With the inclusion of all the post-launch PC content, console owners also have an additional 14 “bounties” effectively simple fetch or hunt quests in a free roam setting. Throw in side quests that deliberately take you back to unique areas and you’ll get tired of seeing the same damn Zille Labs experiment rooms or Calamity City temple. While the primary quests tend to feature unique or partially unique locations, the semi-randomised zones start looking incredibly similar. Unfortunately, Shadow Warrior 2 suffers many of the inherent problems that come with the move to semi-randomised maps and hub-based mission structure. One of the first locations you visit is the futuristic, neon-soaked Zille City that really shows off the improved visuals and incredible atmosphere. The frequent dialogue with and humorous banter between Lo Wang and his latest soul-bound companion Kamiko – both of whom want to part ways as soon as possible – will keep you entertained and on top of the plot.
Unlike the linear original, you use a simple map to teleport between missions and return to the slowly expanding hub town, complete with Wang Cave, to claim rewards and receive new quests. The opening hours of the game are strong, with a good balance between narrative and gameplay, and you’ll enjoy exploring regions for the first time, discovering notes that reveal the backstory of some of the major NPCs in the world. Key characters from the original game return, you’ll spend time cohabiting yet another soul, you’ll spend a lot of time working with (or being betrayed) by the godlike ancients, and you will still make endless dick jokes throughout the adventure. The sequel picks up five years after “Cataclysm” witnessed in the first game, when demons flooded into the world, and expands on some of the established lore.
While the scope is far smaller and many aspects might feel a little underdeveloped to fans of the genre, the melee combat and gunplay is far more satisfying in moment-to-moment and player skill still feels as important as gear with higher DPS numbers. Shadow Warrior 2 is a peculiar sequel that manages to retain the enjoyable fast-paced, limb-shredding combat of the original and blend it with components of a looter-shooter like the Borderlands series.
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