Shenmue III Reviews
Which players had to carry out as dutiful employees for several in-game days.
Shenmue 3 feels instantly outdated, but at the same time is seemingly uncompromising in its vision. Despite some fun mechanics, lots of distractions, and a restrained take on combat, my nostalgia could only partially gloss over the weak characters, story and progress gating.
Shenmue III isn’t for everyone, but anyone who was waiting for it will be amazed at how perfectly it captures the gameplay, atmosphere, and world of Shenmue so many years later.
A direct continuation of a classic series that acts like it's still the early 2000s, for better or worse! For returning fans this is precisely what you wanted. It's possible for newcomers to enjoy but you should probably play the originals first.
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18 years ago as it feels very similar to the previous two entries, with no real improvements, making it feel rather outdated.
'A middle of the road game, out of fashion, and twenty years late. Nevertheless, Shenmue 3 will please players that enjoyed its prequels.'
Shenmue III is like a ship lost in time, which looks archaic not only against the background of modern game mechanics and the far-stepped Yakuza series, but also the first two games of the series. Creation Yu Suzuki viscous, slow, with a huge number of restrictions and the halo of nostalgia, which will be understandable only to fans. For everyone else – this is an average story about martial arts and love, which you can try on cold winter evenings after drinking and setting off fireworks, even if after that you will have only one finger. For Shenmue III, this will be more than enough.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Shenmue III often feels antiquated but its charming presentation and nostalgic feeling will keep fans engaged, but let’s hope it won’t take nearly two decades until Ryo’s journey continues.
I'm disappointed with this game, it has perfectly kept the spirit of the original Shenmue but in doing so has not brought any of the new innovations of the industry. It hasn't advanced its own formula and has instead opted to create the game as I imagine it was first designed back in the early 2000s. If they make a Shenmue 4 I sincerely hope they take more risks and don't just make a carbon copy of what they've done before.
Shenmue III ends up feeling like a remake of the old games in the series although it is a completely new production.
Review in Greek | Read full review
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?
Shenmue IIII pushes its epic story forward while holding firmly onto dated concepts, game design, and narrative presentation, but it will likely please die-hard fans of the series. Everyone else, meanwhile, might wonder what all the fuss is about.
Shenmue III hasn't changed much from its Dreamcast-era roots--and it can't reach its full potential as a result.
For better or worse, Shenmue 3 is a blast from the past. It's a beautiful world marred only by its insistence to stay the same.
Shenmue III is alright, it’s the next step in the story and it stumbles along the way with some odd pacing amongst poor visual issues.
Shenmue III is a weird experiment that makes you feel like playing a Dreamcast game now a days. Yu Suzuki created an interesting game just for his fans.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The game fulfills a vision of steadfast humanity within the framework of a martial arts revenge tale.
Previous Shenmue games were bringing innovations, but Shenmue 3 relies on nostalgia. It's not better or worse than the first ones, it's basically the same but prettier. In a way, that's enough.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Yu Suzuki might not have delivered a perfect continuation of Ryo Hazuki's journey but the work he has done in making Shenmue III is admirable. It is a good game once you dig underneath it, warts and all, especially considering the expectations of making this sequel after all these years.