Whichmakestheexistenceofa third
game something of a miracle. Almost 20
years later, after tireless campaigning
from the game’s vocal and dedicated
fanbase, Ryo Hazuki’s story will continue.
Creator Yu Suzuki is back at the helm, and
the story picks up where it left off in
Shenmue II. Ryo finds himself in rural
China, on the trail of Lan Di, the man who
murdered his father. Shenmue III raised
over $7 million on Kickstarter, illustrating
how hungry people are to see an end to –
or a continuation of – Ryo’s story.
Shenmue III begins in a sleepy village
called Bailu, which is a radical change of
scenery from the first game’s Japanese
suburbs and the second’s bustling Hong
Kong streets. The village is nestled deep in
the mist-shrouded mountains of Guilin,
China, a region Yu Suzuki himself visited
while researching the project. Shenmue is
famous for its attention to detail, and it’s
heartening to see that Suzuki is still
dedicated to creating authentic,
atmospheric worlds. You’ll visit more
urbanised, city-like locations later in the
game, but the bulk of the opening hours
will revolve around Bailu.
Like the first game, all the villagers in
Bailu will have their own routines, homes,
and personalities. This is a return to the
more close-knit, parochial feel of
Yokosuka, rather than the chaotic,
impersonal bustle of Hong Kong, which
should make for a much more immersive
setting. Through these people you’ll learn
about the culture and history of China, but
unlike the Dreamcast games, not
everyone you meet will immediately want
to tell you their whole life story.
Ryo asks around for clues about Lan
Di, but the villagers are reluctant to talk to
him – cold, even. This is an example of the
new Affinity system, which requires you to
get to know people, or earn a reputation,
before they’ll trust you enough to reveal
important information. Shenmue is, at its
core, a detective game, and this should
make the investigation parts of it much
more interesting and dynamic. And it
makes sense from a story perspective,
because an isolated village like this would
be wary of strangers wandering around
asking questions.
Accompanying Ryo is Shenhua, a
woman who appeared in visions in the first
two games, and briefly at the end of
Shenmue II. She and Ryo share some kind
of deep, mystical bond that will be
explored more deeply in Shenmue III. But
she also comes in handy when you’re
trying to get the people of Bailu, her home
village, on your side. If you talk to someone
alone they might not be receptive to your
questions, but with Shenhua in tow they’ll
realise you’re a friend and be more willing
to speak. She’s certainly a handy person
to have around.FIGHT CLUB
As well as playing detective, Ryo also
spends a lot of time fighting. The combat
in the original games was rooted in
Suzuki’s Virtua Fighter series. Shenmue III
features the same chunky arcade
animation, but with smoother transitions
between moves and a greater sense of
physicality. The combat will also be
bolstered by an RPG-style progression
system. Ryo can take part in a number of
timing-based training minigames that will
increase his key stats: Attack Power and
Endurance. Developing these will then
boost a third stat, Kung Fu, which unlocks
advanced fighting techniques.O
nce upon a time, lavish martial arts
adventure Shenmue was the most
expensive videogame ever made. So
expensive that when it failed to live up to
sales expectations it contributed to the demise of
the Dreamcast. A sequel was released in the west
on the original Xbox, but it couldn’t stop the
inevitable – Shenmue was, essentially, dead.
Ryo Hazuki’s quest for
vengeance continues
SHENMUE III
THE COMBAT WILL ALSO BE
BOLSTERED BY AN RPG-STYLE
PROGRESSION SYSTEMRELEASE
August 2019
DEVELOPER
Ys Net, NeiloPUBLISHER
Deep SilverLINK
http://www.ysnet-inc.jpNEED TO KNOW
F I R S T
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Shenmue III