Random Shenmue III Thoughts

I just finished my third playthrough and the first one since 2019...Surprisingly my opinion didn't change after all this time, still think it's a great game overall... End game still bums me out though, even with low expectations.

It's so weird... Maybe Ryo got KO'd hard by muscle guy and everything after their first encounter is a kind of fever dream? It feels that way for sure
 
I just finished my third playthrough and the first one since 2019...Surprisingly my opinion didn't change after all this time, still think it's a great game overall... End game still bums me out though, even with low expectations.

It's so weird... Maybe Ryo got KO'd hard by muscle guy and everything after their first encounter is a kind of fever dream? It feels that way for sure
I’ve only played and beaten game twice (strolled around different sections of game every now and again) and I think divorced from my expectations and anticipation I appreciated the game even more.

Yet as you said given the rushed nature and haphazard ending it deflates what is a relatively faithful Shenmue experience, especially Bailu village which I really enjoyed.
 
I was recently thinking about complaints that S3 doesn't advance the plot as, say, S2 does, but I recall my pre-S3 playthrough of S1 in which the granddad at the antiques' shop states explicitly that the Phoenix Mirror is of Phantom River Stone and from Guilin.

I've been too busy to replay and sneak a screencap from S1, but it reminds me of a point @danielmann861 made*: in the narrative sense, this series is at times a detective series. Ryo's too hot-headed to remember things. That's not always satisfying for those of us who are adults now, but-- so long as it isn't cheap writing-- I can appreciate YS trying to recreate that sense of youthful mindlessness.

(*not to force you into this, just to give you credit)
 
I really want visit Guilin someday; probably out of all the Shenmue locations it is the one that I want visit the most.

I was fortunate to have visited Guilin as a child. It’s really such a serene and interesting landscape and even as a small kid it had a big impact on me.

It’s sort of ironic, I lived in China as an expat just as the country was allowing foreigners to come in and played Shenmue 6-7 years later as a teenager. I was always struck how it was able to authentically capture those small elements and moments that one would only really know having lived there or done extensive research. I should probably make a topic about it one of these days.
 
I was fortunate to have visited Guilin as a child. It’s really such a serene and interesting landscape and even as a small kid it had a big impact on me.

It’s sort of ironic, I lived in China as an expat just as the country was allowing foreigners to come in and played Shenmue 6-7 years later as a teenager. I was always struck how it was able to authentically capture those small elements and moments that one would only really know having lived there or done extensive research. I should probably make a topic about it one of these days.
Really interesting, would be nice to know more about your time in China, if you want to share with us. I really want to visit Guilin someday.

One day i created a thread here to share photos, videos, informations and much more about Guilin, here is the thread if you want to see. Real Guilin (Photos and Videos) | Shenmue Dojo
 
Did Ren's characterization felt a little off to anyone else? I can't help but think he was more "comic relief" than how I remember him in 2.
Exactly how I felt. I was really looking forward to seeing what they would do with Ren in 3, but all his scenes before the finale felt really strange to me. It’s hard to put into words exactly what I thought was odd about it, but that feeling is definitely there.
 
It wasn't enough of a difference for me to care too much about. His cockiness and attitude is still there. My gripe is that he was hardly given any screen time o_O
 
Yeah, I did notice the difference in Ren's personality. I think that this was a deliberate choice because at this point Ren is already established as Ryo's friend. Shenmue II characterized him differently because in that game he started out as a dangerous gang leader who literally tried to murder Ryo when they first met. Ren underwent a lot of character development and by the end of the game, it was obvious that they had truly become friends in spite of the fact that Ren was still largely motivated by greed.

I think that in Shenmue III, they wanted to make it clear from the start that he was a "good guy" and an ally to Ryo despite their clashing personalities. So he was more of a sarcastic, greedy foil to Ryo and maybe not quite as serious as he was in Shenmue II. He was characterized more as a jokester and didn't seem as angry or mean as he did throughout much of Shenmue II.

I feel that the change in English voice actors also reflects this, as Eric Kelso's portrayal of Ren was much more gruff sounding. I think he also smiled a lot more in Shenmue III.

This slight change in Ren's character didn't really bother me though. I saw it as a mostly logical progression of their friendship. The dynamic is still pretty similar; Ren just acts more friendly now that he has already developed a deep fondness, admiration, and respect for Ryo (even though he would never admit it). They still disagree on a lot of things and Ryo is still slightly wary and untrusting of Ren. But if Ren is going to be one of Ryo's companions from here on out, I don't think it would make sense for them to constantly be at each other's throats.
 
Sorry for being a constant Star Wars nutjob.

I recall Yu Suzuki said he's quite the movie fan, more so than being a fan of video games. Am I seeing some resemblance in the chosen archetypes of the main trio here?

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The Hero (Luke/Ryo)

The Hero is a courageous yet impulsive, naive and borderline arrogant character who has answered the call to adventure from their humble hometown which leads them into a larger world. They seek to fulfil both an inner and outer quest (complete their warrior training and defeat the greater evil, respectively) while having a personal interest with the main antagonist over the death of a father-like mentor. The Hero is also an extremely kind-hearted individual who will do anything to help their friends.

The Companion (Leia/Shenhua)

The Companion is defined by being the brains of the trio, the one who will set the two men in the group straight if needed (e.g. stopping the Hero's recklessness and making him think, reprimanding the Outlaw for his behaviour). While starting off as a "damsel in distress", she goes on to subvert the "damsel" trope by asserting her own strengths (e.g. Shenhua 'easily breaking' Yanlang).

The Outlaw (Han/Ren)

A scoundrel who is the more entertaining member of the group in his roguery which is fuelled by his own self-interests. His criminal nature juxtaposes the more upstanding character of the Hero, and his continued presence in the story further emphasises the Hero's elevated morals. The Outlaw initially detests the other two members of the trio, and his motivations for joining the adventure are entirely selfish: a pursuit for riches. However, the Outlaw's character will gradually become more righteous as he begins to fight for the greater good (i.e. saving Ryo at Castle Niaowu).


Maybe I'm reading too much into things, but it's interesting to spot these similarities in fiction and makes me appreciate how the character dynamics might play out in future games. For instance, I can already see Ryo, Ren and Shenhua chatting inside a Baisha house at nightfall in Shenmue 4 with Ren bragging about his past criminal conquests and how amazing he is because of them, and Shenhua just rolls her eyes at him thinking he's an idiot.
 
"There is an ultimate end to the quest, but it will have a sequel. It's easy if you imagine Star Wars. You get to the end of a complete story with each film, but it's only part of a bigger version", Suzuki reveals. "You know Episode I? Well, this game is the same as Episode I. I have a very big scenario for Shenmue - sixteen chapters in all - and this is only the first. We've just finished chapter one, and I have many ideas for the other fifteen already. It's a long story."

Yu Suzuki on Shenmue. Official Dreamcast Magazine, November 1999.
 
"There is an ultimate end to the quest, but it will have a sequel. It's easy if you imagine Star Wars. You get to the end of a complete story with each film, but it's only part of a bigger version", Suzuki reveals. "You know Episode I? Well, this game is the same as Episode I. I have a very big scenario for Shenmue - sixteen chapters in all - and this is only the first. We've just finished chapter one, and I have many ideas for the other fifteen already. It's a long story."

Yu Suzuki on Shenmue. Official Dreamcast Magazine, November 1999.

Yu Suzuki's original vision has 16 chapters or 11 chapters? sometimes I saw him saying that the story is 11 chapters, we saw 11 cards in the concept arts. Sometimes I see on the internet people saying about 16 chapters, at this point i don't know anymore what is Yu Suzuki's original vision.
 
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"There is an ultimate end to the quest, but it will have a sequel. It's easy if you imagine Star Wars. You get to the end of a complete story with each film, but it's only part of a bigger version", Suzuki reveals. "You know Episode I? Well, this game is the same as Episode I. I have a very big scenario for Shenmue - sixteen chapters in all - and this is only the first. We've just finished chapter one, and I have many ideas for the other fifteen already. It's a long story."

Yu Suzuki on Shenmue. Official Dreamcast Magazine, November 1999.
Wow, never knew that, that's amazing! :love: Don't even get me started on Lan Di slowly being revealed to be a sympathetic villain.
 
I'm really loving this guy's Shenmue 3 stream; check this part that starts at 52:40; you wont regret it :ROFLMAO:

 
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