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Shenmue and Shenmue 2, released for Sega's ill-fated Dreamcast, are legendary games in every way - they took advantage of new technology to popularize some of the biggest advancements in game design. They featured huge and bustling open worlds, quick-time events, a cinematic approach to storytelling, and a strict focus on realism long before those features were standard in new games, and its impact can still be 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:felt in today's gaming hits.
In 2019, after years and years of waiting, fans were finally treated to the third entry in the saga, Shenmue 3. There's never been a better time to explore what makes Shenmue so special. But if you're interested in taking this opportunity to jump into this iconic series, there are a few things you'll need to keep in mind first.
9 It's Pretty Slow
The original Shenmue is renowned for its slow pace and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:its realistic focus on daily life, and Shenmue 3 carries on that tradition in style. If you expect the game to speed up its pace to match the action-packed style of the open-world games that followed it, you're in for a rough time; Shenmue is about walking, talking, exploring, and working menial jobs just as much as it's about seeking revenge and laying the smackdown on street-fighting goons. Allow yourself to move slowly and take in the world and its inhabitants rather than rushing around to find the next big story beat.
8 It's Important To Play Minigames
Shenmue 3 is filled with minigames to distract you and fill up your time, and many of them are the fastest way to earn rewards and money. These take a few different forms: some are arcade classics like Whack-A-Mole, while others are gambling games or carnival games. You'll have to play some of them in order to advance the story, but it's a good idea to commit more time to them in order to access more rewards.
7 It's Better If You Train
One of the most important minigames in Shenmue 3 is its combat training. Ryo Hazuki, the main character of the series, is the son of a martial arts master, and spends much of his time learning how to fight; the combat is probably the flashiest part of a series not known for flash. However, the combat isn't set up in the same way as, say, a Zelda game, where you simply press a button to deal a set amount of damage.
Instead, it's closer to an RPG with an action game's systems. You'll have to go to the dojo and actually level up your moves by playing minigames in order to stand a chance against your foes. It integrates with the game's larger focus on daily life, and it's an approach that's unique among 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:games that focus on martial arts.
6 Its Dialogue Is... Offbea✱t
For a game that largely centers around talking to people, Shenmue 3's dialogue can be a little bit off-kilter at times. The writing is full of awkward pauses and restated questions - one exchange between Ryo and Shenhua features both characters saying that they hate carrots about five different times. It's weird, but it's also pretty charming, and completely in line with the previous games.
5 It's Not Strict About Its Setting
The Shenmue franchise takes place in the mid-to-late-80s and it's awash in period detail, from lack of cell phones to the old-fashioned arcade games. However, it's not particularly strict about making sure that everything lines up with its time period, either. In one location of the game, you can find a Sega Saturn stashed in an unassuming drawer - which is strange since the system wouldn't even be announced until nearly a decade after the games take place. Similarly, the other games in the series included capsule toys of Sega characters, many of whom weren't created until years later. Though the game is detailed, don't expect perfect realism here.
4 It Wants You To Look At Everyt🌼hing
The first two Shenmue games were nearly fetishistic about detail - they took the upgrade in power between the Saturn and the Dreamcast as an excuse to render everything in exacting detail, down to the capsule toys that Ryo could collec𒁏t. Shenmue 3 continues that tradition, filling its world with random, mundane objects that you can check out.
This includes the capsule toys, which make a grand return, but it also applies to the houses full of drawers that 𝕴are stuffed with random objects. Very few of these things can be 🏅interacted with, but the game wants you to slow down and look at all the things that the designers spent time putting in the game. It asks you to think about the care and the time that went into creating its world.
3 It's A Direct Sequel To Shenmue 2...
The last game in the series, Shenmue 2, was released for the Dreamcast in 2001 - which is now 20 years ago. Given its age, and the fact that it was released for a system that was chronically underplayed in its lifetime (RIP Dreamcast, we miss you), you'd be forgiven for missing out on it and just jumping right into Shenmue 3. But this would be a huge mistake. Though Shenmue 3 features a recap of the events of the previous games, you'll miss a lot of the depth and flavor of the game if you start here. Fortunately, an HD port of the first two games is available on modern consoles, so you can try those out before jumping into Shenmue 3.
2 ...But It's Not The End Of The Story
Yu Suzuki has stated that the Shenmue series is supposed to take place over four or five installments in total, so while Shenmue 3 is a grand return for the franchise, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:it's not a conclusive end to its story. Instead, the game follows in Shenmue 2's footsteps by ending on a relatively inconclusive note, and it emphasizes that Ryo has a lot more to learn before he's finally ready to defeat Lan Di once and for all. This might put off players who were expecting something more definite from the game's plot, but hey - you still have Shenmue 4 to look forward to.
1 It's A Tribute To The Fans
Shenmue 3 was developed via Kickstarter, and that origin story shines through every aspect of the game. There's a temple with the words "Save Shenmue" emblazoned across the facade, filled with Kickstarter rewards and concept art related to the game; the names of backers are memorialized in a hotel guestbook early in the game; and the game is filled to the brim with fanservice and nods to previous games. Even beyond that, though, its design and its style of gameplay are proudly anachronistic, hewing closely to the first two games and ignoring many of the advances made in the years since their release. This might be frustrating if you don't know the game's backstory, but if you do, there's something heartwarming about it. Yu Suzuki decided to give the fans exactly what they wanted - a new Shenmue game, as it would have been all those years ago - and that's what he did. It's 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the best part of the whole game.