Shadow Warrior

 Xbox One
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 68 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 68
  3. Negative: 10 out of 68
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  1. slingshotz06
    Oct 25, 2014
    10
    One of the most fun, funniest, and entertaining games I've played in a very long time.

    If you liked Wolfenstien: The New Order you'll have a blast playing this game.

    Don't miss out, it costs much less than most games out there, but you'll have more fun than most games out there.
  2. osprey
    Oct 25, 2014
    8
    This is a super fun game. It is loaded with secrets and easter eggs and is just a riot to play. It reminds me a bit of Shadows of the Damned but has much better controls. If you are looking for an old school shooter that makes you laugh here it is. Nice to get a budget priced game for the xbox one for a change. Very glad I picked this one up.
  3. nonchalantgamer
    Feb 4, 2015
    7
    id give a 7.5 officially. shadow warrior is a very fun game, that had a surprisingly good story that is tongue in cheek and will give you some laughs along the way.

    Visuals: the graphics in this game aren't great, and resembles something slightly better than a 360 game. the textures and frame rates are very smooth though. Game-play: the best part of this game is the combat. it is so    id give a 7.5 officially. shadow warrior is a very fun game, that had a surprisingly good story that is tongue in cheek and will give you some laughs along the way.

    Visuals: the graphics in this game aren't great, and resembles something slightly better than a 360 game. the textures and frame rates are very smooth though.

    Game-play: the best part of this game is the combat. it is so good with a mixture of weapons to play with. i found my self constantly switching between weapons during a fight depending on the enemies i was encountering and it kept the game play varied. there is also a good customization aspect as well with 3 different aspects that you can upgrade by finding money and special items hidden throughout the levels. only problem is that there are some bad loading sequenmces and lag time when entering new areas which takes some of the fun away at times.

    Music: the music in the game is well done and gives off a Japanese style vibe to it that is nice to listen to.    … Expand
  4. JackalS4
    Jun 10, 2015
    10
    This game is just what it was supposed to be. Good ol' fun just like the old one. I was pleasantly surprised and have thoroughly enjoyed the game thus far. It's not "leading edge" or anything, but is humourous, silly and enjoyable just as it should be.
  5. youlouz
    Mar 21, 2015
    9
    Now this game is one of the funnest ever created.

    PROS
    -Great Combat
    -Humor
    -Graphics
    -Large map

    CONS
    -Story needs a little work, and is confusing
  6. HJS777
    Jan 17, 2016
    1
    Was looking forward to playing this as i have played the original. But on the XBox One it was terrible. Rez is low. Control scheme is easily one of the worst i ever seen for console. Healing yrself takes 3 moves for example and still have not figured out how to fire a weapon in the game. The worst thing i think gamemakers can do is when they try to reinvent something. If it is not broken,Was looking forward to playing this as i have played the original. But on the XBox One it was terrible. Rez is low. Control scheme is easily one of the worst i ever seen for console. Healing yrself takes 3 moves for example and still have not figured out how to fire a weapon in the game. The worst thing i think gamemakers can do is when they try to reinvent something. If it is not broken, don't fix it. Control layouts should feel natrual, this is a mess.… Expand
  7. TheQuietGamer
    Feb 17, 2018
    7
    The new and the old combine in this reimagining of the '90s era shooter. The mix of retro arena style action and modern sensibilities makes for a solid game even if it doesn't live up to the titles of yesteryear it is trying so hard to bring back fond memories of. Dated graphics and random loading screens that occur when playing the game keep it from being amongst the more technicallyThe new and the old combine in this reimagining of the '90s era shooter. The mix of retro arena style action and modern sensibilities makes for a solid game even if it doesn't live up to the titles of yesteryear it is trying so hard to bring back fond memories of. Dated graphics and random loading screens that occur when playing the game keep it from being amongst the more technically impressive games on the system.

    The best thing this new incarnation of Shadow Warrior borrows from it's inspirations is the more open level design. It allows for combat to move at a more frantic and chaotic pace complete with destructively satisfying results. It even opens up the occasional side paths with hidden secrets just like back in the day. You have a nice selection of weapons at your disposal. I was particularly impressed with how well the melee combat is handled. This is something the FPS genre has struggled with for years outside of a handful of noteworthy titles. Yet, Shadow Warrior makes the katana one of the most enjoyable and effective tools in your arsenal.

    While all of this does give the game something of an old-school feel the nostalgia that would otherwise be there is offset by the linear level design that funnels you from one combat encounter to the other with the occasional opportunity to secret hunt in between. The game also goes for a more modern approach with it's storytelling as well. While I personally found the plot boring I did appreciate how the developer tried to do something with more depth than one would expect from a game like this. The original Shadow Warrior's personality is something Flying Wild Hog tried to recapture, only more politically correct. While I got the occasional chuckle from the fortune cookies scattered throughout the game, I found protagonist Lo Wang and his demonic sidekick Hoji to be more annoying than humorous.

    The biggest flaw with the game though is it's length. Believe it or not Shadow Warrior is a little too long. The later levels feeling like padding as they have you fighting the same enemies in repeated or identical feeling environments over and over again ad nauseam. The worst offender is chapter 13 which seems to go on forever with no end in sight. While the action stays fresh throughout and the stages at the very end of the game change things up enough to inject some new life into the experience right before the credits roll, I was ready for Shadow Warrior to end quite a bit sooner than it actually did.

    Flying Wild Hog's modernized version of Shadow Warrior is worth a look for those who miss the days of Doom, Duke Nukem, and the like. It doesn't reach the same heights and has some noticeable issues, but can still provide a unique experience in a time where every other FPS wants to take the Call of Duty and Battlefield route thanks to it's throwback style. It's bloody combat can be an absolute blast. Especially thanks to an upgrade system that will grant you with new abilities and weapon power ups. It's the one modern addition I couldn't have done without and allowed for the inclusion of a new game plus option. It may not blow you away, but at least it's able to stand out from the pack.

    7.5/10    … Expand
  8. 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
  9. Broyax
    Sep 22, 2018
    2
    Le vieux jeu bourrin mais labyrinthique (et à l'humour bêbête) de 3D Realms a été rebooté par un développeur indé... L'esprit demeure ainsi qu'une violence qui fait splatch (attention ça tache, bonjour les notes de pressing) tandis qu'un semblant d'histoire a été ajouté, une pseudo-histoire dont on se fout éperdument soit dit en passant.

    De nouvelles mécaniques ont fait leur apparition,    Le vieux jeu bourrin mais labyrinthique (et à l'humour bêbête) de 3D Realms a été rebooté par un développeur indé... L'esprit demeure ainsi qu'une violence qui fait splatch (attention ça tache, bonjour les notes de pressing) tandis qu'un semblant d'histoire a été ajouté, une pseudo-histoire dont on se fout éperdument soit dit en passant.

    De nouvelles mécaniques ont fait leur apparition, notamment des pouvoirs (sans compter les compétences) qu'on peut acheter et utliser via l'expérience acquise. Ce qui implique de faire certaines manipulations au cours du combat comme des sortes de combos dans un jeu de baston lambda et ça, c'est assez ballot et lourdingue à l'usage.

    Les combats et les armes sont assez amusants mais deviennent ma foi répétitifs tandis qu'on erre souvent dans des niveaux pas aussi alambiqués que son prédecesseur mais presque... On a pas de carte évidemment, donc on tourne un peu trop en rond en attendant de tomber sur la prochaine vague de démons plus ou moins enragés...

    Le jeu est assez moche mais a au moins le bon goût de tourner à 60 im/s malgré de **** ralentissements quand c'est trop le bordel à l'écran cela dit. Globalement, ce petit jeu malgré ses bonnes intentions (l'enfer en est pavé) s'avère des plus désagréables et ne peut certainement pas lutter avec ses nombreux concurrents en matière de FPS brutaux.

    Un indé de plus foireux donc, qui plus est issu d'une vieillerie qu'on aurait dû laisser tranquille (laissez les daubes là où elles sont, dans la poubelle).    … Expand
  10. Nobilis1984
    Mar 2, 2022
    8
    The first part was the best of all.
    It was fun for a long time and the developers did a good job.
  11. Jammiemann
    Jun 7, 2015
    7
    A stupidly funny and stupidly stupid game. Its simple in all regards and thats good, you dont want a complicated serious shadow warrior you want funny, you want wise cracks and cheap one liners and a simple yet effective combat system thats easy to mater.

    the only problem i had was head bob..........o the head bob.
  12. Moax2201
    Jan 29, 2016
    8
    Shadow warrior is a wonderful throwback to nineties fps madness.
    Armed with a sword, an arsenal of firepower and little magic, Wangs task is to retrieve the magical sword and destroy the invading demons!
    This game is filled with classic and cheesy one liners duke nukum style. Wonderful sword play makes the katana my weapon of choice but that takes nothing away from the guns, which are    Shadow warrior is a wonderful throwback to nineties fps madness.
    Armed with a sword, an arsenal of firepower and little magic, Wangs task is to retrieve the magical sword and destroy the invading demons!
    This game is filled with classic and cheesy one liners duke nukum style.
    Wonderful sword play makes the katana my weapon of choice but that takes nothing away from the guns, which are more than capable of slaying demons.
    This game is so much fun, you can lose hours chopping heads off or searching every corner to find the ever elusive secrets!
    Seventeen missions which take on avridge half an hour to complete, means there is a lot of game for a budget price.
    If I had to critisize, I would say some of the magic abilitys are confusing to pull off on an Xbox controller, but there not difficult! Once you have the technique mastered you will be using magic like the Wang master himself!
    Brilliant game, it's so refreshing to play an old school fps after years of military shooters.    … Expand
  13. Namelessname
    Feb 10, 2018
    8
    Honestly the best game i’ve played in a long time. It’s funny, witty and entertaining to play and does a great job of balancing the difficulty of enemies. It always satisfies me when I chop up even the weakest demons. The story is not that great, but the gameplay makes up for it. Overall shadow warrior is a great game and i suggest you pick it up
  14. SenorKoquonfaes
    Jul 25, 2020
    8
    Shadow Warrior is a first-person shooter/hack-and-slash game. The core gameplay loop is to cut down hordes demons in combat arenas using a variety of guns or your katana. The guns consist of a revolver, an uzi, rocket launcher, flamethrower, shotgun and crossbow. You can also throw shurikens, but they’re kind of weak and not overly accurate to throw. Occasionally, fallen enemies will dropShadow Warrior is a first-person shooter/hack-and-slash game. The core gameplay loop is to cut down hordes demons in combat arenas using a variety of guns or your katana. The guns consist of a revolver, an uzi, rocket launcher, flamethrower, shotgun and crossbow. You can also throw shurikens, but they’re kind of weak and not overly accurate to throw. Occasionally, fallen enemies will drop “Demon hearts”, which you can use to take down a sizeable group of lower tiered enemies with a certain radius of you. You can also acquire a skill that allows you to pick up a “Demon’s Head” and use that fight enemies as well. Each weapon has secondary fire modes as well as two other upgrades which you can acquire using money in the Weapon upgrades section: Just to name a few, the revolver fires off rounds in rapid succession like those old Cowboy movies, the uzi has a dual-wield option thats great for crowd control, but you chew through your ammo, the shotgun can equip a quad barrel attachment, since the standard double barrel wasn’t really doing it for me, and can be primed to fire all four shots at once and the crossbow shoots explosive bolts, although I found the splash damage on them to be kind of underwhelming. The movement speed is fast and smooth, just like the original game and akin to other FPS games from that era. The guns sound punchy and powerful and the overall pace of the combat is quite fun and offers up a decent challenge.

    The levels are broken up into chapters that all progress linearly. There’s also little branching areas that allow for secret hunting. The individual level design, at it’s core, is essentially: hallway, arena, hallway, unlock this door, arena, hallway etc.. That’s not to say that’s bad or anything, for two reasons: 1). The combat in this game is pretty fun and even hectic at times. They throw a variety of enemies at you at increasing numbers, especially in the later combat arenas. Some you can two-hit with the pistol, some are more bullet spongey to the point of almost being mini-boss material. Some will charge you head on, others will attack from a distance with projectiles, so you will have to practice your target prioritization and use Wang’s dodge ability. 2). The game’s art direction is great. The way they’ve been able to render the beautiful architecture of Japanese temples as well as some of the mountainous/cavernous areas of the “Shadow Realm” are well done and help distract from the levels basic layout.

    The game has three in-game currency methods: “Money”, “Karma” and “Skills”. I never really found the “Powers” to be of much use, except for the one that allows you to partially regenerate your health. Nor did I really get much use out of some of the active “Skills” upgrades. They all revolve around double tapping the left thumb stick in a certain direction and then holding down the LT to charge it up and then release. Sometimes I would try it and it wouldn’t trigger, other times I’d trigger it unintentionally and most of the the time during in the heat of combat, I simply couldn’t be arsed to try it, since I found it way more expedient to just shoot incoming enemies or dice them with my sword. The good news is that Shadow Warrior is balanced in a way where you don’t have to use any of these “Powers” if you don’t want to. I was still able to complete the game using only weapon upgrades and some of the passive “Skills” upgrades.

    On a technical/performance level, Shadow Warrior does have some issues. Some combat encounters reduce the frame rate down to single digits. Thankfully it never really screwed me over and I never experienced frame rate drops during boss fights. The loading screens can run a bit long. Graphically, Shadow Warrior isn’t the greatest, but that’s negated by the game’s great art direction. There are some audio issues where the timing of the sound effects didn’t align with the actions on screen, however this was mostly related to cutscenes.

    My biggest gripe with Shadow Warrior is Lo Wang’s hit box detection. It feels like it extends 20 feet around his body. Enemies swipe at me from several feet away and their attacks still hit me. Splash damage from environmental explosions still hurt me even if I was over 15 feet away. Some boss attacks still got me even after I was well out of their range of attack. I found myself saying “That didn’t get me and that got me somehow”. This was probably the most frustrating part of Shadow Warrior, seeing as how I can only imagine how much that’s going to **** you over on harder difficulties.

    Overall, seeing Shadow Warrior get a contemporary reboot was something I was glad to see. Hopefully it gets new generation of gamers on board with the Shadow Warrior franchise. It’s a fun, fast-paced throwback FPS title that’ll have you slaying hordes of demons while tossing out corny puns and one-liners like an 80’s action star.    … Expand
  15. Anatoliy_DeVile
    Mar 12, 2021
    8
    Хороший шутер от первого лица вещь дефицитная, а вот чтоб совсем бомбический это ну совсем редкость. Всех основных толковых мажоров этого жанра мы прекрасно знаем, и составить конкуренцию тем же Far Cry, DOOM, Wolfenstein, Metro или той же Borderlands пока не может никто. Shadow Warrior, собственно говоря, тоже не может, но игру язык не повернется назвать плохой. Реализация в определенныхХороший шутер от первого лица вещь дефицитная, а вот чтоб совсем бомбический это ну совсем редкость. Всех основных толковых мажоров этого жанра мы прекрасно знаем, и составить конкуренцию тем же Far Cry, DOOM, Wolfenstein, Metro или той же Borderlands пока не может никто. Shadow Warrior, собственно говоря, тоже не может, но игру язык не повернется назвать плохой. Реализация в определенных моментах конечно хромает. Это и безобразная стрельба — весь практически огнестрел ощущается отвратно, и лишь арбалет, явил собой светлое пятно в этом удручающем безобразии, но он и не огнестрел как бы. Выжигать глазцами бесов из позаимствованных у крупных их особей голов более менее приемлемо ну и отчасти ново. Дабы уже добить тему арсенала нашего протагониста конечно же отметим катану — главное по сути оружие противодействия недружелюбно настроенным оппонентам, и вот тут уже всё намного лучше. Зашинковывать тварей бесовских ручным холодным режущим очень даже приятственно, а еще катанушка наша может испускать всевозможные силовые волны, негативно сказывающиеся в момент попадания на целостности бесовщинки, и это вот действительно праздник какой-то. Большие боссы, а их тут мы насчитали цельных три, какие-то однотипные и скучноватые, с каждого из них нужно сбивать броню по кусочкам и лупить в образовавшиеся огрехи чем не жалко, и всё это происходит долгооооо и унылооооо. Прочий же бестиарий рядовых противников товарища Ло Вана достаточно насыщенный, хотя каждый раз ловил себя на мысли, что где-то я всё это уже видел. Прокачка персонажа и его способностей, характеристик арсенала в игре не назойливая и хорошо сбалансирована, как мне показалось. Лута в меру (до Борды ооооооооооооочень далеко))))), дефицита в патронах обнаружено не было. Аптечки тоже есть, но они тут скорее нужны чтобы добить шкалу здоровья до максимума, ибо у Ло Вана есть возможность хилиться самостоятельно. Графоний в игре сносный, до красот бетездовскоюбисофтоских далековато конечно, но в общем и целом глазу приятно и это притом, что игра-то 2014 года. История Shadow Warrior не будоражит свежими идеями или умопомрачительной драмой, но крепко захватывает внимание. Союз нашего протагониста Ло Вана и демона Ходжи, их диалоги и взаимодействие я вообще считаю одним из очевидных достоинств игры и надеюсь в последующих частях в этом смысле ничего не поменяется, разве что опять же озвучечку бы отечественную неплохо бы подвезти. Сам игровой процесс это что-то среднее между DOOM, Serious Sam и немного Bioshock, только ко всему этому делу добавляем бодрую шинковку чудо-катаной.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best Xbox One Game of 2014
49
#49 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2014
23
#23 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Dec 3, 2014
    70
    Feels surprisingly fresh. [Xmas 2014, p.85]
  2. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Dec 2, 2014
    70
    You'll probably leave it with fond memories. [Issue#118, p.74]
  3. SpazioGames
    Nov 24, 2014
    75
    Shadow Warrior on Xbox One is neither an example of great graphics, nor a deep shooter. Instead, it is an old-style FPS fun and boisterous, full of explosions and blood but also less trivial than you could expect.
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