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Shadow Warrior 3

Shadow Warrior 3 is a fun shooter that is fast and frantic, but the lack of variety, short length, and technical woes hold it back.

Game Info

Fallen corporate shogun Lo Wang and his former employer turned nemesis turned sidekick Orochi Zilla embark on an improbable mission to recapture an ancient dragon they unwillingly unleashed from its eternal prison. Armed with a punishing mix of blades and bullets, Lo Wang must traverse uncharted parts of the world to track down the dark beast and push the apocalypse back yet again. All it will take is the mask of a dead god, a dragon’s egg, a touch of magic, and enough firepower to hold off the impending cataclysm. Trek across a mythic Asian land infused with the magic and technology of ancient samurai, now overrun by the demonic yokai from Japanese folklore.

Recommended

Average Score

Total Reviews: 66

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Ratings & Reviews

66

Critic Reviews

73

Average Critic Score

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All reviews are from professional critics. Learn more about the critics VSG aggregates.

High Score

95%

Median Score

73%

Low Score

52%

What did you think of Shadow Warrior 3?

Player Reviews0 Votes

Lincoln Carpenter (PC Gamer)

February 28, 2022

52/100

Shadow Warrior 3 buries a fun shooter so deep in muck that it’s not worth dirtying your hands.

Mick Fraser (God is a Geek)

February 28, 2022

7.5/10

Shadow Warrior 3 takes the franchise back to basics in terms of structure while adding new mechanics and weapons to keep it fresh.

Jordan Helm (Hardcore Gamer)

February 28, 2022

4/5

For some, what you make of Shadow Warrior 3 may well be influenced by the comparisons one draws from the prior 2016 entrant.

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Score Ranges

Read the Reviews (66 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
33bits	Rubén Manzanares	70 / 100	03-03-2022	Returns to the beginning do not have to be entirely good. Shadow Warrior 3 offers us levels full of adrenaline in a wide variety of scenarios with a sensational story but that is impoverished by its poor replayability.	Read review
3DNews	Михаил Пономарев	7 / 10	02-28-2022	Quote not yet available	Read review
ACG	Jeremy Penter	Not Recommended	02-28-2022	Video Review	Read review
AnaitGames	Víctor Manuel Martínez García	7 / 10	02-28-2022	A brutally intense, although a little forgettable, closure to Flying Wild Hog’s visionary revival trilogy of classic arena shooters.	Read review
Attack of the Fanboy	Jacques Waugh	3.5 / 5 stars	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 has some genuinely great ideas, but it is hampered by a handful of pronounced technical issues and a general lack of replayability.	Read review
AusGamers	Kosta Andreadis	8.5 / 10	03-01-2022	A gem of a first-person shooter, an interactive rollercoaster, and one hell of a good time. So much so it’ll have you lining up to go again.	Read review
But Why Tho?	Kyle Foley	6.5 / 10	02-28-2022	Overall, Shadow Warrior 3 feels like a teenager that still has a bit of maturing to do. Humor that tries to be edgy overshadows the fun gameplay, and the lack of an intriguing story does not help either. I would not necessarily say Shadow Warrior 3 is a bad game, but it was disappointing that I often felt like I was playing through a 15-year-old’s video game fantasy. Still, there are moments of fun to be had, and I hope Shadow Warriors 4, if it happens, can fix some of the writing mistakes to make the enjoyable experience of actually playing the game worth the time.	Read review
Checkpoint Gaming	Tom Quirk	8.5 / 10	03-01-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is an excellent FPS that fans of retro-style arena shooters are sure to have a blast with. Lo Wang’s quips might not land with everyone, and fans of the previous game’s RPG mechanics might resent the stripping down to basics with the gameplay, but Shadow Warrior 3’s efficiency is its greatest strength. By ramping up the over-the-top action with new traversal abilities and Gore Tools, Shadow Warrior 3 is the series’ most enjoyable instalment yet, and a strong recommend for shooter fans.	Read review
COGconnected	Mark Steighner	74 / 100	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is a real study in contrasts. There are times when its environments and cutscenes are triple-A game adjacent. Its combat is fast, furious, and fun. On the other hand, there’s not much story to tell, and that engaging combat gets frustrating and numbingly repetitive. Shadow Warrior 3 embraces much of what we remember about early shooters, with a lot more visual panache and polish. By the end, though, we’re desperate for the kind of variety and sophistication that later shooters brought to the genre.	Read review
cublikefoot	Chase Ferrin	Not Recommended	03-09-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 has some fun gameplay and solid visuals, but that is coupled with a subpar story and a short overall length that will likely leave many disappointed given its AAA pricing.	Read review
Digital Chumps	Steven McGehee	6.8 / 10	10-21-2018	Overall, Shadow Warrior 3 was fun to play through, but I’m glad it ended relatively quickly because the gameplay loop is very repetitive. Flying Wild Hog has some great ideas here, but the lazy arena battle design and some (not all) lackluster level design needed to be more robust and creative. As it plays now, the gameplay is just paper thin like an arcade game — and I love arcades games, but those are short by design because they don’t have enough substance and breadth to hold the player’s interest for very long. All that said, I still enjoyed playing through Shadow Warrior 3 mostly, though I won’t be coming back for seconds. With due caution, I recommend it to anyone that enjoys the franchise or likes a raw run and gun FPS experience, and especially if you can play it on PSNow or GamePass.	Read review
Everyeye.it	Giovanni Panzano	6.5 / 10	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 isn’t exactly the game we’ve been expecting, and on balance, we think it’s a big step back from its two predecessors.	Read review
Expansive	Brad Baker	Recommended	03-06-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 doesn’t quite top the 2nd for me but what it does, it does very well. It is very limited in terms of its offerings and there are some technical hitches that slow its momentum which games like this really rely on. But on the whole, I had an enjoyable time with Lo Wang and co, and the weapon variety really helps keep this interesting from beginning to end.	Read review
Explosion Network	Unknown	9 / 10	03-01-2022	Lo Wang’s return is a joy to play, with all the systems combining seamlessly. Movement, weapons and well-designed arenas are the centre marks for this experience, an experience that would be enjoyed best over a day or a weekend.	Read review
Game Informer	Andrew Reiner	7.5 / 10	03-02-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 rushes along with zaniness and gore dispensed in loads, and that combo is oddly satisfying. It feels different, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is wildly aggressive in how much it wants to make you laugh. I appreciate this approach and had a good time with this game, despite how often it hits the same gameplay and humor notes. When most major releases these days are 100-hour juggernauts, Shadow Warrior 3’s five-hour playthrough is a nice alternative and is worth a look. Just be prepared to groan frequently and be oddly amused by those groans.	Read review
Game Revolution	Paul Tamburro	3.25 / 5 stars	02-28-2022	It’s also not a long game — it took me just under 6 hours to finish on Medium, and I can’t imagine playing it again. I love short games but it feels like a lot was cut out — for example. there are only two boss battles in the whole thing, and there were many times where I thought I could go somewhere and couldn’t. While the shooting and free-running gameplay are enjoyable when everything works, Shadow Warrior 3 remains both fun and frustrating in equal measure — while it lasts. There isn’t even any rabbit humping…	Read review
Gameblog	HighJAHking	7 / 10	03-07-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 in a very nice fast FPS game that offers loads of entertainment and fun thanks to Lo Wang’s sense of humor. But it’s also sold at quite a steep price for what is essentially a 6 hours linear experience whith no replay value.	Read review
Gamefa	آرمان زرمهر	6.8 / 10	03-11-2022	The third version of Shadow Warrior suffers greatly from a lack of content and will only provide you with a short and simple experience.	Read review
GameGrin	Neil Hetherington	8.5 / 10	02-28-2022	Despite technical difficulties and a lack of Stan Bush, Shadow Warrior 3 still captures the silliness that’s become a trademark of the series.	Read review
GameMAG	Unknown	6 / 10	03-09-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 feels like an expansion to the second game that was artificially dragged on eight hours of playtime. The monsters are cool and the humor is witty, but arena-style gameplay gets really boring and same goes for parkour sections.	Read review
Gamer Escape	Josh McGrath	7 / 10	02-28-2022	The thing is, it doesn’t really do much to stand out. The fast pace, the focus on maneuverability, even its adherence to old-school FPS style, all of it has been done well (and in some cases better) elsewhere in recent memory. Does this make it a bad game? No, not by any means at all. But when the only real gimmick it has going for it is weird humor that doesn’t really stick the landing, there’s not really anything else that will make it a go-to pick for FPS fans looking for something to sink their teeth into.	Read review
Gamerheadquarters	Jason Stettner	7.1 / 10	03-06-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is a solid shooter featuring frantic action that I could best describe as being an indie DOOM Eternal.	Read review
Gamersky	Unknown	7.5 / 10	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 brings players a pure shooting experience returned to the original nature, with elements such as finishing moves and hooks and ropes making combat more enjoyable. But the small volume of the game and the “humble” character growth system also restrict its ceiling, making it feel like the end has come before the fun is fully enjoyed. If some hidden elements or “New Game+” setting can be added to it, the quality of the game will be better than now.	Read review
GameSpace	Chris Bowman	9.5 / 10	02-28-2022	Overall, Shadow Warrior 3 is an unbridled good time with great fights and even greater one-liners.	Read review
GameSpew	Richard Seagrave	8 / 10	02-28-2022	Quote not yet available	Read review
Gaming Nexus	Joseph Moorer	8.5 / 10	03-17-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is absolute fun. It’s easy to pick up, and something you definitely want to invest some hours into. This is the most fun I’ve had playing a game in a long time, and you will not be disappointed. There are a few hiccups and glitches I’m sure will be patched out but I digress. The visuals, the combat, and the characters make this game an absolute blast to look at and play. I have nothing bad to say about it, only because Lo Wang is crazy, and would probably make his way to me! Now, go slay that freakin’ dragon!	Read review
GamingBolt	Ravi Sinha	7 / 10	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 strips away much of the extra fluff from its predecessor for a short, straightforward thrill ride packed with violence. Its humor doesn’t always land and the narrative can be slipshod but the gameplay is very fun and backed by solid level design. Just don’t be too surprised at the overall campaign length.	Read review
God is a Geek	Mick Fraser	7.5 / 10	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 takes the franchise back to basics in terms of structure while adding new mechanics and weapons to keep it fresh.	Read review
GRYOnline.pl	Draug	8.5 / 10	02-28-2022	On paper, Shadow Warrior 3 looks like a step back from its prequel. It is shorter, simpler, more linear and devoid of many mechanics. Did that make him a worse game? No. The exact opposite happened.	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Jordan Helm	4 / 5 stars	02-28-2022	For some, what you make of Shadow Warrior 3 may well be influenced by the comparisons one draws from the prior 2016 entrant.	Read review
Hey Poor Player	Jonathan Trussler	4 / 5 stars	02-28-2022	If you sometimes get tired of plodding, greyish-brownish-greenish pseudo-realistic military shooters, this is the antidote. Dazzlingly colourful, unrelentingly fast-paced, unrepentantly zany and bursting with potential for player creativity, Shadow Warrior 3 is absolutely joyous to play from start to finish. So after 25 years, do I STILL want some Wang? You’re damn right I do!	Read review
Hobby Consolas	David Martinez	75 / 100	03-02-2022	‎Shadow Warrior 3 is a brave game that pays homage to the “shooter” of the 90s with its unbridled action, shows a sense of humor “so bad that it is good” and has made us have a blast with its exaggerated doses of violence. However, we had the feeling that all the levels were too similar to each other.‎	Read review
IGN	Otto Kratky	7 / 10	02-28-2022	Fast-paced and gory, Shadow Warrior 3 is a fun FPS that doesn’t take many risks.	Read review
IGN Italy	Francesco Destri	7.3 / 10	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is a fast, spectacular and over-the-top arena shooter (with bland platforming sections) and, on this front, it works very well. Don’t ask for anything more, though.	Read review
IGN Middle East	Mufaddal Fakhruddin	7.8 / 10	02-28-2022	Despite the limited scope of the game, Shadow Warrior 3 offers a fun and lively demonic killing journey.	Read review
Impulsegamer	Richard Banks	3 / 5 stars	03-11-2022	A fast-paced Doom-lite that doesn’t overstay its welcome.	Read review
JVL	Kikitoès	7.5 / 10	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is neither good nor bad. It’s an honest game that takes a crazy foot to pick all that it does well in the genre it represents, but is content to apply it as cleanly as possible by sticking its universe to it.	Read review
MonsterVine	Diego Escala	4 / 5 stars	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is a fun, hilarious nonstop adrenaline rush of a game and a fitting cap to the trilogy.	Read review
New Game Network	Joe Cabrera	74 / 100	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is a decent entry to the series. It’s the shortest one to date, has the weakest story thus far, and the least content. Despite this, the third chapter is the most fun and visually impressive yet. Your time with the game may be short-lived, but it will still be time well spent.	Read review
Niche Gamer	Frank Streva	8.5 / 10	02-28-2022	It’s just a shame that the experience is over so quickly. Perhaps a premature ending is a fitting flaw for a game crammed so full of dick jokes, but at the end of the day you are still left wanting more.	Read review
PC Gamer	Lincoln Carpenter	52 / 100	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 buries a fun shooter so deep in muck that it’s not worth dirtying your hands.	Read review
PC Invasion	Andrew Farrell	7 / 10	02-28-2022	Pretty, action-packed, and fun while it lasts, Shadow Warrior 3 is well made as long as there isn’t any dialogue, but there’s so little content that the price tag makes it truly hard to recommend.	Read review
PlayStation Universe	John-Paul Jones	7 / 10	03-08-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 isn’t lacking in bombastic, blood-splattered shooting or giddily puerile humour. It comes up a bit short in gameplay variety and its scattershot approach to jokes produces more than a few misses, but as a fairly relentless and compact first person shooter with its heart beating to the drum of nostalgia, it’s a pretty tasty morsel	Read review
PSX Brasil	Luis Guilherme Machado Camargo	60 / 100	03-10-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 has good combat, but its content is too short to recommend it at launch. It is certainly a title to keep on the radar if you are a fan of this type of FPS.	Read review
Push Square	Sam Brooke	6 / 10	03-04-2022	Simple but tight, Shadow Warrior 3 is a solid shooter with some occasional flashes of excitement. It’s a shame the game’s attempts at comedy squeeze the life out of it — and £40 for an eight-hour campaign is barely good value.	Read review
Rectify Gaming	Unknown	8 / 10	03-01-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 reminds the shooter world to keep it short and sweet.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	Jai Singh Bains	Not Recommended	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is a tongue-in-cheek arena shooter that starts off with tons of potential	Read review
Saving Content	Scott Ellison II	3 / 5 stars	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is not a bad time, it just isn’t as forward thinking as its predecessors. It’s a mess of ideas with a flawed execution that leads to disappointment. There’s a healthy armory of fun weapons to shoot, upgrades to acquire, and finishers that are fantastically bloody to keep you entertained. Lo Wang’s movement and world traversal is the best it’s ever been. Flying Wild Hog gets so much right, but the parts they don’t overshadow the whole experience. Shadow Warrior 3 is so staggeringly linear and short, and without any real replayability to speak of, is a game that falls on its own sword.	Read review
Screen Rant	Scott Baird	4 / 5 stars	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is a first-person shooter that is packed with action and it will be enjoyable to those who love carving up hordes of monsters.	Read review
SECTOR.sk	Lukáš Zábojník	6.5 / 10	03-11-2022	The last Shadow Warrior attempted to return to the simpler gameplay and roots of the series, but the changes towards simplicity were too great.	Read review
Shacknews	Chris Jarrard	7 / 10	02-28-2022	The minute-to-minute action is downright delightful, even if the boss encounters maintain the series’ streak of being underwhelming. The shooting, movement, and killing are every bit as good as recent Doom games, even if the whole thing feels derivative.	Read review
Sirus Gaming	Adrian Morales	7 / 10	02-28-2022	At its best, Shadow Warrior 3 is a competent Doom clone, serviceable enough for anyone that is really looking to kill some demons and kill some time, but perhaps best at a discount. Otherwise, Shadow Warrior 3 is uninspired and underdeveloped.	Read review
SpazioGames	Marino Puntorieri	7.4 / 10	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 feels more linear than the previous game, but is indeed fun and over-the-top. Unfortunately, it’s way shorter than it should and you are left with the feeling that it ends when the fun was just starting to unfold.	Read review
TechRaptor	Alex Santa Maria	6.5 / 10	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is fun but forgettable, a whirlwind tour of demon slaying that latches onto FPS trends and provides little spice of its own.	Read review
The Escapist	KC Nwosu	Not Recommended	02-27-2022	Video Review	Read review
The Game Crater	Henry Yu	6 / 10	03-01-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is oftentimes a lot of fun, especially if you’re keen on dirty jokes, visceral violence and stunning vistas. However, repetitive gameplay and a lack of overall content bring the experience done.	Read review
The Games Machine	Nicolò Paschetto	7.5 / 10	02-28-2022	I love Lo Wang so much. So much! He’s truly the best third-grade ninja in circulation! That’s why it’s a shame that the combat arenas are effectively the same throughout the whole campaign.	Read review
The Outerhaven Productions	Scott Adams	4 / 5 stars	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 has some of the tightest controls in any shooter game I have played in recent memory. It has a fun plot with a lot of areas to kill demons in fun and engaging ways. Become the Jedi Spider-man if only for a few hours.	Read review
VGChartz	Issa Maki	8 / 10		There won’t be a shortage of games to celebrate in 2022, but if you get the chance to rock out with your Wang hung Lo then, by all means, take it!	Read review
WayTooManyGames	Jordan Hawes	8.5 / 10	02-28-2022	I absolutely enjoyed every minute of Shadow Warrior 3 and for myself I really liked they decided to go back to that linear story focused design from the first game. However, I would have liked to see more of a blend of one and two shine through here because when it comes to weapons and abilities it does feel like a step back from two. Luckily, the new additions to the combat with the gore weapons and interactive arenas always kept me engaged and entertained. It was nice to have Wang back in my hands.	Read review
Wccftech	Nathan Birch	5.5 / 10	03-06-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 offers some competent (albeit mostly borrowed) core shooting mechanics and first-person platforming, but uninspired, repetitive level design, irritating enemies, and a withering onslaught of dad humor may leave you longing for relief before the game’s relatively-brief campaign wraps up. Shadow Warrior 3 isn’t without its moments, and may be worth a shot at a considerable discount, but this franchise is still eclipsed by the FPS big boys.	Read review
We Got This Covered	David Morgan	3 / 5 stars	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 invokes gaming’s simpler past while lampshading the fact that it borrows so much from more modern games. It sits in a no-man’s-land of middling design decisions and absolutely terrible writing, even though its action and presentation sometimes shine through.	Read review
WellPlayed	Ash Wayling	7.5 / 10	03-01-2022	Whether you are a returning Shadow Warrior fan or a new one, Shadow Warrior 3 is bound to delight all high-octane shooter fans. Its minor shortcomings are rapidly overcome through the simple act of being gloriously fun.	Read review
Worth Playing	Chris “Atom” DeAngelus	8 / 10	02-28-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 is a fun shooter that falls short of greatness. The combat is fast and frantic, and it is intense enough that I found myself getting lost in it. The short length, lack of variety, and inevitable comparisons to Doom Eternal don’t do it any favors. I am glad that I played Shadow Warrior 3, and I imagine a lot of folks will feel the same way. It might be best to wait for a price drop, as $50 is slightly hefty for the amount of content you get.	Read review
Xbox Achievements	Richard Walker	75 / 100	03-03-2022	If it’s unadulterated, gore-soaked fun you seek, then look no further. Just be aware that once Shadow Warrior 3’s campaign is done and dusted, there’s no replay value to be had. If you’re okay with that, then there’s no reason not to chow down on some more Wang.	Read review
ZTGD	Terrence Johnson	7 / 10	03-17-2022	Shadow Warrior 3 for is just dumb fun. It doesn’t do anything to make you think that its going to be anything other than it is. Running around with a varied array of weapons AND a sword, killing monsters while dashing and swinging around is right up there with the fun to be had in Doom Eternal. But for me it’s the humor that sets Shadow Warrior 3 apart, while not for everyone those that find comfort and chuckles in ‘derp’ type comedy will have a ball playing with Wang.	Read review

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Developed by Flying Wild Hog. All titles, content, brand names, trademarks, logos, artwork, and associated imagery are trademarks and/or copyright material of their respective owners. © All rights reserved.

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