Shenmue III First Gameplay Preview

A reunion like no other

When it comes to player freedom, pretty much any open-world game in 2019 has much more of it than Shenmue. But I have yet to find a game that simulates everyday life in such a convincing way.

What has had many of the fans worried is that supernatural elements might change that sense of reality in Shenmue III. The ending of Shenmue II contained supernatural events, and similar elements can be seen in a pre-release promotional video of the original Shenmue. In a trailer for the unreleased Shenmue Online, Ryo even unleashes what looks like a Hadouken. I had to ask Suzuki about this, but he gave me a much simpler answer than I had expected.

“There are no supernatural elements in Shenmue III.”

I felt an enormous relief. Something I had been worried about for 18 years had finally been resolved. The supernatural elements at the end of Shenmue II were an exception, and Suzuki told me he has no intention to make them the new norm. Shenmue III will still be that life simulator experience the fans have come to love.

For me, the most important thing of all is that I’ll finally be able to continue my conversation with Shenhua. In Shenmue II, I walked a mountain path with her for hours, and we had deep conversations. I was only 15, and it was the first time I fell in love with someone.

“To me, Shenmue is all about depth and poetry, something we find less and less in current large productions,” co-producer Biscay observed.

Because it took so long for Shenmue III to finally be made, the reunion with Shenhua will likely feel even more poetic that it originally did. And strangely, the fact that she now almost looks like a different person adds a sadness to it all that I somehow find appealing.

“I have included an affinity system for Shenmue III,” Suzuki told me. “By communicating with Shenhua, subtle changes occur in the way she treats you.

“There are quite a lot of scenes and events that I am confident almost no player will see the first time,” mused Suzuki. “But don’t think too deep; just talk to her.”

Fans will finally be able to reunite with Ryo and Shenhua on when Shenmue III is released on PS4 and PC on August 27th. To catch up on the story so far, check out the 2018 re-releases of Shenmue I & II on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. You can ask him obsessive Shenmue questions on Twitter.