Shadow Warrior is from the very same stable as the other great 90’s shooters – Duke Nukem 3D and Blood, and much like those two others, it is an absolute great of the genre that I will wholeheartedly recommend.
The protagonist of SW is the martial arts master Lo Wang, a unique shooter character with a great deal of personality and quippy charm in the usual 3D Realms manner. He – and thereby, you – must travel through a roster of levels set in a fabulous Asian-fusion “contemporary Japan meets feudal China” sort of locale.
You have access to samurai swords, throwing stars, duel-wielded Uzis, stickybombs, and more and you fight your way through the demon-ninja hordes of the sinister Zilla Corporation.
The best part is, in a retro throwback to the days of shareware, this release of the original Shadow Warrior is completely free of charge. Steam does also boast a re-release and remastered ‘Shadow Warrior Classic Redux’, should you want to continue the adventures (and expansion pack) of Lo Wang in high-definition, but, if you just want to try out a great Build Engine game for yourself, right now, for free, get this one.
