Shenmue 3 is a game that we hardcore fans have been anticipating for years with no avail. 2015 however saw a change in this with the announcement of Shenmue 3 being in development. 4 ½ years later was when we saw the release of the game on PS4 and Epic Games Store and today (November 19th 2020) we see the release of the game on Steam and GOG. Shenmue 3 takes place immediately after Shenmue 2 with it continuing on from the cliffhanger. Again we are in Ryo’s quest in China to take revenge for his father from the hands of Lan Di. This new chapter goes into more detail with Shenhua, the girl you met in the forest originally in Shenmue 2, with Ryo able to get into more of her backstory when you are resting at her house. More new characters are introduced that help Ryo on his journey who feel like they belong in this game world. I played through Shenmue 3 twice since it was originally released and can say it definitely meets expectations for hardcore fans. It was supposed to be a game for the fans first and it shows for better or worse. Newcomers might want to start with Shenmue 1 & 2 as a litmus test before jumping into 3 because if said players don’t like how those original games play then they will also feel the same way about 3. Hoping for a Shenmue 4 in the future and with the future anime series coming out will maybe bring more interest in the series to make 4 a reality.
