Shenmue III is an action-adventure video game and the sequel to the 2001 game Shenmue II. It follows teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki in his quest to find his father's killer in 1980s China. In 2015, Suzuki launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to help fund Shenmue III and the campaign met its initial target of $2 million USD in under eight hours. The campaign ended in July having raised over $6 million, becoming the most funded video game in Kickstarter history.
About the story
Shenmue III begins March 21, 1987. Ryo Hazuki has made his way to Guilin, China in search of his father's killer, Lan Di. There he meets a new travelling companion, Shenhua Ling, and learns of a legend from her village that has foretold their path together. The story continues as Ryo and Shenhua start off on a new journey that will take them farther into enemy territory, deeper into mystery. Part I: Bailu Village Shenmue III begins in Bailu Village in Guilin. Shenhua begins to suspect that perhaps Lan Di and the Chi You Men abducted her adoptive father, Yunshen Yuan, which would explain his sudden mysterious disappearance, and so she intends to rescue him, her motives overlapping with Ryo's. Ryo and Shenhua discover that a group of thugs have attacked and raided several stonemasons in search of the Phoenix Mirror, leaving their houses a mess. This includes stonemason Guowei Xu. With the help of martial arts expert JiuSi Sun, Ryo defeats the thug leader, Yanlang. Shenhua interrogates Yanlang and learns her father and Xu are in Niaowu. Ryo and Shenhua are also attacked by familiar face Chai, but Ryo thwarts him away.
Platforms
PC PS4Genres
Adventure Fighting Hack and slash/Beat 'em up Role-playing (RPG)Themes
Action Fantasy Historical Mystery Open world Romance
Languages: English and 8 more
| Interface | Audio | Subtitles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | |||
| French | |||
| Italian | |||
| German | |||
| Spanish (Spain) | |||
| Japanese | |||
| Portuguese (Brazil) | |||
| Chinese (Simplified) | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) |
Media
Critic Reviews
PSX Extreme
By Alex MorettiWhat a horrible experience this was. Whatever minuscule redeeming qualities this game might have are drowned out by just how infuriating it is. And I can’t think of anybody who is a fan of this franchise that can honestly call this game good with a straight face.
Cubed3
By Albert LichiShenmue 3 is a tough recommendation for general audiences.
oprainfall
By Justin GuillouIt’s clear that Shenmue III is a game that wants to please the fans and it’s clear a lot of effort was put in ensuring this experience is the one we would have had on the Dreamcast back then. They even bothered to get Corey Marshall to reprise his role as Ryo for the English audio track. However, the game trips over itself in its execution. Shenmue III is so stuck in the past and in its own bad habits that it forgot it needs to move on. Shenmue III is very much “more Shenmue” in that it’s certainly a continuation of the story, but its also not taking many significant steps in moving it or the gameplay forward. Yu Suzuki had a rather grand vision for the future of the series but for fans to have waited this long only to get a small glimpse of that vision and continue to be teased about it is incredibly disappointing. It feels like him and his team are constantly building hype for things we can expect in the future games without ever actually delivering on it. And while it’s true that in the past, he wasn’t entirely at fault due to the fate of the Dreamcast, I have a very hard time excusing it here.
PushStartPlay
By Richard Lee BreslinShenmue III is full of personality with an enticing world that might just have you full head-over-heels as I did, 18 long years ago
GamePitt
By Rob PittShenmue III is exactly what I would have expected to see fifteen years ago, only with much prettier graphics. Newcomers to the series may find the controls, mechanics, and dreadful QTE segments a little frustrating and not at all what you’d expect from this type of game in 2019, but those who have played and loved the originals will feel right at home. I feel the developers have delivered everything they promised within the Kickstarter campaign, offering a new and exciting chapter into the life of Ryo in the search for the man who killed his father. If you go into the game knowing that it’s much slower than titles such as Yakuza, then you’re going to enjoy it a lot more – I honestly had fun despite the abundance of QTE and fund-raising moments.
