14 DAY TRIAL // 
The original Shadow Warrior title impressed lots of first-person shooter fans, as original developer 3D Realms combined the knowledge from its Duke Nukem 3D title with a special sword slashing system that left its mark on gaming back then.
Now, the classic game has received a reboot, courtesy of Polish developer Flying Wild Hog, which previously made old-school shooter Hard Reset.
With the promise of brilliant graphics, the same tongue-in-cheek dialog, not to mention gory gameplay, the new Shadow Warrior appears to be a successful reboot of the classic experience.
Does the game deliver on these promises or should Lo Wang retire from his quest? Let's find out.
The new Shadow Warrior title reboots the plot of the original, even if most of the main characters remain the same, starting with protagonist Lo Wang, who's a sort of bodyguard to a wealthy businessman called Zilla.
While trying to buy a sword from a mysterious source on behalf of his boss, Lo Wang witnesses an apocalypse of sorts, as the whole world is invaded by demons. As such, he needs to partner with an exiled demon called Hoji and search for a powerful katana that can set things right. Besides this rather cheesy plot, another story concerning the demons also unfolds and that one is a bit more sensible, especially since it's not constantly being displayed to players.
While you won't be getting Shadow Warrior for its story, Lo Wang more than makes up for everything thanks to clever dialog with himself and with Hoji, as well as through lots of remarks concerning his foes, and, as always, many puns and jokes concerning the word "wang."
In terms of gameplay, Shadow Warrior is an updated love letter to the original game, managing to combine gunplay with swordplay, allowing Lo Wang to dispose of his enemies in many different ways.
While the gunplay isn't that impressive, as the guns don't really pack that big of a punch, besides the revolver or crossbow, the swordplay, in which Lo Wang uses a deadly katana, is much better. While the slashing mechanics aren't up to par with, for example, those from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, they're quite sufficient.
What's more, besides simply cutting his enemies to bits, Lo Wang can also employ different special moves using his sword, and ki attacks using his ki energy. The sword attacks can be charged up for a devastating effect but, considering the game is more than eager to throw lots of enemies at you, you won't have a lot of time to deploy these moves.
Lo Wang's weapons and powers can all be upgraded, using money for the guns and katana, Ki crystals for the attacks, and Karma for the special moves. The actual upgrade system is quite impressive and its visual style is stunning, as the Ki attacks are represented by tattoos on Lo Wang's body, while the special moves consist of beautiful Japanese artwork.
Enemies aren't that varied, unfortunately, as you'll be fighting the same regular demons quite often, even if some can become enraged and deal more damage. As you progress, other mythical beings start appearing, like Trolls or Necromancers, and you'll even fight a few humans from time to time. The boss enemies are much more impressive, however, but require a lot of work to take down.
Those who played Hard Reset will find a lot of similarities, as it's the same retro movement system as well as the emphasis on variety in executions and attacks, which get rewarded with a ninja star rating at the end of each encounter and affect the amount of Karma points you get.
In terms of visuals, Shadow Warrior is downright gorgeous, as Flying Wild Hog has made significant upgrades to its Road Hog engine, improving it in a variety of ways. The slashing mechanics are very impressive, while the gore and blood contribute to the violent tone of the whole game.
Sound-wise, the title is quite good, although its soundtrack becomes a bit repetitive from time to time. Fortunately, the voice acting makes up for it, particularly Lo Wang and Hoji, who have some great dialogs.
Conclusion
Shadow Warrior is an impressive game that manages to combine great swordplay with tongue-in-cheek dialog and gorgeous graphics. It's a successful reboot of the original title and, while using guns is a bit lackluster, Lo Wang's adventures will certainly delight retro gaming fans.
