Games You Like if You Like Shenmue

There is no game like Shenmue completly, but there are some games, that have some Shenmueness in then which I like.

The Adventure Segment of the Franchise is very well presented in the First Life is Strange and Before the Storm.

In that games you are really the part of Living world, and not just a random dude or gal that just comes by chance and your actions have no effects on others.

It also a rather slow paced game at first before the Story really goes crazy.

La Noir has a similar examination System of the items like Shenmue. And I would really wish that the interogation System of the game, would be used in Shenmue. that you have to find out if the People are lying to you or not.

Although have to admit that would not fit really well in the Shenmue lore.

Would be hart to explain why Mr Ryo "I see" Hazuki got so smart suddenly. Would be rather out character for Ryo.
 
I remember Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (PS2/PC) tried to emulate Shenmue's detective gameplay in the Paris levels - Lara Croft even had a notebook.

So, it's a bit like Shenmue then. Only shit.

 
No one didn't mention Way of the Samurai 3 and 4. WotS is very niche and in some way close to mue in sense of very unique gameplay experience. You live the life of samurai and game doesn't help you with anything. This game different then mue for sure but in authentic meaning it's mind-blowing. Love it or hate it. Everything is up to you.
 
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The Touryst on Switch - It reeks of Shenmue.
 
I already made a thread talking about a game which game me similar Shenmue VIbes with Shadow of Memories / Shadow of Destiny:

I think a lot of it comes down to the location, the location really grows on you especially as you go back in time and see the same location layout but with all the differences the age presents. Also, the game has a structure where you have to talk to a lot of the townsfolk to trade items in where you get cutscenes and conversations - much like a point n' click adventure but without the point and click mechanics, so you navigate the areas with the D-Pad.

The game itself is just fascinating, the concept being you have to travel back in time to prevent your death and in these chapters you can pass it via different routes which effect what happens later - it was my first experience with a truly interactive narrative and I highly recommend it!

I missed your original topic, but somewhere in the forums (or maybe on GameFAQs; I can't recall) I plugged Shadow of Destiny/Memories as well! It's a completely different game from Shenmue, and yet it really does have quite a Shenmue vibe to it. You get to really dig into the location and explore and understand it in a way where it feels like a place you've lived, and so years later I still feel pangs of nostalgia for it.

Don't expect a down-to-Earth Shenmue experience, because the game is out there to say the least, but if you want to really dig into a world in a far away time and place, it's definitely worth giving a try. I'd love to see it re-released, if only by Good Old Games, just so it's more accessible.
 
What version of SOM/SOD are you playing? I played the Xbox port first. Never did to get play the Ex chapters because I'm an idiot.

Just recently got the PSP port which has different voice actors for the various roles but the core gameplay is largely the same (some tweaks here and there etc).

Assuming you've played it extensively. You'll no doubt be aware of how amazing the premise is and how unsettling and frenetic it can get when you are close to THE FATED HOUR. All the incidental story and areas of minor interest make it 'feel' a bit Shenmue-esque. The time is a more powerful threat than in Shenmue though.

Been a fan for a long time. Everything from the art style, to the unique voice acting, the music. The multiple endings as well. I personally loved it.

A really good shout.
 
Tracked down a truly too-good-to-be-true ebay listing of Shadow of Destiny. Was a non-PS2 DVD case and scratched to hell despite sold as mint (gave neutral review; can't bring myself to ever being negative haha). Lucky I have spare PS2 cases and can send pay for a professional buffing/resurfacing. Puts a bit of bad juju on the game and I haven't been able to be excited about finally playing; had my eye on it since at least 2004.
 
I first played Shadow of Destiny on PS2 (alas, never got the Xbox version in the States). I purchased a PC copy not too long ago but haven't given it a go. Apparently there are a handful of mods to better the experience, but I'm wonder if I should just go ahead and hit up the PSP version instead. I somehow missed it was even a thing!
 
I first played Shadow of Destiny on PS2 (alas, never got the Xbox version in the States). I purchased a PC copy not too long ago but haven't given it a go. Apparently there are a handful of mods to better the experience, but I'm wonder if I should just go ahead and hit up the PSP version instead. I somehow missed it was even a thing!

I've not heard about the mods, but the PSP version is very serviceable! It does have a new set of voice acting which does conflict with my affection for the original. It also has added new NPC's around the town, the character models look different from the design of the originals so its a little offsetting but it's a great way to play it - As soon as I heard of it on PSP I had to import it! Especially as the PS2 version wouldn't work on backwards compatible PS3's (Would freeze loading Chapter 4). Sadly the Xbox version hasn't been made backwards compatible but I'm still hoping :p
 
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Bully:Scholarship Edition.

I have played it for like 2 hours and so far these are the similarities:
1.Melee combat
2.Drinking Sodas
3.At night you should sleep.
4.You should do some daily activities.(Attending to classes instead of part time jobs)
5.Open world is alive.
6.Being able to talk to everyone.(Either positively or negatively)
7.Currency
8.Some RPG elements like being able to learn new moves.
9.It also have stealth sections with perfects which kinda look similar to that stealth part of Shenmue 1.

Edit: 10.Some new areas will be open up to you when you progress in the game similar to Shenmue.
11.You also have distinct looking npcs similar to shenmue games.
 
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I've not heard about the mods, but the PSP version is very serviceable! It does have a new set of voice acting which does conflict with my affection for the original. It also has added new NPC's around the town, the character models look different from the design of the originals so its a little offsetting but it's a great way to play it - As soon as I heard of it on PSP I had to import it! Especially as the PS2 version wouldn't work on backwards compatible PS3's (Would freeze loading Chapter 4). Sadly the Xbox version hasn't been made backwards compatible but I'm still hoping :p

I saw a mod for widescreen support, and another to replace the dub with the PSP audio. If I ever have the time and energy, maybe I'll do the PC version, then the PSP version, just so I can appreciate the changes.

I'd love to try the Xbox version sometime, if only because of some serious nostalgia for that big ol' console.
 
Deadly Premonition
yep pretty much the first and only one that comes to mind, just gotta keep in mind its a game made on literally no budget and released for 20 bucks, still one of my favs of that generation and I think its amazing how a game that jank and kind of awful in so many aspects can find an audience and reception like it has. The good life seems to be shaping up as a far more polished version of this type of style from the looks of it, and the still unbelievable deadly premonition 2 being kind of a wild card as we havent seen much of it so far.

Also nice that swery seems to actually be pretty recognized nowadays, definitely one of the most unique developers in the medium, the missing was awesome.
 
- Mizzurna Falls: Read somewhere that was Shenmue before Shenmue.

- River City Ransom: Close to Shenmue 1. There is no formal objective in the game so you're wandering freely in a Japanese city and eventually fighting with thugs. I believe "The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa" on Switch is part of the series but I'm not sure.

- Rent A Hero : Okayasu's game. You can say it's the direct ancestor of Shenmue.

- Beyond a Steel Sky: mentioned by Dojo's member Orient

- Legend of Heroes: I read Dojo's Ghostrick saying the game has some kind of autonomous NPCs way better than Shenmue 3.

- Influent: I've no idea of what it is but it was the first game you find when you searched Steam with the Shenmue keyword.

- Kingdom Come Delivrance: Designed by a Shenmue fan. Autonomous NPCs like Shenmue 1.

- Ihatovo Monogatari: Never played but from the review I could read, I instantly thought about Shenmue.

- Heavy Rain: Designed by a Yu's friend. Game heavily focused on interaction.

- Elder Scroll: shops closing at precise hour, autonomous NPCs

- Animal Crossing : It's Shenmue without main story and violence but in real time. I dislike the series but I had to mention it

- Atelier series, SOS The Final Escape and Dreamfall: I don't know why I wrote them on my notebook, totally forgot how they're supposed to be Shenmuish.

I back the other answers: Shadow of Memories, Life Is Strange, Persona 5, Deadly Premonition, upcoming The Good Life, Bully, Jade Empire etc.

To me, the closest is Shadow of Memories.
 
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- Legend of Heroes: I read Dojo's Ghostrick saying the game has some kind of autonomous NPCs way better than Shenmue 3.
Its not autonomous but incredibly scripted, but it is the absolute best example ive seen of handling npcs in any game, it essentially changes the dialogue of npcs every single time anything of note happens and actually develops to give each and every one of them names, relationships, sometimes even character development, and all of this is completely optional if you bother to go out and talk to them, sometimes there will even be totally hidden sidequests and they will even sometimes show up in other games or youll bump into relatives/friends in different states if youve heard about them. And to make matters even more impressive with the insane amount of detail is these arent just npcs rambling on like a normal rpg but they are actually talking to other characters including your party who do bother to interact and talk to them. And I cant stress this enough, like 90% of this stuff is totally optional. When I first played cold steel i didn't talk to them that much and I missed out alot on the game's charm cause of it,

Trails of Cold Steel especially is the most impressive, since you have a sort of hub world in way of a small town with a military academy, the actual students of the academy are all pretty diverse and have very defined personalities and relationships with lots of quests centered around them and small little tidbits and relationships you can find scattered about. When the 2nd game comes about and its more about globe trotting you will actually know the characters well enough to recognize them when you bump into them throughout the world.

I have my issues with these games, but I can only commend them for this aspect cause I cant think of a game that puts this much effort into something so trivial. How many games can you say where the freaking npcs have character arcs.
 
I'm a fan of Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga's Ambition strategy series. Being strategy games, they are obviously totally different games from Shenmue, but the East Asian history setting appeals to me in the same way that Japanese and Chinese cultural elements appeal to me in Shenmue.

Another and again totally different type of game that I like for its presentation of Asian cultural elements is a game called Detention that's an indie Taiwanese horror game set in 1960s. It has a great story that combines the historical setting with horror elements from Chinese mythology.
 
Yeah, Nobunaga's Ambition is a great and complex strategy game. It's not too far away from Shenmue since Baisha was supposed to feature a gameplay based on the "Three Kingdoms".

If you love Chinese culture, I recommend the game "China The Forbidden City" on PC. It's an old and pretty bad Myst-like but the CGI are still stunning and you can read a lot of informative texts about China history. It's possible we will explore the Forbidden City in the future Shenmue games (if they happen).
 
Just reading this and instantly thought of The Nomad Soul, Fahrenheit (aka Indigo Prophecy) and Heavy Rain- well I couldn't remember the name of the former so googled David Bowie videogame.... I remember getting a distinct Shenmue vibe from this game especially... I knew the last 2 were Quanitc Dream but had no idea Nomad Soul was also!
 
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