Shenmue III Reviews

Shenmue III is ranked in the 34th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Nov 26, 2019

Shenmue III takes a certain state of mind because it’s unmistakably what Shenmue used to be, and not how it’s supposed to be now. I hope that there will be Shenmue IV to give closure to the story and like this, it will stay true to what it is.

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80%
Dec 31, 2019

Shenmue III isn't at all the perfect video game that everyone would love. On the contrary, Yu Suzuki's dream project is focused purely on pleasing the old fans of the series that aged along with the first two games and offers exactly what the third part of the saga would, if it came out 15 years ago. If viewed through that lens, Shenmue III is nothing but a success.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

Dec 30, 2019

Shenmue III is a real treat for fans and the best entry in the series so far. Improvements push the series in the right direction but it's not very friendly for newcomers. However, the overall game is an engaging experience from start to finish. It delivers what was promised by YS NET as the next chapter of the series.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 24, 2020

Shenmue III is exactly what I would have expected to see fifteen years ago, only with much prettier graphics. Newcomers to the series may find the controls, mechanics, and dreadful QTE segments a little frustrating and not at all what you’d expect from this type of game in 2019, but those who have played and loved the originals will feel right at home. I feel the developers have delivered everything they promised within the Kickstarter campaign, offering a new and exciting chapter into the life of Ryo in the search for the man who killed his father. If you go into the game knowing that it’s much slower than titles such as Yakuza, then you’re going to enjoy it a lot more – I honestly had fun despite the abundance of QTE and fund-raising moments.

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80 / 100
Dec 25, 2019

Do not look at the score, if you wonder if you will enjoy Shenmue III, ask yourself if you liked the previous two, ask yourself if you would have enjoyed the third installment if it had been on Dreamcast in its day or today but as a neoretro game running on the latest SEGA console with all the style, freedom and limitations of the two previous installments. Along the way, a somewhat irregular technical wash and some cutbacks as a result of the budget, but which do not tarnish the final result, although it leaves us with the thorn of not having had a totally round result.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2019

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.

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78 / 100
Dec 2, 2019

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

76 / 100
Nov 21, 2019

Shenmue 3 Polarized: For some, it's the fulfillment of a dream, for others it's a frumpy game design in a nicer garb.

Review in German | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2019

Shenmue III is a game true to the past, perhaps too much. Yu Suzuki manages to attract die-hard fans of the original game, but will hardly conquest the heart of the new generation.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Nov 23, 2019

With this episode Yu Suzuki wanted to pay tribute to all the fans of the series, without which, it is useless to hide it, the third piece of the mosaic would never have seen the light. If trying it you will be disappointed for the dated technical aspect and for the now outdated design choices, know that this is how the game would have been if it had been released in 2003/2004, as scheduled. And that's exactly what the fans expected.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Feb 6, 2020

Shenmue III is full of personality with an enticing world that might just have you full head-over-heels as I did, 18 long years ago

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Spaziogames
DottorKillex
Top Critic
7.3 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2019

"Shenmue III is a nostalgia trip done right and a great sequel for all the fans of the franchise, but, at the same time, just an average game for all the younger players who never got to play the first two episodes"

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.3 / 10.0
Jan 20, 2020

Is the game that all fans expected, and at the same time it is not. It has errors, graphically it is out of date, fans will like it but I do not recommend it to new players.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Fextralife
Lanzen
Top Critic
7 / 10
Nov 20, 2019

Beautiful to look at and live in, particularly in its second half, its charm and story mostly overcome its dated roots, except for the capsule game mechanism which spoils the overall experience.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 9, 2019
Shenmue 3 - Easy Allies Review video thumbnail
7 / 10.0
Nov 22, 2019

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.

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IGN Spain
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Nov 21, 2019

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

7 / 10.0
Nov 22, 2019

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

Nov 30, 2019

Shenmue III is a good game, but feels quite dated.

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7 / 10
Dec 16, 2019

Shenmue III is a game lost in time, but that's probably the greatest compliment you can pay this long-awaited sequel. Newcomers will be utterly bemused by its slice of life-style idiosyncrasies, but for franchise fans this is the faithful follow-up that they've been waiting almost two decades for.

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