Is Shadow Warrior 3, Worth Playing?
Shadow Warrior 3 is an M-Rated title, and this review may contain screenshots that some readers may find offensive/disturbing.

Shadow Warrior 3 is tedious, vulgar, unimaginative, and frankly, the franchise needs to grow up and start releasing titles with more to offer than fart jokes, innuendo, and offensive racial stereotypes, or disappear entirely.

The Lowdown.

Product Details
Genre: Shooter
Developer: Flying Wild Hog
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Price: $49.99
Release Date: 1 March 2022
Supported Modes:
Disclosure: Review Copy This game was purchased with our own funds for review purposes, however this has no baring on our opinions.

Repetitive.

If you can look past the terrible dialogue, short run time, and lacklustre character development, Shadow Warrior 3 has little left to offer; however, one of the few remaining bright points would be its combat system; unfortunately, the developers do not know the meaning of “too much of a good thing”, and as a result player will be completing rudimentary platforming sections, interspaced with almost identical wave-based combat rounds for much of the game.

While each enemy is unique and provides a decent challenge, after encountering and defeating an enemy for the 100th time in quick succession, combat starts to begin to feel more tiresome than anything else and serves as little more than filler between the awful cutscenes and boss battles which are very good (by Shadow Warrior 3 standards).

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Image credit Shadow Warrior 3 - Published by Devolver Digital and developed by Flying Wild Hog.

Toxic Community.

While not everyone who plays Shadow Warrior 3 is a horrible person, the community is mostly comprised of immature frat boys, incels and closeted neo nazis who deem even the smallest changes made for the sake of diversity (such as casting an Asian voice actor to voice Lo Wang) as being “woke”.

Despite the Steam forum for Shadow Warrior 3 being essentially dead with only 252 topics (most of which have less than ten comments), the word “woke” is mentioned 55+ times, alongside 25 disparaging references to SJW and eight hate-filled references to feminism, including referring to women who call for equal representation in video games and less objectifying outfits for female characters as “seething obese radical feminists who are offended over fictional characters that look better than them and not (the) majority of gamers who enjoy sexy, attractive characters.” 

Please understand the majority of the Shadow Warrior 3 community is so repulsive they genuinely believe that  Shadow Warrior 3, one of the most immature and insensitive games released in the last decade, is woke and panders to SJWs.

That is like saying a slaughterhouse was “pandering to vegans” by packaging their 72-ounce steak with parsley butter sauce.

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Image credit Shadow Warrior 3 - Published by Devolver Digital and developed by Flying Wild Hog.

Renowned Publisher.

Developer Digital have always experimented with new and unique takes on established genres, which can sometimes result in titles deemed “edgy”; however, releasing Shadow Warrior 3 in 2022 is a huge misstep.

There is no place for a game like Shadow Warrior 3 in 2022, and I would hope the poor critical reception, overall low user review scores and dismal player numbers will discourage them from continuing the Shadow Warrior franchise anytime soon.

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Image credit Shadow Warrior 3 - Published by Devolver Digital and developed by Flying Wild Hog.

Mature Content.

Shadow Warrior 3 is one of the filthiest and most immature games I have ever played, with hundreds of references to genitals, bodily functions, and “adult relations”.

In addition, Shadow Warrior 3 is one of the goriest games I have ever played, with even mundane enemies exploding in a shower of blood and gore; overall not a game for children or anyone else with an ounce of maturity.

Filth and Gore aside, as a PEGI 18 game Shadow Warrior 3 has plenty of harsh profanity, including over 50 uses of the “F word”, an almost impressive feat when you consider that Shadow Warrior 3 is one of the shortest single-player games in recent memory, with an average completion time of just 4.5 hours.

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Image credit Shadow Warrior 3 - Published by Devolver Digital and developed by Flying Wild Hog.

Shadow Warrior 3 FAQ

Shadow Warrior 3 is a shooter video game developed by Flying Wild Hog and published by Devolver Digital, it was released on 1 March 2022 and retails for $49.99.

Platform Availability.

Shadow Warrior 3 is available on the following platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

How Long Does Shadow Warrior 3 Take to Complete?

On average Shadow Warrior 3 takes between 5 and 9 hours to complete.

  • Main Story: 5 Hours.
  • Main + Side Quests: 6 Hours.
  • Completionist: 9 Hours.

Estimated completion times are derived from various sources and may vary based on the skill level of each player.

What Peripherals Are Supported?

The following peripherals are officially supported:

  • Console - Controller.
  • PC - Controller.
  • PC - Mouse and Keyboard.

Is There Any Mature Content?

Shadow Warrior 3 is rated PEGI 18+ and contains:

  • Bad Language
  • Discrimination
  • Drug Use
  • Gore
  • Mature Themes
  • Partial Nudity
  • Sexual Content
  • Violence

Final Verdict.

Shadow Warrior 3 feels like a game made by frat boys, for frat boys, and I hope the developer and publisher learn from his cataclysmic misstep and start releasing games that appeal to a demographic other than 12-year-old boys, incels, and closeted neo nazis.


Richard Robins

Richard Robins

As a follower of Jesus Christ, Richard believes that the message taught by Jesus is radically different from what is taught in churches today, and that the influence of his message can be felt across all creative mediums, including video games.

Richard has been passionate about gaming since 1992, when he received his first console, a Sega Master System II which included a built in copy of Sonic the Hedgehog.

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