Viscera Cleanup Detail: Shadow Warrior Review (The Old Taylor Swiftsz)
Overview:
'Viscera Cleanup Detail: Shadow Warrior' is a crossover DLC between 'Shadow Warrior' and 'Viscera Cleanup Detail' and is a first person cleaning simulator that's an official DLC for the base game 'Viscera Cleanup Detail'. Unlike the Christmas themed DLC however, 'Viscera Cleanup Detail: Shadow Warrior' is only obtainable through the purchase of 'Shadow Warrior' and cannot be purchased alone. This is probably the one debilitating blow that makes this particular DLC the black sheep of the bunch. Despite 'Shadow Warrior' being a pretty good game on it's own, to have to buy the entire game just to be able to play this specific level is a pretty tall order, and yes, it's only one level. That being said, it isn't a huge surprise that this game didn't receive as much positive feedback as the main game and the other DLCs that came with it.
You play as a janitor tasked to clean up Lo Wang's (the protagonist of 'Shadow Warrior') mess after a gruesome sword fight took place inside a temple from the actual game. The weird thing however is that you actually sound like Lo Wang himself and even crack one liners (something he does a lot in the 'Shadow Warrior' games) relatable to his character so it's like you actually are Lo Wang himself but the developers claim you aren't. Nonetheless, 'Viscera Cleanup Detail: Shadow Warrior' is an okay addition to the 'Viscera Cleanup Detail' world but is fairly weaker than the other maps in the game. Pair that with the DLC being exclusive to a purchase of another game and you have yourself an external level that honestly can be skipped.
Gameplay:
Grab your mop, bucket and bins because there's plenty of limbs, weapons and debris lying around waiting to be swished and incinerated! The DLC follows the same style as the main game revolving around the player grabbing buckets of water and bins and cleaning up a bloody mess. The level itself is okay but there's nothing particularly special about it. There are exclusive items that you can only find in this particular DLC and can bring back to your office after you finish cleaning and clock out, but it isn't enough to make the add-on really stand out from everything else.
Personally I enjoyed playing this level simply because I enjoy 'Viscera Cleanup Detail' as a whole. The level itself is a weak contender and is marginally smaller than many other of the levels from the base game. The level gets old pretty quickly as it's layout is essentially symmetrical and offers little to no variety or differences the further you clean. Lo Wang's edgy one-liners repeat and become tired after about 10-15 minutes of playing. And for someone who heavily enjoys 'Viscera Cleanup Detail, even I can say this DLC probably isn't worth it not just because of the steps needed to acquire it, but also the overall enjoyment one can get out of it.
Controls:
Pretty standard with an added caveat to the normal game. Controls function fine and well and I didn't encounter anything glitchy or weird about the controls but I did run into a gripe that only people who have played the main game could notice. This DLC in particular doesn't have a key to throw objects. For someone who's played the base game for over 200 hours, I can safely say that throwing items plays a huge role in the game as it makes disposing items easier. To have such a useful feature absent in a DLC that's already hard to get, I'd say that's an additional strike against the game.
Graphics:
'Viscera Cleanup Detail: Shadow Warrior' is definitely one of the nicer looking levels with an exotic setting, nice lighting and an overall clean environment that actually feels clean when you finish tidying up. Something that could bother players is the fact the entire level is extremely red. Almost every part of the map has a red tinge which can make it a bit hard to visibly see blood. But aside from that, the graphics in this DLC are very nice.
Audio:
Also pretty good but gets old quick as well. As I said, the Lo Wang inspired dialogue that spews out of the players mouth occasionally is funny at first but gets tired pretty quick. Repeat dialogues are frequent and at one point can even begin annoying you. There's also a radio that plays a track from 'Shadow Warrior' which is pretty cool but it's charm doesn't last very long either as it also loops.
Conclusion/TL;DR:
'Viscera Cleanup Detail: Shadow Warrior' is a DLC from the base game 'Viscera Cleanup Detail' that crosses over into the world of another game called 'Shadow Warrior'. Utilize your broom alongside buckets of water and trash bins to clean up a mess left by the famous Lo Wang in a mediocre DLC that only consists of one level that honestly isn't that great. Personally I enjoyed playing this level but it definitely isn't the best one. The DLC can only be obtained by purchasing 'Shadow Warrior' which is a pretty big stretch for something that isn't one of the best levels in the 'Viscera Cleanup Detail' universe but if you were only planning on picking up 'Shadow Warrior' then consider this DLC a bonus. But if you're planning on getting the game just to play this DLC, I'd say hold off on it.