SHENMUE 3 PS4 SERIES

It’s unspoilt, tranquil and dare I say, very enticing to spend hours in. While Japan was very bleak with its browns and greys in Ryo’s hometown, Bailu is like something out of a Studio Ghibli movie.Įven though it’s set in 1987, it’s as if time has forgotten about the village.

SHENMUE 3 PS4 SERIES

How deep was that cut?ĭon’t compare this to other titles the character models seem to be a little dated, but that’s because it’s paying homage to the Shenmue series and I have to say, the visuals are gorgeous so far. I would happily spend my time punching a wooden man all night, but it gets to about 9 pm then poor little Ryo thinks it’s late. It’s not because of change, but there’s already the restriction of time ticking by. You can refill this through sleeping like in the old games, or by purchasing food to restore it. That’s right, Shenmue 3 introduces a mechanic where each time you run around, or perform an action such as training, you’ll lose stamina – primarily your health. So far, Shenmue 3 is very much a grinding game (through choice) as it’s wise to build your stats early on, but also to earn money to buy new skills and to fill your stamina gauge.

This increases your staying power (ladies) and means you can take a few more hits. Secondly, you can improve your stamina with mini-games such as the horse stance or the one-inch punch. You get three special moves to start with then unlock more with a skill book. You won’t die in the process, but your level will go all the way up to 11, which is considered a mastered move. Like any martial art, practice means perfect, so to do this, you need to spar with another practitioner and repeatedly pull off the move. Movements are mastered through practice, which means repetition. Get to the ranking stage in a local dojo, and you can spam it with R1. Press a combination of X,O,O and he’ll do a special move during a sparring match with an ally. Fighting here is a little faster, and you can button mash a little more, but combos are where it’s at. The combat isn’t like the underwater fighting from the originals – the Virtua Fighter model (I liked it, despite my description). The same applies here as Ryo encounters masters and their disciples and learns a few dance moves along the way. With Shenmue 3, it’s more of a focus on kung fu, seeing as it’s based in China rather than Japan. Ryo grows up with the skills taught by his father but gradually introduces kung fu moves to form his own style. If you’re brand new to the series, Ryo’s is a jiu-jitsu expert. It’s a bit of an opus, but to shorten it a bit, Ryo ends up in China. Along the way, he encounters numerous people to interact with – some of which can give him clues to who Lan Di is, others can teach him some martial arts moves. His old man pops his clogs soon after and Ryo sets out to avenge his death. You play Ryo Hazuki, who returns home one day to find his father mid-battle with a mysterious figure named Lan Di. For the first time, you could play a character in an open world doing some of the most monotonous things, but for some reason, it was captivating.

When Shenmue was released back on the Dreamcast in the late 90s, it blew many away. When is Shenmue 3 out on PS4? Right… about… NOW! Therefore, I’ve shoehorned this post into a First Impressions one just so that I can give some folk an idea on what this anticipated sequel (can you say that about a third title) is like.Reunited after almost two decadesĬrowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit – A New Franchise? At least until the school run.Being one of the lucky few to get an early copy, there still wasn’t enough time to really make a dent in this.

Shenmue and the sequel are two of my favourite titles of all-time, so now that Shenmue 3 has finally hit shelves, I feel it appropriate to lock myself in the house and banish all humanity for eternity.

Shenmue 3 ps4