10 Things You Didn’t Know about Shenmue 3
Shenmue III is the next installment in the Shenmue series. Suffice to say that Shenmue III has been a very long time coming, which can be blamed on the Shenmue series having had what one might call a very troubled existence. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Shenmue III:
1. The Series Has a Connection to the Virtua Fighter Series
Shenmue III and the rest of the Shenmue series have a connection to the Virtua Fighter series. In short, the first Shenmue started out as a RPG for the Sega Saturn based on the Virtua Fighter series. During development, it changed from being a RPG for the Sega Saturn to being a RPG for the Sega Dreamcast. Furthermore, it lost its official connection to the Virtua Fighter series, though the signs of that connection can still be seen throughout the series.
2. Its Genre Is a Bit Complicated
Genre-wise, Shenmue III is a bit complicated. For instance, it and its predecessors are often called action-adventure games. However, the series is famous for incorporating elements that are more common in RPG games, fighting games, and even life simulation games. As a result, it might be most accurate to say that Shenmue is Shenmue, which is one of the factors that has enabled the series to build a cult following in spite of its lack of commercial success.
3. Still Focused On the Same Protagonist
The story of Shenmue III is still focused on Ryo Hazuki. For those who are unfamiliar, Ryo Hazuki is a Japanese teenager whose father was murdered by a man named Lan Di in Yokosuka in 1986. Due to him pursuing his father’s murderer, he winds up in China where he learns more about what happened as well as why it happened. Shenmue III will see the return of some familiar faces for the fans of the Shenmue series, though some characters will make their return through in-game phone conversations that can be initiated by the player.
4. It Isn’t Meant to Be the Conclusion of the Shenmue Series
Shenmue III is not meant to be the conclusion of the Shenmue series. It remains to be seen whether Shenmue III will perform to the level needed to fund further installments in the future. However, the creator Yu Suzuki is very much interested in making more Shenmue titles in the times to come.
5. Set to Come Out in November of 2019
Currently, Shenmue III is expected to come out on November 19 of 2019 for both the PC and the PS4. The whole thing is still a bit unbelievable because said title was in development hell for more than a decade’s time thanks to the Shenmue series being a commercial failure. It wasn’t until the rise of Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms that Yu Suzuki was able to secure funding from the fans, who responded with what one might call incredible enthusiasm. For proof, look no further than the fact that the pitch managed to raise $2 million in just seven hours, which was a fine example of record-shattering.
6. Three Regions
In total, Shenmue III will have three regions. First, there is Bailu Village in a place called Guilin. Second, there is Choubu, which is a riverside village that will have numerous shops, hotels, and other sites of interest. Third, there is Baisha that has been promised to be the most exciting part of Shenmue III by far.
7. Guilin Is a Real Place
Speaking of which, it should be mentioned that Guilin is a real place. In short, the city of Guilin is situated in the Chinese autonomous region of Guangxi, which can be found in the far south of the country. The city has an excellent reputation for beauty. Something that has enabled it to become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the whole of China. In fact, the name Guilin means “Forest of Sweet Osmanthus,” referring to the numerous sweet osmanthus trees that still stand throughout the surrounding region.
8. Baisha Has Been Compared to the Warring States Period
The reason that Baisha promises to be exciting is because it will feature a siege game that has been compared to the Warring States period. In short, the Warring States period saw fierce competition between the seven leading states of Qin, Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, and Wei that had emerged from the shadow of the crumbling central authority of the Zhou dynasty. It was a time of fierce fighting between the states. Furthermore, it was a time of extensive reform in both the civil and the military spheres, which was spurred on by the need of the states to gain an advantage against their contemporaries. In the end, the Warring States period was brought to a conclusion by the conquests of the state of Qin, thus enabling its master to proclaim himself the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty.
9. Exclusivity Deal with Epic Games Store
Shenmue III is one of the titles that will be an exclusive for the Epic Games Store for its first year of release on the PC. When the news came out, there was a fair amount of outrage from Kickstarter backers who had been expecting to receive a copy of the Steam version of the title. Said individuals were given a choice between a number of options that can be summed up as accepting either an Epic or a physical copy of the game for the time being before receiving another Steam copy in a year’s time, accepting a PS4 copy of the game, or getting a refund paid for by Epic Games.
10. 100 GB in Size
The technical requirements for Shenmue III has been out for some time, meaning that interested individuals might want to check them out sooner rather than later. With that said, it seems that the title will be 100 GB in size, which is comparable to say, Destiny 2. The curious part is that Shenmue III doesn’t seem to have gone for space-intensive photorealism when it comes to its visuals, meaning that one can’t help but wonder how much content has been packed into it for it to have reached 100 GB.