Flying Wild Hog is making big changes to the Shadow Warrior franchise, Eurogamer revealed this week, focusing on procedurally-generated content and an improved reward system that will allow Shadow Warrior 2 to compete with any AAA loot game currently on the market. Let’s just hope series protagonist Lo Wang’s juvenile sense of humor remains in tact.
Without a doubt, the biggest change coming in Shadow Warrior 2 is the introduction of the game’s procedurally-generated levels. Interestingly, SW2 won’t follow the formula pioneered by titles like The Binding of Isaac or the recently-released Enter The Gungeon. Rather than generate new dungeons room-by-room, like many of the genre’s top games, Shadow Warrior 2 designer Pawel Kowalewski tells Eurogamer that the game builds stages using “two or three randomly generated 200 meter square tiles.” As a result, portions of some stages may begin to look familiar after you’ve spent a few hours with the game. But Flying Wild Hog hopes the experience vary enough from one session to the next to keep players coming back for more.
Today’s report also suggests Flying Wild Hog will be making major changes to the game’s reward system. The studio’s 2013 Shadow Warrior reboot handled player progression like the average campaign-focused shooter, with a basic skill tree for the protagonist and more powerful weapons unlocked throughout the story. Instead, Shadow Warrior 2 will feel much more like a loot shooter, with ammo, character-upgrading relics, health packs and weapon-customizing gems pouring out of the demons you slaughter on each level. There’s even a new magic system for players to use against Lo Wang’s enemies.
For a closer look at Shadow Warrior 2, including some of the gameplay changes outlined in this article, take a few minutes to watch the 12-minute gameplay clip released last month. Then head down to the comments section and let us know what changes (if any) you’re hoping to see in Shadow Warrior 2 when the game heads to PC and consoles later this year.
Shadow Warrior 2 is in development for PS4, Xbox One and PC. The game is expected to debut before the end of 2016.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for additional Shadow Warrior 2 coverage throughout 2016 and for as long as Flying Wild Hog supports Shadow Warrior 2 in the months following launch.
