Special weapons like the grenade launcher have their uses, but I hardly came across ammo, so I didn’t get to enjoy their explosive nature as much as I’d hoped. Melee weapons are complemented by some good old rifles and pistols that all feel good to use, although I’d stick with your swords early on until you upgrade the clip size and reload time of your guns. Now you could always upgrade weapons with gems that boosts stats like damage and the amount of chi you attain after a kill, but I found out the hard way that useless weapons remain useless no matter how much gems you throw at them. But then there’s the chainsaw that systematically rips through hordes of enemies as you slice limbs off in slow-motion with your screen shaking so wildly you lose any and all orientation. That is, until you found out how utterly useless it is as it fires a barrage of non-existent shrapnel. ![]() At first, you may be excited to try out that bright yellow DeVolt nail gun on an unsuspecting demon. See, Shadow Warrior 2 gives out a bunch of weapons to players after finishing quests, but not all of them are created equal. It’s all set-up for some great battles, but how does the game feel? Well, that depends. But even then, it’s about how fast you employ said strategies and learning how to properly position yourself within the environment to not allow the enemies to trap you in a corner or in the middle of a pack. Shadow Warrior 2 is incredibly fast-paced, and enemies will not let up - nor will the game, as switching weapons does not slow down time! Add to that the multiple enemy types flooding your screen in any given battle, especially important story missions or during boss fights, and you’ll quickly learn to figure out the best strategy for any given situation. Jumping and dropping through a set of floors as you blast enemies away with a force push or lock them into place by summoning spikes from the ground is a difficult skill to master on the fly. The game’s quick pace is compensated for with lots of space to move and high points to get a jump on enemies or set up traps with your abilities. You’ll be doing a lot of jumping and dashing, and the levels are designed with that in mind. Thankfully, this is Shadow Warrior 2‘s biggest failure, because the map design and enemy types, which combine with the mission design to make for a level, are engaging and force the player to switch up their strategies on a whim. While fighting the plethora of enemy types never gets old, being asked to do the same kind of mission over and over again does. Most missions, whether main story or side quests, have you clearing out a litter of enemies - sometimes on different floors which breaks the map and gets a bit annoying - and travelling back to the quest giver to receive your dose of XP, weapons, and skill points. Where Shadow Warrior 2 stumbles in not in the breadth of things to do, but in what is asked. The game is a gorgeous sight to take in, and the level of production value far supersedes its competition. Characters move realistically, especially when fighting towering mechs that maneuver with meaning, and the detail on them is of a high quality. The game’s hub world, Wang Cave, and some of the grayer areas of the game don’t look all that great, but the mystical and serene sections of Shadow Warrior 2‘s world will make you forget you’re there to kill any sentient being that moves.Īnimations are also impressive as you slash your way through a horde of enemies or cleanly chainsaw each limb off your adversaries, which is especially important considering how quickly power abilities recharge and the sheer number of explosives riddled around the world. Purple mist descending over a mysterious village with a mile high ancient structure looming in the background or billions of lights illuminating a cyberpunk city are just some of the many breathtaking environments I went through, all the while chopping enemies to bits and bouncing around the map. There is no understating just how consistently good Shadow Warrior 2 looks. This high production values carries over to the immaculate settings and lighting system present in the game. There’s only a bit of character development from Wang’s many allies that he takes quests from, but I was impressed by the sheer amount of cut-scenes that followed main missions and side quests. The player travels to some incredibly weird locales as our ninja warrior battles demons, mechs, and robotic assassins that kind of look like Zer0 from Borderlands. Lo Wang returns from the original and quickly gets caught up with the Yakuza’s and all manner of supernatural beings, but the cocky action hero holds his own. A tale of drugs and mystical warlords unfortunately wasn’t the tonic that kept me engaged throughout the game’s lengthy run time.
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