Shadow Warrior 2

Moby ID: 81110
Windows Specs
Buy on Windows
$29.99 new on Steam

Description

Shadow Warrior 2 is the sequel to the 2013 game Shadow Warrior, which is a reboot of the 1997 title Shadow Warrior. Consistent across all games in the series Lo Wang is the protagonist, once a corporate shogun and now a mercenary available for hire. As usual he constantly comments on the encounters, dropping oneliners and lending the game a humorous tone combined with over-the-top violence. The core 1st-person gameplay is similar to the previous game, offering both close combat melee combat, as with the katana in the previous game, combined with ranged gunplay. The biggest differences are in the amount of weapons and customization options, the open level design and the introduction of online multiplayer for up to four players working cooperatively.

The game's campaign is set five years after the events of the previous game. Lo Wang now lives in the wildlands as a hired sword. Demons, and humans under the command of nemesis Orochi Zilla now live side by side and both are out for his blood. During a mission for the Yakuza something goes wrong. In the previous game the demon Hoji was Lo Wang's companion and this time he ends up with the girl Kamiko, working for Zilla, in his head. Early on her body becomes corrupted and Master Smith transfers Kamiko's soul to Lo Wang's body. She often appears during missions as they banter. Enemies consist of Zilla's minions combined with the demons from the shadow realm.

There is once again a linear campaign but with a different approach. There are now hub areas (include a Wang Cave) with shops and characters where primary or optional missions can be started combined with fast travel to start right away. Levels are now larger, more open areas that can often be explored in many directions. There is more focus on verticality as Lo Wang always has access to a double jump combined with infinite sprint, climbing, no fall damage and a quick dash in four directions. Levels are also always randomized for each session, with variations for terrain, buildings, props, items, weather, enemy types, enemy placement and so on. There are different combinations, but not based on procedural generation. The main quests and environment types such as sci-fi neon buildings, temples or countryside landscapes as settings follow the story and are not randomized.

The randomization element for loot also provides the game's new RPG elements, which introduce a large amount of customization to the game. There are now over 70 weapons such as katanas, short swords, claws, crescent blades, bows, chainsaws, grenade and rocket launchers, pistols, assault rifles, mines, shotguns and so on with primary and secondary attacks. Only eight can be carried at all times, but redundant ones can be sold. Melee weapon have different types of attack and can be timed to parry about any incoming attack. It is possible to cut off specific limbs, preventing the use of a weapon. Weapons are often found in the environment and they each have different statistics that can be compared directly. On top of that there is a large amount of options to customize weapons or apply magic to them, making the gameplay more similar to the Borderlands series for instance. Levels also have shrines to refill health, ammo and Chi (magic) combined with checkpoints. Damage numbers are visible on enemies along with health bars. Often there are powerful bosses to defeat as well.

Chi acts as mana for the magic systems and allows for actions such as Chi-Blast, Grip of Darkness, Healing Flame, Shadow Fury, Teleport and Vanish. These are often used in combat to deal with multiple enemies at once. Loot consists of weapons, money and gems. Gems are used to improve armour, powers and weapons. Each weapon has three slots for customization found during levels. These include a larger clip size, reload time, accuracy or more damage, but also attacks based on electricity, fire, ice, poison, targeting certain enemy resistance. Weapons and mods can be changed on the fly. Enemy weaknesses and resistances are shown during fights, encouraging the player to adapt and customize the weapons. Later in the game the unused ones can be converted to craft new mods. Experience (karma) provides skill points that can be spent on cards for four categories (Life, Powers, Resource and Warrior), which influence the play style. Each card can be upgraded multiple times and new ones are found often. There is also room for amulet slots, armour slots, multiplayer slots and power slots. Many upgrades are provided by completing missions.

The campaign can be played cooperatively with up to four players online, using drop in drop out with scaling difficulty and no friendly fire. This campaign is otherwise identical to the one played alone. Cut-scenes often further the story between missions.

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Videos

See any errors or missing info for this game?

You can submit a correction, contribute trivia, add to a game group, add a related site or alternate title.

Credits (Windows version)

257 People (215 developers, 42 thanks) · View all

Game Director
Art Director
Environment Art Director
Lead Designer
Lead Level Designer
Lead Engine Programmer
Lead AI Programmer
Lead Animators
Audio Director
Lead Writer
Senior AI Programmer
AI Programmers
Animation & Physics Programmer
Audio Programmer
Engine & Renderer Programmers
Additional Engine Programmer
Gameplay Programmers
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 81% (based on 29 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.3 out of 5 (based on 12 ratings with 1 reviews)

This wang is smaller than I thought

The Good
Even though I'm as 18 as they come, it's no excuse to play the classic FPS games of the 90s. Duke Nukem 3D was one fun romp, full of violence, babes, a lack of decency and lots of interactivity beyond most games at the time. It's no surprise that Shadow Warrior would attempt to hold the torch Duke lit, and is virtually identical in some cases - vulgar, sexy, violent and really fun, yet not as fun as Duke 3D. Imagine my surprise when Shadow Warrior was getting a reboot in 2013 to be developed by Flying Wild Hog. The reboot was great, not as amazing but it was just as funny and violent, yet not as extreme than the previous game. Coming out beating Shadow Warrior, I was a little pumped for the sequel, though not as much as the first entry. I got it last week and I beat it. What do I think? Well...let's go in and see.

Lo Wang returns in his glory as a hired gun for the yakuza during an uncomfortable time where demons and humans live side by side. When a scientist loses her body and becomes implanted in his psyche; Lo must traverse lengths to figure out how to get her back in her original skin while a drug known as Shade dominates the sidelines. It's not as strong as the first, but it is a little engaging. The gameplay is just as identical as the first, but very different. You still get to slice, dice and shoot monsters and humans, but the game plays more like of a RPG looter shooter. Enemies (including bosses) will drop upgrades and weapons to use, ranging from damage boosts to elemental power ups for acid, fire, ice and electricity. There's dozens of weapons - ranging from newer ones like assault rifles, bows, pistols, miniguns, grenade launchers, chainsaws and dual blades. Some of the weapons are borderline useless, others aren't. Give them the right upgrades and you could be dishing out serious damage.

Graphics wise, the game is a lot more detailed. While my rig had to run it on the lowest settings to meet 60 FPS, the game's environments are quite an eyesore, and have a lot of neat details. They're also procedurally generated, which adds a little more depth to the worlds you explore. Gore has also improved, with volumetric slicing. You cut and slice where you cut and slice, and it's fun as hell to see enemies' torsos fly off or being sliced in half with a chainsaw. It's also really funny when your dual Uzis rip an enemy to little chunks, or seeing a shotgun split another in half. As for the audio, it's pretty good - Lo is just as snippy and wisecrackey, guns and slicing are meaty and the music is rather well done. The new co-op mechanic plays exactly like Borderlands, yet more simplified.

Of course, it feels like in 2016, something has to bog down these games' quality.

The Bad
The RPG and looter shooter elements are thrown in hastily. While the upgrades are beneficial, the looter shooter elements just happen to be squeezed in at the last minute. It gets monotonous trying to scavenge upgrades off of enemies, and they often drop the same upgrade. You can craft these together to make better upgrades, but they cost money in doing so. You can't sell your weapons either unless if you get the same weapon. Wang also isn't as funny as he was, and some of the jokes and quips can become very tired or overused. The fortune cookies are guilty of this (Harambe jokes? Really?).

The biggest flaw? This game is short. Very short. I managed to beat it in roughly a day and a half on normal difficulty. There isn't a whole lot of sidequests either, and just happen to add to the novelty of the game's new free roaming worlds. You can beat this game in approximately 8-9 hours, 13 if you're focusing on the story and extras. This is in great contrast compared to the 12 hour long story in the previous game, and the 36 approximate hours for the story and extras. It should be noticed that the procedural environments - they always look the same. Always, always, always. Not a whole lot changes save for the enemy placement, and even the enemies are just as bullet spongey as the previous game.

The game also has something I like to call "upgraderitis" - a little thing exclusive to games like Shadow Warrior 2 and Payday 2, where you can't help but try to weapon upgrades because you have skins for them or wanna mirror a playstyle similar of that to classic FPS games. Or maybe it's just me, I dunno.

The Bottom Line
Shadow Warrior 2 isn't a bad game, as it has a great soundtrack and some fun slicing and dicing action. What keeps it down is it's overall length and it's poor looter shooter and RPG mechanics.

I'd kinda recommend it, not at full price however. 40-50 isn't good for the length of this game. I'd get it when it's 20 bucks or so.

Windows · by Tony Denis (494) · 2016

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Shadow Warrior
Released 2013 on Windows, Linux, 2015 on Macintosh...
Shadow Warrior
Released 1997 on DOS, Macintosh, Windows...
Shadow Warrior 2 (Deluxe)
Released 2016 on Windows
Shadow Warrior Complete
Released 2012 on Windows, 2012 on Macintosh, 2017 on Linux
Ninja Shadow Warrior
Released 2010 on Arcade
Shadow Warrior 3
Released 2022 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One...
Shadow Warrior 2 (Collector's Edition)
Released 2017 on Windows
Shadow Warrior 2 (Edycja Premium)
Released 2016 on Windows
Shadow Warrior 2: Deluxe Upgrade
Released 2016 on Windows

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 81110
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Sciere.

PlayStation 4 added by mars_rulez. Windows Apps, Xbox One added by Kennyannydenny.

Game added October 19, 2016. Last modified December 2, 2023.