Shenmue III Reviews
A seamless continuation of the series that makes up for its limitations with pure heart. It's like Ryo never left us.
Rejoining Ryo Hazuki's quest to avenge his father is exciting, but Shenmue 3 feels like a game that has ignored the innovation and progress of the last 20 years of video game development.
A bewitching time capsule that transports us to late 80s China, and to turn-of-the-century video games.
A magnificent, authentic, totally uncompromised sequel that crucially ignores virtually every gaming trend of the past 18 years.
Exploring small towns is still fun and rewarding until you have to engage in battle and dialogue. Then it falls apart
Shenmue III hasn't changed much from its Dreamcast-era roots--and it can't reach its full potential as a result.
It’s not the lack of elegant dialogue or the glitches that make this game so disappointing, but the idea that a series that was so obsessed with what would be possible from gaming in the future has turned into a way for people to attempt to revisit the past.
Its charm ultimately wins out in the end, but the finale is bittersweet. The pieces are set up for something grand but there’s a sense that most of our time was spent putting them into place for a climax that may never come. If it took this long for Shenmue III, why get our hopes up for Shenmue IV?
Despite these annoyances, despite the fact that it’s a game designed with decades-old sensibilities, I enjoyed my time with it. It doesn’t have the conclusion we’ve been waiting two decades for and it barely drives the story forward at all, but the climactic battle is as satisfying as that 70-man tussle in the first game’s harbour.
Some players may want to mainline Shenmue III in order to see all the story has it has to offer as quickly as possible.
For better and for worse, Shenmue III is a perfect continuation.
Shenmue III could've been made 18 years ago as it feels very similar to the previous two entries, with no real improvements, making it feel rather outdated.
With Shenmue III, we are offered a glimpse into a gifted mind, constantly turning the everyday into play.
A throwback to be appreciated.
The story we never thought would come is already here, outdated in many aspects and mechanics, but maintaining all the necessary charm to not disappoint the fans.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Picking up exactly where the Shenmue franchise left off in 2001, Shenmue 3 is a marvel of persistence and vision.
I was torn writing this review as I went back and forth multiple times on whether or not Shenmue III's adherence to the past was worth the squeeze. In spurts, it's not. But as I walked back to Shenhua's cottage to turn in for the night after a hard day's work, earning back the money I had gambled away, it hit me: people just aren't making many games like this anymore. We may never even get something like this again if Shenmue IV isn't greenlit, which would be a shame.
Speaking of a video game of such importance, it is difficult to separate the nostalgia effect from the actual quality. While Shenmue III proposes itself exactly as it wanted to be, on the other hand it stumbles into a series of smears that go far beyond anachronism. The desire to appear in everything as the ideal sequel to a series frozen for eighteen years proves to be a double-edged sword. As much as Shenmue III manages to find internal coherence in its compact rhythm, one cannot overlook the obvious conceptual limits that undermine its overall quality. Yu Suzuki's title does not go beyond the "miracle" of his own existence, and as satisfied as it may be, even for the most dedicated fans it will be impossible not to admit an unpleasant aftertaste of lost opportunity.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A literal dream come true for fans and while most others will struggle to understand the appeal it's impossible not to admire Yu Suzuki's vision and tenacity in not only making the game but making it his way.