Shadow Warrior is a first-person shooter computer game, developed by 3D Realms and released in 1997 by GT Interactive Software. Very similar to Duke Nukem — 3D Realms star game —, as a matter of fact, sometimes appears to be almost a copy of it, Shadow Warrior manages to be an incredible adventure, where the player must refine his skills in order to subdue his enemies, and be eligible to conclude all challenges and win the game.
In Shadow Warrior, the main character is Lo Wang, a former employee of Zilla Enterprises, a Zaibatsu, which is an enormous conglomerate that controls entire sectors of Japan's economy. The president of the company, however, is planning to take over the world by using supernatural creatures. Upon learning of this plan, Lo Wang decides to take action against his former employer. Master Zilla, when learning about Lo Wang's plans to subdue him, sends his evil creatures to fight against him.
In Shadow Warrior, the main character is Lo Wang, a former employee of Zilla Enterprises, a Zaibatsu, which is an enormous conglomerate that controls entire sectors of Japan's economy. The president of the company, however, is planning to take over the world by using supernatural creatures. Upon learning of this plan, Lo Wang decides to take action against his former employer. Master Zilla, when learning about Lo Wang's plans to subdue him, sends his evil creatures to fight against him.
Shadow Warrior is a very interesting and dynamic game. Not considering the similarities with Duke Nukem — particularly in the gameplay, the graphic designs and the dark humour —, the game has managed to develop its own identity, and displays a series of personal features, that consecrates to its atmosphere some very distinct and unusual peculiarities. The game also presents from time to time naked girls in anime style, in very eccentric circumstances, and a set of gracefully designed scenarios, that realistically embrace its Japanese setting.
Exactly like Heretic and Hexen: Beyond Heretic were games developed by Raven Software using the "Doom" engine — an informal name for the game platform known as id Tech 1 —, Shadow Warrior was developed by 3D Realms using the "Build" engine, which is the same used for Duke Nukem. For these reason, games built in the same platform will inadvertently share similar features and technical resemblances. The main difference will be on the exterior graphic designs.
Despite its high levels of violence and aggressiveness — Shadow Warrior certainly is one of the most violent computer games ever designed —, its easy to become deeply involved in the plot's dense, intricate and pervasive atmosphere. The gameplay is marvelously dynamic, the scenarios are diversified and spectacularly conceived, the premise of the challenges are coherent and portrayed with diligence, and the cohesiveness of the main character and all the enemies he has to fight are competently established and organically developed. The weapons available to be used are also quite varied. Like a ninja, you can use a ninjatō to slice your enemies in half, or shoot them with a pair of submachine guns. You can also use the head of a fire-breathing wizard to kill your enemies. Another interesting feature of the game was the fact that has some vehicles that the player can drive, some of them with usable weapons.
Exactly like Heretic and Hexen: Beyond Heretic were games developed by Raven Software using the "Doom" engine — an informal name for the game platform known as id Tech 1 —, Shadow Warrior was developed by 3D Realms using the "Build" engine, which is the same used for Duke Nukem. For these reason, games built in the same platform will inadvertently share similar features and technical resemblances. The main difference will be on the exterior graphic designs.
Despite its high levels of violence and aggressiveness — Shadow Warrior certainly is one of the most violent computer games ever designed —, its easy to become deeply involved in the plot's dense, intricate and pervasive atmosphere. The gameplay is marvelously dynamic, the scenarios are diversified and spectacularly conceived, the premise of the challenges are coherent and portrayed with diligence, and the cohesiveness of the main character and all the enemies he has to fight are competently established and organically developed. The weapons available to be used are also quite varied. Like a ninja, you can use a ninjatō to slice your enemies in half, or shoot them with a pair of submachine guns. You can also use the head of a fire-breathing wizard to kill your enemies. Another interesting feature of the game was the fact that has some vehicles that the player can drive, some of them with usable weapons.
If we ignore the fact that some elements of Shadow Warrior are definitely generic and quite ordinary, its gameplay still stands out as superior from other first-person shooter adventures. The graphic design successfully conceive a very peculiar identity to the game, and the level of entertainment displayed certainly can be considered above the average. The gameplay is straightforwardly easy and dynamic, and the coherence between the levels and the organic difficulties gradually imposed to the player as he advances showcase a professional degree of objective lucidity and creative diligence from the designers, that engraves on the identity of the adventure the exceptional urgencies of its somber proposal.
Definitely, Shadow Warrior manages to be a formidable, great game, that allows first-person shooter enthusiasts to have a relevant degree of fun. While the game is far from perfect — and lacks a certain level of creative independence —, Shadow Warrior will always be a peculiar milestone in the history of computer games. More recently, Polish interactive design company Flying Wild Hog developed a reboot of Shadow Warrior, that was released in 2013 by Devolver Digital for several different video games. In 2016, they've released a sequel, Shadow Warrior 2.
Wagner
Definitely, Shadow Warrior manages to be a formidable, great game, that allows first-person shooter enthusiasts to have a relevant degree of fun. While the game is far from perfect — and lacks a certain level of creative independence —, Shadow Warrior will always be a peculiar milestone in the history of computer games. More recently, Polish interactive design company Flying Wild Hog developed a reboot of Shadow Warrior, that was released in 2013 by Devolver Digital for several different video games. In 2016, they've released a sequel, Shadow Warrior 2.
Wagner
