Shadow Warrior

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 144 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 87 out of 144
  2. Mixed: 40 out of 144
  3. Negative: 17 out of 144
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  1. Fair-Reviews
    Dec 10, 2014
    6
    I had a blast with this game. It offers an old school feeling, fun sword combat, and a variety of guns that'll have a blast shooting demons to bits with. With a $40 price tag, you can't go wrong. If you like 3D realms humor, you need to play this just for that. The graphics aren't great, but they are good. The game is a little long, some parts feeling stretched out.. but that's a goodI had a blast with this game. It offers an old school feeling, fun sword combat, and a variety of guns that'll have a blast shooting demons to bits with. With a $40 price tag, you can't go wrong. If you like 3D realms humor, you need to play this just for that. The graphics aren't great, but they are good. The game is a little long, some parts feeling stretched out.. but that's a good thing in hindsight. As it gives you even more bang for your buck. Add that with searching for all the secrets and running new game +, what you have is a fairly good game. Not great. But good.… Expand
  2. NewSlang
    Mar 10, 2015
    7
    I had a blast playing this game. The closest thing i'd compare it with is perhaps, Bulletstorm, very over the top. Old school feel, lots of inside jokes, kinda silly humor, throw backs to 90s gaming nostalgia. Tons of secrets - and usually straying from the main path will yield a reward. The story is pretty good - not gonna blow you away, but it's good enough. Art is well done, likeI had a blast playing this game. The closest thing i'd compare it with is perhaps, Bulletstorm, very over the top. Old school feel, lots of inside jokes, kinda silly humor, throw backs to 90s gaming nostalgia. Tons of secrets - and usually straying from the main path will yield a reward. The story is pretty good - not gonna blow you away, but it's good enough. Art is well done, like the cut scenes - liked the end, For such a cheesy premise you do care about the characters a bit. Overall it's worth a buy especially if you snag it on sale. My main criticism is that sometimes it can feel a bit long, there is a bit of a pacing issue with a few of the levels, sometimes it can be confusing to figure out where you need to go. (perhaps an arrow like bioshock would solve this? but it might break the oldschool feeling they created) Overall if you're in the mood for a shooter/slasher it's worth your time and money. Certainly one of the top FPS on PS4 as far as FUN factor is concerned.… Expand
  3. cstrang
    Nov 25, 2014
    6
    Underneath all of that unnecessary and blinding bloom on your screen, Shadow Warrior is definitely a functional FPHS (First Person Hack and Shoot). Best described as a modern homage to shooters of old, where characters could hold all the weapons they wanted and waypoints weren't in the vernacular, Shadow Warrior does what it sets out to do mildly well and provides a demon-slayingUnderneath all of that unnecessary and blinding bloom on your screen, Shadow Warrior is definitely a functional FPHS (First Person Hack and Shoot). Best described as a modern homage to shooters of old, where characters could hold all the weapons they wanted and waypoints weren't in the vernacular, Shadow Warrior does what it sets out to do mildly well and provides a demon-slaying experience that's more about running around like a madman than hiding behind cover. The game provides the standard FPS-fare for weapons but the undeniable star is Wang's katana, which players will probably use to paint the walls red 70% of their experience with the game.

    Unfortunately, Shadow Warrior suffers pretty terribly from pacing issues, or perhaps simply overstays its welcome. Near the last quarter of the game, gameplay noticeably degenerates into walking into a room or corridor, killing the exact same enemies en masse, looking for the gold-tinged door that leads to a room that was copy-pasted from the room you just left, and repeating the massacre. Not only does this leave a pretty bad taste in one's mouth, it also makes you realize that maybe chopping demons up with a katana is neither as fun nor as memorable as you want it to be.

    3/5    … Expand
  4. kenmil
    Mar 23, 2015
    7
    Overall, good fun to play. Games are meant to be fun after all. All these crap comments about story or colours or how many friends on their friend list are just nonsense. This game was on special on Playstation store for $25 and I got at least $50 worth of fun out of it.
  5. MaxPayneIsGod
    Jan 31, 2022
    7
    A solid FPS reboot of the old DOS game let down by ill-conceived touchpad controls, poor boss battles, messy narrative and awful level design.
    I did actually really enjoy the pure "fun factor" and did endeavor to replay it, but realized that whilst fun its incredibly repetitive and shallow.
    The guns and gore are great, and the swordplay is fantastic fun. It served its purpose as 12    A solid FPS reboot of the old DOS game let down by ill-conceived touchpad controls, poor boss battles, messy narrative and awful level design.
    I did actually really enjoy the pure "fun factor" and did endeavor to replay it, but realized that whilst fun its incredibly repetitive and shallow.
    The guns and gore are great, and the swordplay is fantastic fun.
    It served its purpose as 12 hours of entertainment, if you've got nothing else to play and want to blast through an above average shooter give it a rip.    … Expand
  6. SuperkenGaming
    Mar 3, 2018
    7
    Shadow Warrior
    Samari Doom
    Shadow Warrior is a first person doom styled shooter where you play as lo wang after an ancient sword for your boss… and surprise homies aint letting it go easy so you gotta slice everyone up with your sword.. I reall loved the first few hours of this 11 hour total game, and I really loved the final few hours.. But things start to get pretty bad in the    Shadow Warrior
    Samari Doom
    Shadow Warrior is a first person doom styled shooter where you play as lo wang after an ancient sword for your boss… and surprise homies aint letting it go easy
    so you gotta slice everyone up with your sword..
    I reall loved the first few hours of this 11 hour total game, and I really loved the final few hours..
    But things start to get pretty bad in the middle..
    At the start this is a very linear game..
    Its essentially call of duty with with swords..
    Though as you progress the game youll find new weapons and even a demon budy to accompany you on your journey that lives inside your head and with help make for some great comedic moments…
    The 2 have great chemistry..
    Levels are pretty straight forward..
    Look everywhere for money and ammo and progress through the glowing door…
    And then demon creatures are introduced that reward you with karma…
    And this is where a bit of puzzle solving is introduced..
    AND BY PUZZLE SOLVING I MEAN THE DOORS HAVE SEALS AND YOU HAVE TO FIND 1 TO 3 STATUES AND DESTROY THEM BEFORE YOU CAN MOVE ON..
    I DIDN’T MIND THIS AT ALL AT FIRST, YOU CAN ALSO FIND TUBS OF KARMA AND CRYSTALS WHILE YOURE ON YOUR SEARCH FOR ITEMS AND STATUES..
    AND YOUR MONEY, KARMA, AND CRYSTALS ALL GO INTO UNLOCKING NEW MOVES WITH YOUR KI AND UPGRADING YOUR WEAPONS..
    YOUR KI CAN BE USED AS A SHIELD IN BATTLE AS WELL AS HEALING YOURSELF FOR EXAMPLE..
    SO UPGRADING THESE SPECIAL MOVES IS WORTH IT AND GIVES INCENTIVE TO EXPLORE..
    BUT THE GAME SLOWLY STARTS TO LOSE ITS LINEAR FEEL AND GET A BIT MORE MAZY TOWWARDS THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME…
    AND THIS STRETCH IS SO HORRIBLY PACED THAT I WAS TEMPTED TO QUIT PRACTICALLY THE ENTIRE TIME..
    HERE THERES WAY TOO MUCH CEAL BREAKING AND OPEN FEELING BACK TRACKY WORLDS INSTEAD OF THE FUN LINEAR KILL EVERYTHING IN YOUR WAY STYLE OF GAMEPLAY UP TO THESE POINTS…
    YOULL BE SEARCHING AND RETRIEVING ITEMS..
    THROWING SWITCHES, RETRACING YOUR STEPS…
    BUT THE PACING HERE IS THROWN OFF BY HOW CONSTANTLY THIS GAME SPAWNS IN ENEMIES AT YOU
    ITS PRACTICALLY LITERALLY EVERYTIME YOU TURN A CORNER ITS ENEMIES TO FIGHT…
    IT JUST DOESN’T STOP AND YOU HAVE TO KILL THEM ALL BEFORE YOURE ALLOWED TO MOVE ON…
    THIS ISNT AS BIG OF A DEAL WHEN THINGS ARE FUN AND LINEAR..
    BUT WHEN YOURE ASKED TO PROBLEM SOLVES, FIND STATUES, AND REMEMBER WHERE THE CEAL YOU BROKE WAS..
    IT GETS ANNOYING THAT YOUR CONCENTRATION IS CONSTANTLY BEING BROKE WITH BATTLES..
    THERE ARE SOME MASSIVE BOSS BATTLES THROWN IN HERE AS WELL TO EASE THE PACE A LITTLE
    BUT AS HINTED EARLIER…
    THE FINALY3 OR SO CHAPTERS FIX THIS… SO ITS WORTH GETTING OVER THIOS SPEED BUMP FOR..
    THE GAME GETS BACK TO ITS BEING GOOD TERRITORY….
    PRACTICALLY EVERY PROBLEM THIS GAME HAS IS FIXED IN ITS SEQUEL AND YOURE NOT MISSING MUCH BY SKIPPING AND GOING RIGHT TO SHADOW WARRIOR 2…
    THIS IN A WAY IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME, BUT STIL LGOOD IN ITS OWN RIGHT..
    I GIVE SHADOW WARRIOR
    A 7/10    … Expand
  7. MetaRogue
    Jun 4, 2021
    6
    Shadow Warrior looks and feels like an inferior version of the recent Wolfenstein and Doom reboot games, but considering the fact that it predates these aforementioned revivals of Id Software classics, you could almost say that Shadow Warrior did the old school FPS reboot shtick first.

    I'm not saying that Shadow Warrior is a bad game per se, but it really feels dated in a lot of areas.    Shadow Warrior looks and feels like an inferior version of the recent Wolfenstein and Doom reboot games, but considering the fact that it predates these aforementioned revivals of Id Software classics, you could almost say that Shadow Warrior did the old school FPS reboot shtick first.

    I'm not saying that Shadow Warrior is a bad game per se, but it really feels dated in a lot of areas. For one thing the graphics are an eye-sore. I know this is a PS4 game, but I get the feeling that it was originally intended to be released on PS3, but the developers decided to move it up a console generation. To be honest, the graphical level of detail in Shadow Warrior reminded me a lot of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - and that was released on PS3 all the way back in 2006.

    On the combat side of things, Shadow Warrior feels like a mixed bag. There are skills and upgrades to acquire, but some of these don't work as well as they should. For example, some of the sword abilities require you to use the movement analogue stick to trigger specific attack or defensive combos, but because there assigned to the movement analogue stick, the game sometimes misreads whether you're simply trying to move or begin a sword combo. Thankfully, the PS4 version has an alternate way of triggering these combos by utilising the touchpad.

    However, Shadow Warriors combat issues don't end there. Swinging the sword can feel floaty and imprecise at times. While you can carry all of your weapons like most old school FPS games, the guns don't sound or feel very powerful to use. At certain points during the campaign, I would empty ammo clip after ammo clip into swarms of enemies. This felt vastly unsatisfying as there wasn't much weapon feedback or recoil and most enemies didn't react or respond to getting hit.

    Another thing that compounds the issues with combat are the design of enemy types which either feel dated or contradictory to the flow of combat. Large enemies are just simply damage sponges who drain your ammo supplies, whereas the mage enemy class can summon more enemies and erect a shield that damages you if you touch it. Whenever one of the mages showed up, the frenetic, fast paced style combat always grinded to a halt. Furthermore, my biggest problem with combat is that the game will unload wave after wave of enemies who will overwhelm you at certain points which can be more frustrating than fun.

    As for story...ugh...Shadow Warrior is just...just the worst. The voice acting is adequate (barely sometimes) and the dialogue can be occasionally witty and humorous. But for the most apart don't expect too much from Shadow Warrior in the narrative department.

    Shadow Warrior is more of a step back into the past than it is a step toward the future. Some bad design decisions severely hinder the experience and your mileage with it will depend mostly on your tolerance of these issues.    … Expand
  8. njja02
    May 15, 2018
    6
    After the first fun few hours, the game just starts to get repetitive due to the limited game-play elements. Plus its story is fun, but not the best written.
  9. DeathXon
    Sep 27, 2015
    7
    I've never played the original Shadow Warrior for the PC from the 90's, but for a modernized version it's a pretty solid FPS. The graphics are very nice and in some parts beautiful. The voice acting is ok. Full of cheesy dirty jokes which are the charm of the game I suppose. The sound design is pretty ok, nothing really stands out though. The combat is nice mixing swordplay with guns andI've never played the original Shadow Warrior for the PC from the 90's, but for a modernized version it's a pretty solid FPS. The graphics are very nice and in some parts beautiful. The voice acting is ok. Full of cheesy dirty jokes which are the charm of the game I suppose. The sound design is pretty ok, nothing really stands out though. The combat is nice mixing swordplay with guns and different upgrades and abilities you give Lo Wang. Which brings me to the upgrades and powers. You can upgrade your guns and sword and abilities with in-game currency, karma points for getting new skills, and Ki crystals for getting new powers. So it has RPG elements too. Good news for classic FPS players: health packs instead of regenerating health. The enemy AI for the most part is ok. Sometimes taking cover, other times running head-on at you. The different environments look good but none of them really stood out and made me say "I like this level" except for maybe 2 or 3 of them. Gameplay can become repetitive if you're not mixing up your combat enough. The bosses in the game with the exception for the final boss are very forgettable. They look nice but the environment is practically the same, again not including the final boss. Basically, this a 90's game with nicer graphics. Some like it, others don't. I'm a person that happens to like it for the most part. It's definitely worth playing. A buy for hardcore fans of old school shooters or collector's looking for a solid game to add to their collection. But for everyone else it's probably a rent.… Expand
  10. Nathan1423
    Jun 9, 2017
    5
    This is one of those games that I can BARELY recommend but I also have to warn that you WILL experience frustration with the game at some point, possibly a lot. (I actually had to go back and edit this review after playing the game longer and drop the score.) Several annoying issues. By far the biggest problem is the level design, LOTS of going back and forth (like old pc games from whenThis is one of those games that I can BARELY recommend but I also have to warn that you WILL experience frustration with the game at some point, possibly a lot. (I actually had to go back and edit this review after playing the game longer and drop the score.) Several annoying issues. By far the biggest problem is the level design, LOTS of going back and forth (like old pc games from when level size was limited), and while the art style is cool, locations within one map often look indistinguishable from others. I would say this game is worth $15 in 2017 and not a penny more, because the enjoyment you get out of the small amount of humor, the slightly interesting story, the fun chaotic gameplay, is unabashedly mixed with **** level design, repetition upon repetition upon repetition, and periodic visual problems like frame rate jutter, or the mountain textures on one of the last levels, like ohhhh myyyy they forgot to put them in lol. You know, the saddest part about this game, other than the huge potential completely wasted, is that I couldn't even finish it, it was already dragging, and after 12 hours (since I like to find the hidden secrets) I could not bring myself to finish the last couple missions even though I knew there would be a cool boss fight. Not worth it. At that point the game had become pure grinding, a chore, a session of doing the same few things over and over and over to unlock doors so you can unlock doors so you can unlock doors so you can kill demons so you can unlock doors so you JUMP OFF A FREAKIN BRIDGE LOL 5/10… Expand
  11. Alex_Pilgrim008
    Mar 23, 2023
    7
    An old-school FPS that feels like a Nintendo Wii game. Fans of Serious Sam and Duke Nukem will probably like it. The story is rubbish, something about stealing a magical katana from gangsters. The lengthy campaign features plenty of secrets and challenges. All of the weapons, skills and abilities can be upgraded. Along with the story mode, there's also survival horde maps and unlockableAn old-school FPS that feels like a Nintendo Wii game. Fans of Serious Sam and Duke Nukem will probably like it. The story is rubbish, something about stealing a magical katana from gangsters. The lengthy campaign features plenty of secrets and challenges. All of the weapons, skills and abilities can be upgraded. Along with the story mode, there's also survival horde maps and unlockable concept artwork. This is an indie game and it shows with its dated graphics and lack of enemy types. While the shooting/slashing gameplay is fun, it does get a bit repetitive. Still, fans of retro shooters will find this to be a gem. I would rate it with a 7.4 out of 10.… Expand
  12. Patajullo
    Jul 9, 2019
    7
    No es una joya y podríamos decir que está un poco anticuado tecnológicamente para 2014 pero si muy entretenido y jocoso, lo disfrute bastante. Además al no tener ningún tipo de parche y funcionar perfectamente la edición física gana bastante valor como producto
  13. goodgriff33
    Dec 24, 2022
    7
    Answer: 75 characters is between 10 words and 19 words with spaces included in the character count. If spaces are not included in the character count, then 75 characters is between 12 words and 25 words.
  14. BlakkSteel
    Dec 29, 2022
    6
    While the premise of the game could've been an interesting one,the execution of it all, was not. Had I played this,prior to purchasing the entire series, I'd have never bought them. The largest turn off with this game, outside of the poorly told story, was the fact there were way too many "gorilla in the phone booth" moments. Cramming & cluttering in multiple difficult-to-beat monsters inWhile the premise of the game could've been an interesting one,the execution of it all, was not. Had I played this,prior to purchasing the entire series, I'd have never bought them. The largest turn off with this game, outside of the poorly told story, was the fact there were way too many "gorilla in the phone booth" moments. Cramming & cluttering in multiple difficult-to-beat monsters in these super small fighting spaces,got real old, really fast. I truly, ONLY, finished the game, because I paid for it.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

90
#90 Best PS4 Game of 2014
59
#59 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2014
36
#36 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 28, 2014
    70
    It's undeniably simple. [Christmas 2014, p.88]
  2. Games Master UK
    Dec 21, 2014
    66
    The 'humour' occasionally feels flat. [Christmas 2014, p.78]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Nov 28, 2014
    65
    It may need help to stand tall, but when it's pumped with blood, it rocks. [Christmas 2014, p76]
See all critic reviews »