Back in 2003, fans of first-person action games were delighted with Shadow Warrior. An old-school, fast paced action game, Shadow Warrior was a remake of the 1996 classic of the same name.
A sequel followed in 2016, but left some disappointed due to its weaker story, unnecessary RPG elements and the fact its levels were randomly generated and not as much fun to fight in as those of the original.
But now Polish developer Flying Wild Hog is looking to improve on Shadow Warrior 2 with the upcoming Shadow Warrior 3, another fast-paced and colorful first-person action game which features series’ protagonist and larger than life hero Lo Wang.
Shadow Warrior 3 was announced last year, and more recently we saw a gameplay video showcasing one of the game’s environments, “Motoko’s Thunderdome”. This is home to an oversized lady named (yes, you guessed it), Motoko, who can use thunder and lighting as a weapon and who helps Lo Wang in his quest to save the world.
Also, and judging by what we’ve seen so far of the game, it’s clear that Shadow Warrior 3 won’t be lacking loads of blood-thirsty enemies to fight, actually you’ll be going up against “the demonic yokai from Japanese folklore” according to the game’s Steam description.
However, some Shadow Warrior fans and newcomers looking to get hold of this Shadow Warrior game might have been frustrated by the fact that the game’s publisher Devolver Digital is yet to reveal a release date for Shadow Warrior 3.
Last month Devolver Digital said that they had “been quiet on the @ShadowWarrior 3 release date front but that should change soon!” in a tweet (via GamingBolt).
It also used the opportunity to showcase Shadow Warrior 3’s Hattori enemies which are armed with huge swords and have a spinning attack, and which according to Devolver are “pleasure to fight”.
More recently, the American video game publisher also tweeted about Shadow Warrior 3’s release date, writing that they’re working with the developer to get the game out soon.
We’ve been silent on @ShadowWarrior 3’s release date and we’re working with our friends at Flying Wild Hog to get it out there soon!
Hang tight, the game is phenomenal and we want our developer friends to have all the time they need to make it happen. pic.twitter.com/jGF3szFd4j
— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) October 1, 2021
However, Devolver Digital also mentioned that they “want our developer friends to have all the time they need”, meaning that the game might be further away from completion than fans may hope, and might not even see a release in 2021.
Actually, Devolver Digital and Flying Wild Hog had told those looking forward to the game to expect an announcement revealing Shadow Warrior 3’s release date this August, but this did not happen. And taking into account Devolver’s comment about giving Polish studio Flying Wild Hog time in its latest tweet, coupled with the challenges of developing an ambitious AAA game like this one during a pandemic, and there’s a probability we won’t get to play Shadow Warrior 3 at all this year.
This is a pity taking into account Shadow Warrior 3 looks likely to be another colorful, gory and exciting first-person action game set in the Far East.
One of the new features in the game is a grappling hook which Lo Wang can use to transverse the game’s arenas quickly, bringing the fight to the game’s menagerie of vicious enemies, intent on tearing him to pieces.
He’ll be able to make use of his trusty katana and an assortment of big guns in order to put them down, and also deal with an ancient dragon which could bring about the end of the world.
This time, though, he’ll have none other than his former employer Orochi Zilla as a sidekick, who’ll presumably help him kick demon butt as well as have plenty of amusing conversations with Asian hero Lo Wang throughout the game as seen in the video below.
Here’s hoping, then, that Polish dev Flying Wild Hog is able to make a 2021 release date. After all, 2013’s Shadow Warrior got a fall release in both 2013 (on PC) and 2014 (when the console versions came out).
So is the case with the sequel, which launched in October 2016, so maybe this won’t get delayed out of 2021 after all. So it would be great if the game hit shelves this year, and Shadow Warrior 3 ends up being one of the best first-person action games of 2021 (if it lives up to the hype, that is…).