An okay shooter with colorful maps and quirky enemies, heavily mimics the new DOOM games but doesn't quite reach the same heights. Most of the levels followed the same formula of bouncing back and forth between small platforming sections and enemy arenas rather than letting you explore more open areas. The constant mayhem in the arena gunfights was fun at first but goddamn did they get tedious after a while. There was quite a bit of emphasis on environmental hazards and "Chi-Blast" powers but that stuff rarely came in to play with the core combat loop which was odd to say the least. The gameplay just kind of felt slightly off during the fights which is a pretty big detriment to a fast-paced game like this. Weapon arsenal was not the greatest either save for the katana (which should have been utilized more in general).

I hadn't played the previous Shadow Warrior titles so neither the story nor the supporting characters really interested me. I was fairly lukewarm on Lo Wang as the protagonist. I expected a bit more "Duke Nukem meets Big Trouble in Little China" out of the narrative - and there definitely was some of that in this - but the game stepped a little too far into the Borderlands and Guardians of the Galaxy territory for my taste. Overall not bad though, unlike many others I was perfectly fine with the game's shorter length and it was a decent enough FPS experience despite my gripes with it.

I didn't have very high expectations for this. Honestly, I wouldn't have played it if it weren't on PS+. I'm glad I did, though.

Games like this don't usually hold my attention for long. It seemed as though it would be leaning too hard on the gimmick of it being "cute". It seemed like clear internet-people bait.

There's a little more to it, though. It's actually quite charming. I appreciate how they tell a short, thoughtful story in a way that actually makes sense (for a video game, at least). It doesn't rely entirely on the fact that you're controlling a cat to make it interesting. It's an quaint little world they crafted for you to explore. The cat-like gimmicks are subtle and can once in a while actually get a quick "aww" out of you.

A couple of the puzzles were a little unclear to me, which can quickly become frustrating. For the most part they were just clever enough that I felt good about solving them, though.

Overall, it's certainly worth the few hours it takes to complete. Normally with a game like this, I would say it's not for everyone. I think this game is special, in a way, though. It's unique enough to warrant most people giving it a chance even if you normally aren't in to slower-paced games (like myself).