Shadow Fight 2

Shadow Fight 2 is a 2D fighting game in which players must win the best of three matches against computer-controlled opponents.[7] The game also has RPG elements that let players upgrade their armor, weapons, skills and magical abilities.[7] The game's characters are entirely silhouettes, but the animations are realistic and physics-based.[7]

The player earns gold throughout the game that can be used to buy weapons.[7] The game contains seven different provinces, each with a main boss.[7] The player can enter only five fights before their energy must be replenished, which is done by waiting, paying real money, or watching a limited number of ads. These games may come to a series end after which the full game is completed.[7]

Achievements are a core part of Shadow Fight 2. Players are rewarded for completing the story as well as certain tasks.

Based on the game's aesthetics, the game appears to take place in Feudal Japan. Shadow, a legendary and undefeated combatant, searches for a worthy opponent and comes across the Gates of Shadows, a pathway to the Shadow World. When he opens the Gates, the six demons that were imprisoned on the other side are released and Shadow's body is enveloped by the mystical Shadow Energy, which turns him into a faceless silhouette. Believing that sealing the Gates will allow him to regain his physical body, Shadow sets out to defeat the demons and retrieve the seals they are guarding to close the Gates, aided by his former Sensei, a blacksmith named May, and a conman named Sly. The group travels across the region and stops in the towns where the demons have taken residence. Shadow participates in various tournaments and battles to prepare himself for the fights with the demons and their bodyguards. The six demons that Shadow has to face are:

• Lynx, the leader of an assassin organization called The Order
• Hermit, a powerful wizard and the headmaster of a fighting & magic school
• Butcher, the leader of a juvenile gang
• Wasp, the Pirate Queen and daughter of the former Pirate King, whom she killed to claim his throne
• Widow, a beautiful woman who can seduce almost any man
• Shogun, a disgraced rōnin who became a warlord while attempting to destroy his former master's legacy

After defeating all the demons and taking their seals, Shadow arrives at the Gates. The six demons follow him to try and stop him from sealing them back, but he overpowers them. Shadow seals the Gates, but Titan, the ruler of the Shadow World, attacks him and captures May before the Gates close. Unable to reopen the Gates, Shadow, still a silhouette, travels across the region again to defeat the demons, who try to warn him about Titan, and destroy their seals. Upon doing so, the Gates are briefly opened, allowing Shadow to travel to the other side on his own.

Upon arriving in the Shadow World, Shadow is attacked by Shroud, a servant of Titan, who defeats him because Shadow was weakened by his travel through the Gates. He is rescued by Kali, a member of an underground resistance that opposes Titan's rule, who takes him to the resistance's hidden base. Shadow meets the resistance's leader Cypher, who informs him that Titan is a powerful alien warlord that has conquered many worlds, including this one, and is planning to take over Shadow's world as well. The resistance is made up of aliens whose worlds were conquered by Titan, and Shadow earns their respect after he beats them all in combat. After he defeats Cypher, Cypher believes that Shadow might be the warrior prophesied to defeat Titan, and has Kali take him to the Ancient, a powerful being who has trained many warriors (including Shroud) and whose kind was exterminated by Titan. To find the Ancient, Shadow first locates and defeats Cronos, a robot created by Cypher to track down the Ancient that eventually turned rogue. Using Cronos's tracking technology, Shadow and Kali locate the Ancient, who is initially reluctant to help, but eventually comes to believe in Shadow's powers after he passes his tests, which consist of fights against the spirits of fallen warriors and Ancients.

The Ancient disguises Shadow as one of Titan's soldiers and suggests that he get close to Titan by participating in a tournament, whose winner will become his newest elite troop. Halfway through the tournament, Shadow is called back to the resistance hideout, which has been attacked by Shroud and another warrior, Justice. He defeats Shroud and is confronted by Justice, revealed to be a brainwashed May. After May is captured by the resistance, Shadow and Kali head to Titan's Citadel, where Shadow defeats Titan's bodyguards, all of whom are dark alternate versions of himself. May escapes and arrives to kill Shadow, who defeats and frees her from Titan's control. While Kali takes May back to the Gates of Shadow, Shadow engages in a final battle with Titan. Following his defeat, Titan's body explodes and destroys the citadel. Shadow is caught in the explosion, but survives and manages to return to his world before the Gates are destroyed, regaining his physical body in the process. Shadow is reunited with May, who is relieved to see him alive and human again, and the two embrace before walking away, unaware of a shadow that emerges from the Gates' debris behind them.

Jason Parker of CNET rated the game an 8.3/10, calling it one of the best fighting games in the App Store "If you can live with the in-your-face freemium model."[7]

Rob Rich of Gamezebo rated the game 3.5/5 stars, praising the animations and weapon variety while criticizing the "imprecise controls" and some combat mechanics.[8]

Silviu Stahie of Softpedia called the game "probably the best fighting game for Android" and said that it was "easy to learn and master."[6]

On Android, the game has positive reviews from over 13 million players.[9]

Special Edition is the paid version of Shadow Fight 2. It was released on August 17, 2017, on Android[10] and on August 22, 2017, on iOS.[11] This version rewards players with gems more frequently and features an exclusive storyline called Old Wounds that stars a younger Sensei as the protagonist. The Nintendo Switch version of Shadow Fight 2, released in 2018, contains the same content as the Special Edition, as well as an exclusive local two-player fighting mode.[1]

A sequel, Shadow Fight 3, was released worldwide on November 16, 2017.[12] Unlike its predecessors, it does not have any flat 2D black shadows to represent the fighters. Instead, they are rendered as three-dimensional characters in an animated 3D environment. The shadows still exist and can be accessed with a new mode known as Shadow Form. While in this form, the fighters can become a shadow and are able to perform physics-defying moves based on the fighters' equipped item's shadow abilities.

The game's plot takes place several years after its predecessor. People have gotten used to the presence of Shadow Energy in their lives and have learned to harness it, both in war and in their day-to-day lives. Unfortunately, this positive attitude is not shared by everyone. Powerful Legion is preparing for an attack on the Dynasty's lands in order to put an end to what they see as the "Shadow Threat". On the other hand, the people of the Dynasty believe that, with the correct use, the power can help humanity solve a lot of problems. A third faction has emerged from the shadows in the background of these events: the Heralds, who know more about the nature of Shadow Energy than others, which frightens both the Dynasty and the Legion.

Players start the game as a new recruit for the Shadow Squad, an offshoot of the Legion that does not refrain from using Shadow Energy. As they progress further, they come in contact with other factions and can experiment, mix-and-match equipment, learn new tactics and fighting styles.