Line #25 VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997


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4	[[quoteright:319:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shadow_warrior_1997.png]]
5	[[caption-width-right:319:[[BringIt Who wants]] [[DoubleEntendre some Wang?]]]]
6
7	->''"Ha ha! You no mess with Lo Wang!"''
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9	A FirstPersonShooter based on the famous [[MediaNotes/GameEngine Build engine]] of ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'' fame, ''Shadow Warrior'' had the misfortune of being released in 1997, when the sprite-based shooters were already showing their age (compare ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', which was based on the same engine and released the same year, but is better remembered). Among the first shooters to contain now-common features such as controllable vehicles, [[SecondaryFire alternate weapon firing modes]], bosses with more going for them than [[DamageSpongeBoss lots of HP]], and lower enemy variety with slower pace. The game, like most of the other Build engine games like it (particularly ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage''), is characterized by its [[VulgarHumor crude humor]] and by gratuitous application of the RuleOfCool.
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11	The player controls Lo Wang, the eponymous Shadow Warrior, a former employee/bodyguard of [[MegaCorp Zilla Enterprises]]... until he found out that Master Zilla was summoning monsters from the netherworld and plotting to TakeOverTheWorld. Being a man of honor, Lo Wang quit the corp, but Zilla decided that if Wang will not be on his side, then he has to die. Now, of course, Lo Wang sets out to reach Zilla and thoroughly kick his gluteus maximus - partly to save the world, but primarily out of revenge for the death of his former teacher, Master Leep.
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13	Two expansions were released, both for free: ''Twin Dragon'' in 1998, and ''Wanton Destruction'' in 2005 (when the former CEO of the company that developed it randomly stumbled across it on a CD full of add-ons the company had created). In the former, Lo Wang battles his EvilTwin brother, Hung Lo; in the latter, he faces Master Zilla for the last time. A third expansion titled ''Deadly Kiss'', starring Wang's sister Tensi Yoka, was announced in early 1998 but never materialized.
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15	The original can be bought [[https://www.gog.com/game/shadow_warrior_complete with both expansions]] on Website/GogDotCom. [[VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2013 A reboot]] was released in 2013 by Flying Wild Hog, the same developer as ''VideoGame/HardReset'', and introduces a robust skill upgrade system, the ability to use KiManipulation and rendering the humor slightly [[ValuesDissonance less racist]] (but still immature as expected). To prepare people for this remake, they released the original game on Platform/{{Steam}} [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/238070/Shadow_Warrior_Classic_1997/ as a free-to-play title]]. In addition, a slightly UpdatedRerelease with Steam Achievements and [=OpenGL=]-compatible versions of the game and its expansions [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/225160/Shadow_Warrior_Classic_Redux/ is available for purchase on Steam.]]
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17	Not to be confused with the former [[MarketBasedTitle European title]] of ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden''.
18
19	----
20	!!Provides examples of:
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22	* ActionBomb: The Coolies, zombified Chinese villagers who will charge you with a crate of explosives. Even when killed, they will raise as a ghost shortly after.
23	* AffectionateParody: As ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'' was to cheesy action movies and ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'' was to horror films, The game is one for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Warrior#Reception "bad kung-fu movies"]].
24	* {{Animesque}}: Almost any of the female [=NPCs=] you encounter, in contrast to the action movie style of the rest of the game. Though the dominatrix ninjas and the old woman in Hara-Kiri Harbor are still rendered in the same style as the rest of the game.
25	* AwesomeButImpractical: A lot of weapons can fit under this category.
26	** The Nuke. The blast radius on it is so huge, you can easily kill yourself with it. The trick is to duck behind cover before the nuke makes contact. Even after you master that trick, there aren't really a lot of places or enemies outside of bosses that warrant a nuke to the face. When equipped (by pushing the missile launcher button 3 times) there is a count down of 3 seconds (4 if you count the word "warning") before you can fire it, meaning if you plan to use it you should equip it and wait until it's ready before engaging the target.
27	** The Grenade Launcher, simply for having an absurd blast radius. It's not a good weapon for direct assaults, but it's perfect for shooting around corners.
28	** The Railgun. It doesn't deal as much damage as you'd expect it to, and it seems to constantly miss the enemy, even with auto-aim on (hint: aim slightly to the right). Without auto-aim, there's still the split-second delay between pulling the trigger and the shot you have to contend with.
29	** The Guardian Head. Fantastic weapon to use, only hampered by its insanely low ammo count, and the rate at which it consumes it.
30	* BeatStillMyHeart:
31	** One of the weapons is a still-beating, blood-spouting heart. It summons a clone of you if used.
32	** The Rippers, the monster the above weapon is taken from, will [[AndShowItToYou rip out]] ''your'' heart if they manage to kill you.
33	* BondOneLiner: Lo Wang has a 10th Dan Black Belt in the discipline.
34	-->'''Lo Wang''': "You move like a pregnant yak!"
35	* BoringButPractical:
36	** The Riot Gun. It has a large ammunition capacity, the ammunition for it is relatively common and fills up just over half of its ''maximum'' ammunition capacity each time they are picked up, it deals a consistent and considerable amount of damage per shot with its first fire mode, and its second fire mode is a perfect surrogate for an automatic rapid-fire shotgun, but it's ultimately an incredibly boring weapon to use.
37	** The Uzis. Great for mook crowd control, but not as fun or destructive as any other weapon.
38	* {{Caltrops}}: Appear as an inventory item (and as a trap in one level). Can be thrown on the ground where they hurt anyone who steps on them.
39	--> '''Lo Wang''': Who put these here? Ow!
40	* CantBatheWithoutAWeapon: Follow the {{singing\|InTheShower}} to find a woman taking a WaterfallShower and covering herself [[HandOrObjectUnderwear with her hands]]. But watch out, [[HammerSpace she only looks unarmed]]. If Wang stands too close his pickup lines will lead her to whip out an [[HandGuns Uzi]] and [[PervertRevengeMode open fire]].
41	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The enemy ninjas are distinguished by the color of their pants. The regular Mooks have brown pants, while EliteMooks have different colored pants that indicate their special abilities and weapons.
42	* ConvectionSchmonvection: In the final level, which is set atop and inside a volcano, Lo Wang has no problem with prancing around pools filled with hot lava.
43	* CoolOldGuy: Lo Wang seems to be at "Old Master" age, making him one of the oldest if not the oldest FPS protagonists around. The 2013 reboot has a much younger Lo Wang, being a prequel to the original game.
44	* CorporateSamurai: Lo Wang's former job.
45	* CowardlyBoss: Episode 1 ends with you facing the Serpent God, who proceeds to fight you with much fanfare... and teleports away after suffering a little damage.
46	--> '''Lo Wang''': HEY! Come back here and finish fight! Ugly, scary, snake... shitface!
47	* DiagonalCut: Ninja + katana = 2 half-ninjas.
48	-->''Ooh, you have SplitPersonality!''
49	* DiscOneNuke: Not even out of Lo Wang's apartment in the first level, you can find a secret area in his house that holds a nuclear warhead, of all things.
50	* DirtyOldMan: Master Leep, judging by all the naked women living in his mansion. Not to mention Lo Wang himself...
51	* DirtyOldWoman: The old woman in the who tries to flirt with Lo Wang during Hara-Kiri Harbor. He'll express his disgust when the player interacts with her.
52	--->'''Lo Wang''': Lady, someone beat you wit' the ugly stick!
53	** Wanton Destruction expands her role slightly, with her knocking on the door in the first level and appearing in the Monastery level [[spoiler: She also appears in the ending, where she stalks Lo Wang on his trip back home and is implied to her way with poor Wang after she breaks into his house]].
54	* DoubleEntendre:
55	** Mostly related to Lo Wang's last name. Just about everything Wang says is a single entendre, at best.
56	--->'''Lo Wang''': You want to wash Wang, or you want to watch Wang wash wang?\
57	'''Lo Wang''': Whooo want some Wang?
58	** Most fortune cookie messages in the game are also double entendres.
59	--->'''Fortune say:''' Baseball wrong, man with four balls can't walk.
60	* DrivenToSuicide: If a standard mook fires at Lo-Wang for a long enough time without hurting him significantly, they'll eventually feel so dishonoured they'll stick their Uzi's barrel in their mouth and shoot half their skull off. At times, though, it seems like they do it out of sheer randomness, like Lo-Wang simply approaching them from around a corner.
61	** [[Webcomic/SchlockMercenary "They committed suicide when they saw me coming."]]
62	* EasyModeMockery: "Skyline", the last level of ''Wanton Destruction'', forces you to play at the harder two of ''four'' difficulties to fight the final boss. This may be intentional but this could also be a bug as seen below.
63	* EliteMooks: All the ninjas above the regular brown-colored ninjas have significantly enhanced health and a variety of special abilities and weapons based on their color.
64	* EvilTwin: Hung Lo, the FinalBoss of the ''Twin Dragons'' expansion, is Lo Wang's twin brother.
65	* {{Fartillery}}: The Sumo Demons leave an unpleasant gift behind when you kill them.
66	* {{Fanservice}}: For some bizarre and illogical reason, there are many scantily clad (if they are dressed at all) women dispersed throughout the game.
67	** Many players were caught off guard when the women would suddenly pull out a gun and shoot at the player if provoked enough via the use key.
68	** The only gal whose nipples are visible [[FanDisservice commits seppuku]] (probably why she went unused).
69	* FarEast: The game takes place in a mishmashed Chinese/Japanese setting. The main character, a ninja with a Chinese name, is the most obvious example.
70	* GameBreakingBug: "Skyline", the last level of ''Wanton Destruction'', is impossible to complete (even ''with'' cheats) on the lower two (out of four) difficulty levels, as the final boss fails to spawn. However, this only applies to the original release, this has been fixed in the Redux version.
71	* GunsAkimbo: If you manage to obtain a second Uzi, whether by killing a Mook or finding it as a regular pickup weapon, you will hold both of them at once for double the Dakka (and double the ammo count ''and'' consumption). The player may still choose whether to use both or just one.
72	-->"Be ploud, [[Creator/JohnWoo Mr. Woo]]."
73	* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: See DiagonalCut above. Lo Wang actually says this occasionally when he slices up an enemy.
74	* HighlyVisibleNinja: Both the title character and the hordes of ninja mooks.
75	** Averted with one type of ninja enemy, which is always invisible until you kill him. Appropriately, he's the most dangerous of the ninjas for being incredibly fast and capable of killing Lo-Wang in one hit even at max health and armor.
76	* HighPressureBlood: With the bad guys and the rabbits. If there are two or more rabbits in a given area, they will do what rabbits do. Shortly afterwards, one of them will shoot a baby rabbit and a gout of blood from its hindquarters.
77	* IdleAnimation: When left alone, Lo Wang attempts to catch bees with chopsticks, but gives up after a while.
78	* InterchangeableAsianCultures: All over the place. Lo Wang is implied to be Japanese, and yet he has a Chinese-sounding name and makes references to Chinese culture ("Ancient Chinese Secret") in his dialogue. The setting also signifies a mixture of Japanese and Chinese cultures. Even Indochina gets thrown into the mix, with one level being entitled "Killing Fields" (a reference to various fields in Cambodia were the Khmer Rouge used to bury the dead during the 1975-1979 genocide.)
79	* InvulnerableKnuckles: Averted somewhat. Punching walls will actually hurt you, and can even kill you. However, punching wooden or straw training dummies somehow restores your health up to 100, like the drinking fountains from ''Duke Nukem 3D''.
80	* JapaneseRanguage: Played straight with Lo Wang.
81	--> '''Lo Wang''': Row, row, row your boat! Genterry down da stream!
82	** Significantly downplayed in the 2013 reboot. He still has a slight accent, but otherwise speaks perfectly normal English.
83	* KatanasAreJustBetter: The katana, unlike most FPS melee weapons, is incredibly powerful and will kill many enemies in one hit. As ammo went ''fast'', it was necessary to use it most of the time.
84	* KillerRabbit:
85	** [[spoiler:A secret area has the original [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail Rabbit of Caerbannog]], cave and all!]] All the more devious because every other rabbit in the game is completely harmless, so you may not even realize what is attacking you until it's too late.
86	** Another example: [[spoiler:You come upon several scantily clad or nude girls. Annoy them and they'll whip out an Uzi.]]
87	* KillItWithFire: The very tough Guardians can attack Lo Wang with fireballs they shoot from their eyes and have a chance to drop their heads after they die that let's Wang do the same to his foes. See "OffWithHisHead" on it's strengths and weaknesses.
88	* LethalLavaLand: The last level in the main game, "Stone Rain," takes place in Zilla's VolcanoLair hideout. You fight up a volcanic mountain while dodging fireballs and jumping fissures, before leaping into a hole in the lava lake to enter the secret base itself.
89	* LifeMeter: Percentage for the player and bars for bosses.
90	* LudicrousGibs: Especially when killing an enemy with explosives.
91	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: {{Orochi}} [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} Zilla]].
92	* NoCutsceneInventoryInertia: Not actual cutscenes, but no matter which weapon Lo Wang is holding or whether he has body armour or not, any mirror (and the Chase View[[note]]toggled by using the F7 key in the PC version[[/note]]) will show him bare chested and wielding a single Uzi.
93	* NoDeadBodyPoops: Averted with the Sumo Demons. See {{Fartillery}} above.
94	* NoFairCheating: Cheat codes are disabled in the "No Pain, No Gain" difficulty. Trying to imput a cheat code will not work, unless the player starts a new game in a lower difficulty.
95	* NoGearLevel: Averted in level 17, due to the previous level ending in him getting teleported into the cell from a room with a fake level completion button.
96	* NukeEm: The third alternate fire for the missile launcher is a ''fucking NUKE!'' It deals massive amounts of damage and has an extremely large blast radius, and finishes off with fallout that sticks around for half a minute and hurts anyone near the epicenter.
97	* OffWithHisHead: Bizarrely enough, it's a weapon. And a very powerful one at that with 3 fire modes (a rapid-fire stream of fire balls, [[OrbitingParticleShield a floating fireball shield]], or fireballs that create pillars of fire) at the cost of only having a small ammo counter of 80 shots, its absurdly fast use of ammo, and the fact it's a random drop from killing the very durable Guardians.
98	* OverlyLongScream: If Lo Wang is falling from a dangerous height, he will scream all the way down. Find a pit deep enough and he will actually pause for breath and then continue shouting.
99	* PissTakeRap: Lo Wang does one in the credits. It's actually made of various voice clips edited together and set to a hip-hop beat, because the voice actor couldn't actually rap at all.
100	* RecycledInSpace: Shadow Warrior in general is ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'' [-WITH NINJAS AND ANIME!-]
101	* ResignationsNotAccepted: Zilla sends his monsters after Lo Wang after Wang quits the corporation.
102	* SecondaryFire: The riot gun, uzi, missile launcher, and guardian head have secondary fire modes, activated by pressing the same weapon select button. The riot gun does a burst, the uzi toggles dual-wield mode, missile launcher supports heat seekers and nukes, and the guardian head has three types of attacks.
103	* SecretLevel: Two of them, actually.
104	* SequelHook: [[spoiler: Zilla escapes when he loses to Lo Wang.]]
105	-->[[spoiler: '''Zilla''': Damn you, Lo Wang! I will rebuild and come fight you again!]]\
106	[[spoiler: '''Lo Wang''': You are weak as a baby fart, go live in fear.]]
107	* {{Shareware}}: As with most early 90s FPS, Shadow Warrior has a shareware episode. Interesting in that, like VideoGame/RiseOfTheTriad, the Shareware episode was different from the actual product.
108	* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: see BoringButPractical
109	* ShoutOut:
110	** A secret area in [=E1M4=] is clearly taken from ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'', complete with a KillerRabbit. You can also find Franchise/SailorMoon in the crew quarters of a submarine, and you can encounter [[Franchise/TombRaider Lara Croft]] in a tomb, and Wang says "Be proud, [[Creator/JohnWoo Mr. Woo]]" when he picks up a [[GunsAkimbo second Uzi]], among other shout outs.
111	** A ''Anime/SpeedRacer'' remote control car in the first level. He even (horribly) sings part of the theme song.
112	** One of Lo-Wang's responses to cutting an enemy in half is "[[Franchise/{{Highlander}} There Can Be Only One!]]"
113	** A poster for the ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' anime with Lina Inverse on it can be found in the game, along with posters for other anime, including something by Masami Obari and what MIGHT be ''Anime/DirtyPairFlash'', although the low resolution makes them hard to make out.
114	** Two of the FanService naked women greatly resemble Sasami and Ayeka from ''Anime/TenchiMuyo''
115	** A secret area in the third level contains the grave of Creator/JackieChan. According to the plaque, he slipped in the shower.
116	** A military facility in ''Wanton Destruction'' houses a [[Film/WarGames W.O.P.R.]] expy.
117	** In the first level, a television set is playing Michael Faye's caning sentence.
118	** In the last level, the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles can be found dead.
119	*** When picking up a [[{{BFG}} bigger, new weapon]], Lo Wang might say "Cowabunga".
120	** Level 10 is named "[[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk Raider of the Lost Wang]]".
121	** In the beginning of level 12 ("Bath House"), Lo Wang shouts: "Hory cow! Look like VideoGame/DukeNukem! Hahaha!"
122	** When picking up a Railgun, Lo Wang may exclaim: "Time to get ''erased''!" as a reference to Film/{{Eraser}}, which popularized said weapon in media.
123	** In the ending for Wanton Destruction the ugly old woman asks [[Film/{{Kingpin}} "Why does thinking about sex make we wanna crap?"]]
124	** At the very start of the last level, Master Leep tells Lo Wang from beyond the grave that [[Franchise/StarWars the Force will be with him, always]].
125	** One of the fortune cookie fortunes read [[Film/RumbleInTheBronx "don't you know you the scum of society?"]]
126	* SlapOnTheWristNuke: The nuke setting on the rocket launcher. Though it's by far the most powerful weapon in the game, such that you generally won't survive the explosion if you can see it happening, a number of the higher-tier enemies can survive it, and some bosses can survive multiples. Its blast radius is closer to "the room you're in" than anything you'd expect of a nuclear weapon.
127	* SociopathicHero: In the novelizations, Lo Wang will not hesitate to kill most people for the slightest reasons, usually involving matters of the subject's inherent honor. All the more so if they work for Zilla. Something of the opposite of his game iteration, where he specifically left Zilla for killing most people.
128	* SoftWater: In Level 3, if Lo Wang falls off the extremely high cliffs, he will die. Unless he falls in water, in which he will take no damage at all.
129	* TastesLikeChicken: Lo Wang thinks this about the boss of the level "Sumo Sky Palace".
130	* TeleportingKeycardSquad: Done less obviously than usual. Picking up keys tends to cause the game to spawn more enemies along the path to the door where you need to use the key.
131	* UnbrokenFirstPersonPerspective: Aside from the opening cutscene or the closing scenes of each episode, the game is always seen from Lo Wang's perspective.
132	* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: The pre-Redux ''Wanton Destruction'' level "Skyscraper" is impossible to complete (without cheating) on the lower two (out of four) difficulty levels as a mini-boss fails to spawn. Refer also to GameBreakingBug, above.
133	* VolcanoLair: The final stage, "Stone Rain" has you assault Zilla's base, hidden ''under'' a lake of lava in a volcano.
134	* WaterfallShower: Follow the singing to find a woman doing this. But don't stand too close for too long, or your character's pickup lines will lead her to whip out an Uzi.
135	* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: At the end of level 16 Lo Wang is teleported into a cell by a trap and has to escape in level 17. The problem: the grate is easily opened so he can escape his cell right away. You also have to wonder why they didn't have a bunch of mooks waiting at the receiving end of the teleporter to all shoot Wang at once while he's in a cell with no room to dodge.
136	* WritingAroundTrademarks:
137	** There are cars named "Titsubishi" in some levels.
138	** In a secret room of the first level, news from a TV channel named "GNN" is seen.

Context VideoGame / ShadowWarrior1997