Shenmue‌ III ‌Review

Shenmue III has not had an easy journey. The Shenmue series, which debuted in 1999, was originally set to span multiple games. However, the sheer cost of development and the fact that the Sega Dreamcast failed meant it was effectively canceled after Shenmue II in 2001. In the years since, the two original titles achieved cult status. A relatively small but dedicated group of fans continuously pushed for further sequels to conclude the story.

They got their wish when series creator Yu Suzuki announced at E3 2015 he was launching a Kickstarter to help crowdfund the development of Shenmue III. With financial help from Sony and Deep Silver, Shenmue III finally launched in 2019.

But can a sequel based on a game that last released almost two decades ago hold up to player expectation? After all, the new game has to juggle remaining faithful to the original series with modernizing for today’s audience. Here’s how Shenmue III fares.

Story

Shenmue III starts almost immediately where the series left off some 18 years ago. Ryo Hazuki has traveled to China to search for his missing father and those responsible for his abduction. As things start to pick up pace, you learn about certain important artifacts and why stonemasons are going missing.

The real joy of the narrative comes from the compelling characters you meet. A few fan-favorites return from the first two games. However, most of the new individuals are interesting and do a good job of replacing them. For those who find it hard to let go, a clever mechanic does bring back those characters who are not physically involved. You can call them up and have conversations with them via telephone.

For the most part, the story is a fun ride. It is not the greatest video game plot in the world but for fans of the first and second games, it is a faithful continuation. Yet, you should not expect any kind of conclusion to the tale. The developers seem to want to keep the story going. By the end of the campaign, there are more unanswered questions than at the beginning. Obviously, it is disappointing to not see a proper ending, especially with the future of the series far from certain.