Gamescom 2017 is proving to be quite an exciting event this year, with Microsoft dominating proceedings with their Xbox One X centered revelations. Still, there is always time for a good old-fashioned trailer and Deep Silver delivered in the form of "Shenmue III," the highly sought-after sequel to the 16-year-old action adventure game developed by Sega Am2.
As both of the original "Shenmue" titles ended up being critical darlings but commercial flops, the third entry in the franchise seemed destined to be stuck in limbo. Due to the grandiose nature of these epic adventures, a considerable budget would be needed to create an even bigger third entry.
This would not only have been a lengthy and costly undertaking, but the series' track record showed that mainstream audiences were just not interested in following Ryo Hazuki's adventures. It created a lose-lose situation for developers, who would need to create a masterpiece to satisfy fans while knowing they could very well end up with a substantial economic loss.
'Shenmue'; a retrospective
Sega AM2's first two "Shenmue" games are a product of the time, in a sense, their animation and gameplay do feel rather stiff by today's standards. With regards to the story, it is presented as a straightforward revenge plot. Players control Ryo Hazuki, who witnesses his father's murder and sets out on a mission to bring the killer to justice.
This might seem like a rather cliche narrative, but the execution is fantastic. The characters are well-developed, making it near impossible for a player to not relate to the young martial artist's struggles.
The gameplay's pacing can be a bit of an issue, as there are a few weird choices that boggle the mind. The sequel improved greatly on most of the first entry's shortcomings, but the open-ended climax demanded at least another sequel to, hopefully, complete the story.
The "Shenmue" games are not like "Halo" or "Uncharted," which can be taken as stand-alone titles, instead opting for the "Lord of the Rings" approach. Fans must have completely given up hope of ever seeing how the story ends, so this new trailer is genuinely exciting.
How does it look?
"Shenmue III's" trailer serves one purpose: to put our mind at rest.
Deep Silver hit all the familiar bullet points associated with the franchise, from the epic Chinese landscape, orchestral music and martial arts-based combat. There is nothing remotely new here, but that is fine. At this point, all we want is more of the same.
