills are characterized by catlike reflexes, while others involve firearms. The player can extend his combat gear during the course of Shadow Warrior battles to firearms such as revolvers, submachine guns, crossbows with explosive arrows, and rocket launchers.

Hack-n-Slash and shooter in one

In the style of a first person shooter, you control the Shadow Warrior using the mouse and keyboard. There are some peculiarities about the controls, like the right mouse button which is reserved for special commands, forcing you to aim with another key. It is fun, however, to swing the sword and dismantle your opponents.

Its helpful to learn how to use the many combination attacks, letting you unleash powerful sword slashes and magic attacks.

In many situations, it’s useful to mix weapons, skills and reflexes. You can fight some enemies from a distance with firearms, dismember approaching enemies with your sword, or quickly jump to reduce the distance between you and your enemies.

Asian jungle, with added tunnels

Shadow Warrior brings Far Eastern flair to your PC. It’s a bit clichéd but there are enchanted rose trees, pagodas, and traditional Japanese figurines. The linear level structure is varied and includes many details, although some sections are monotonous.

The jungle sections are particularly boring. When moving through the tunnel, the pattern of the trees is always the same. Some images falter when Shadow Warrior loads a new area. During the test, the character repeatedly got caught in an area from which we could only escape by reloading a saved game.

The music is good, and the narrators and characters do a good job with the dialogue, but the dark humor doesn’t always resonate.

Conclusion: High-speed action with some weaknesses

Shadow Warrior is a fast, action-packed game. If you’re a fan of blood and like variation in battles, then Shadow Warrior is the game for you.