Each of the new Shadow Warrior trilogy have been very different. Shadow Warrior 2013 was a fairly standard FPS elevated to excellence by the superb melee combat, impactful upgrade system, and a plot that whilst simple was excellently executed. Shadow Warrior 2 on the other hand was a looter shooter along the lines of Borderlands, and now Shadow Warrior 3 clearly takes its inspiration from Doom Eternals. There is plenty to like here - the standard weapons are distinct with a great sound and feel, the high mobility combat is entertaining and well supported by the combat arenas, the limited use weapon drops from using finishing moves on opponents are generally fun to use, and I personally think the zany, upbeat atmosphere and vivid colour palette fits very well with this style of FPS. The problem is that there just isn't enough game here. Even if we ignore how short the main story is I am not sure there is enough variation to keep the game interesting past the 10 hour mark. Power and health upgrades are very basic. There are only six standard ranged weapons, each with a single upgrade path and no alternate fire mode. The katana takes up what used to be secondary fire, and whilst it has some added complexity you likely won't use it much as melee combat is more dangerous and ranged weapons cause enemies to drop health, which is the more important resource. If you were also hoping this would nicely tie up the trilogy's story then you will be disappointed there as well, with the returning characters bearing minimal relation to the previous games and a shallow plot that offers little in the way of resolution, both for this game and for the series as a whole.
