Shadow Warrior 2 Is Free On GOG Until October 6

GOG is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, and today they’re giving away Shadow Warrior 2 for free. All you need to do is make sure you have an account with GOG. And be sure to get the GOG Galaxy desktop app. That way you can download and enjoy this… interesting game.

Okay, so “interesting” is one word we can use. The game is the direct sequel to Shadow Warrior, which rebooted the franchise following the original release back in 1997. Made by Flying Wild Hog in 2013, the remake attempted to capture the racy, raunchy humor of its progenitor — buckets of blood included. It wasn’t terrible. We called it “gleefully silly” in our review.

“I like sword – that’s a personal weapon.”

Two Wangs Are Better Than One?

The sequel earned similar marks, but we didn’t offer many encouraging words for Lo Wang’s latest effort in self-stylized comedy. Despite being known for its machine-gun jokes, the self-referential dirty humor and attempt at parody got stale.

“The incredibly self-aware and knowingly idiotic dialogue can carry the plot across plenty of bumps, but Shadow Warrior 2 stumbles here too, at times seemingly afflicted by the same disease which convinced writers of The Simpsons that everybody loved Homer the most when he was an utter prick,” says our review. “Unless you’re Larry David, it’s almost impossible to pull off a successful comedy where everybody is an arsehole.”

Not a glowing testimony, sure, but we praised the game’s combat. The quick, complex movement complemented Lo Wang’s raucous run-and-gun-and-sword fighting style. Switching from guns to a blade was effortless, and it created a flow of death that couldn’t help but plaster a goofy grin on your blood-soaked face.

Shadow Warrior 2 wasn’t perfect, no, but it was still a good game. The fact you can also share this deal with a friend and play the game co-op should sweeten the deal. But what can be sweeter then getting a game for free? If you’d like to give it a run, head to the official giveaway page. Be quick, though; it’s only free until October 6.