How would you fix Shenmue 3?

I

iknifaugood

Joined
Nov 23, 2019
In the interest of being more constructive/positive rather than just complaining about S3, I was wondering (those of you who think there is something wrong with it), how would you fix S3? I'd like to add that for the purposes of this experiment, you have to work with the story beats that exist in the game, you can't pull from things that were cut (so no Baisha) or future events (because we don't know). S3 needs to begin where it begins and end where it ends however, you can "flesh out" what happens in between (ie: Niao Sun gets named, plays a bigger role etc.). You can also talk gameplay systems; anything that you think is wrong with the game and how you would like to see it fixed.

- I would remove almost all combat from Bailu Village, S3 does this weird thing where Bailu village is at once this peaceful and idyllic place that is also being terrorized by a gang of kidnappers; everyone who's kidnapped would already be gone and the town would be reeling from the attacks. Maybe you could introduce Mr. Muscles and his crazy fighting style right at the beginning but he should beat Ryo up and leave. Ryo would then have to find out where they went.
- Like in S1, Ryo has to ask around for clues to try and figure out who the gang members are, where they went, and why they want the stonecutters. The stuff with Chai and Elder Yeh would stay as the natural end point to Bailu.
- Niaowu would be split between learning about learning to beat Mr. Muscles and finding out where Yuan is. I would also take this opportunity to focus on Niao Sun in disguise more so that her reveal works better (maybe she owns the hotel and puts Ryo up for his stay?), she should also see that Ryo has the phoenix mirror. Niaowu should be a city that's basically owned by the Chi You Men so Ryo can try and figure out where they're operating out of and any fights he gets into should be with Chi You Men suits (similar to Ryo asking about the Mad Angels at the harbor), Red Snakes are out, Chi You Men are in.
- Ryo should learn to beat Mr. Muscles from all 3 side characters, they should all teach him something important and they should all be against the Chi You Men (refusing to pay them or whatever). They can also explain a little bit more about the organization, anything to help explain what's going on between Niao Sun and Lan Di.
- Hard to tell how to fix the Fortress Castle beyond just "expand it". Might be worth moving finding Yuan to the end just before you fight Lan Di. Definitely axe the weird fetch quest for the shop owner.
- I would clarify Yuan's statements about the cliff temple by having Ryo show him the map.

Those are just some rough story structure ideas but here are some quick gameplay fixes:
- Get rid of the stamina/health, damage can be permanent after combat, requiring eating to heal, but Ryo is fit, he can run as much as he wants
- Make gambling normal, you bet money, you win money also Niaowu should have WAY more opportunities for high stakes gambling, it's insane that it's basically the same as a mountain town
- Sparring should always level Ryo up, not just when he has a move

(EDIT) The main things I think are wrong with S3 are the pacing, the lack of focus, and the lack of stakes. Making the bad guys the Chi You Men instantly raises the stakes and focuses the story, getting rid of the bosses who wait for you to learn moves makes them more intimidating, and having the game be shorter overall with fewer steps required to move the story along will make it feel better paced out. S3 doesn't have as much story as S2, it shouldn't be nearly as long.

Just wondering what you would do to "fix" Shenmue 3!
 
Last edited:
For me I think the only thing I needed fixing was the Niaowu story arc.

I said it in other threads so forgive me for being repetitive, but I would've had these things:

- 1 additional cutscene with Li Feng and 1 side quest for her that requires Shenhua to participate.

- 2 more cutscenes with Shiling with one maybe in a random part of the city where Shiling helps Ryo stop some sort of thug.

- Ren explaining to Ryo why he chose to go to Niaowu just to clear up to the fan why he first appears there versus Bailu.

- Longer Lan Di fight.

- Have a longer info dump by Yuan similar to Yuanda Zhu's.

That's it.
 
I Got Sriracha In My DNA said:
For me I think the only thing I needed fixing was the Niaowu story arc.

I said it in other threads so forgive me for being repetitive, but I would've had these things:

- 1 additional cutscene with Li Feng and 1 side quest for her that requires Shenhua to participate.

- 2 more cutscenes with Shiling with one maybe in a random part of the city where Shiling helps Ryo stop some sort of thug.

- Ren explaining to Ryo why he chose to go to Niaowu just to clear up to the fan why he first appears there versus Bailu.

- Longer Lan Di fight.

- Have a longer info dump by Yuan similar to Yuanda Zhu's.

That's it.
Click to expand...
Those changes alone would bump it up at least 1-2 points on a 10 point scale. I would love that
 
I mean this is an interesting thread to say the least but I see no point in really dwelling this over because the things mentioned here would be way too much for a patch unless years later there's a DC or something which I doubt would happen.

The best we can hope for are the simple fixes to some minor issues and QoL changes in potential patches

for that, I'd go with:

>more stable framerate
>less NPC/object pop in
>ease up on the rare capsule rate
>reduce stamina depletion a bit.
>put option for Matrix slowdown mode in easy/normal mode (instead of desperation)
>photo mode
>get rid of 3 yellow health bar enemies in castle mode (they were a joke literally and give them normal health
>extend last two subbosses to actual manual fights before the QTE's for them
>data stat completion in menu mode (letting you know how much fish you caught, how long you played, how many herbs you collected, etc)
>change Niaowu's curfew to 11:30pm
>make a dedicated pause button (not just triangle)
>*Side Quest available! notification when certain main objectives are fullfilled
>skip dialogue feature
>graphical updates on some character models to improve their look
>increase energy replenishment on foods (some are practically useless)
>ability to change Shenhua's outfits based on the dresses you bought
>ability to map movement to the D pad
>lower the time rate for QTE input
>put red white and black mock Air Jordans in prize exchange
 
Last edited:
- Get rid of stamina system
- Get rid of tokens
- Fix the qtes timing
- Remove roadblocks completely
- Highlight the move scrolls I already have
- Cut half of Niaowu
- Make all dialogue skippable, including cutscenes
- Enable pausing cutscenes
- Give Ren a proper introduction
- Give Ren a major role in Niaowu’s story, possibly with a playable part (sneaking section or something?)
- Give Shenhua something to be relevant in Niaowu
- Give Niao Sun’s deception a proper exposure
- Focus on Ryo’s training events
- Give us more fights and more people to fight
- Redo everything about the last part starting from Shenhua’s abduction
 
The lists already have a ton of things I had on my mind, especially the stuff about energy, QTE, curfew, skipping and stats.
And here are the changes I have on my mind that are very easy to implement and improve the experience.

- Area Jump in Niaowu
- Option for "from yesterday" on Area Jump
- Removal of roadblocks in Niaowu happening waaaay earlier
- Remove automatic lift and slow approach on the forklift
- FOV option
- Camera speed option
- Button layout options
- Advanced graphic options on PC
 
Bailu Village
- Add more scenes with Grandmaster Feng and Sun (preferably giving more details on Iwao/Sunming)
- Narratively replace the thugs with Chi You Men
- Make Chai a boss fight
Niaowu
- Honestly, I'd prefer if they cut this instead of Baisha
- Narratively replace thugs with Chi You Men
- Add more character driven subplots (broom girl, the big guy, etc) to actually make them memorable
- Niaosun in disguise needs a goal, have her do something like gain Ryo's trust to deceive him later
Finale
- REMOVE THE PAWNSHOP SIDE QUEST
- Give more context to Niaosun's betrayal
- Ziming Hong please, just put him in the corner or something.. maybe have Ryo say "Xiuying's brother..."
- Ryo questions Lan Di on why he killed his father, tries to convince him that Iwao did nothing and Chi You Men are using him
 
In the castle, the other characters almost don't speak. To me, it's a clear signal that they weren't planned for that section.

I'd redo most of that stage and write decent dialogue for all characters.

Also... only two real boss fights in the game???? The second one should have happened in Niaowu and a 3rd one in the castle. And of course, we're not counting Lan Di as a boss battle...
 
I Got Sriracha In My DNA said:
For me I think the only thing I needed fixing was the Niaowu story arc.

I said it in other threads so forgive me for being repetitive, but I would've had these things:

- 1 additional cutscene with Li Feng and 1 side quest for her that requires Shenhua to participate.

- 2 more cutscenes with Shiling with one maybe in a random part of the city where Shiling helps Ryo stop some sort of thug.

- Ren explaining to Ryo why he chose to go to Niaowu just to clear up to the fan why he first appears there versus Bailu.

- Longer Lan Di fight.

- Have a longer info dump by Yuan similar to Yuanda Zhu's.

That's it.
Click to expand...

Also you should have an epic 2 day journey along the Great Wall leading to the temple just like Guilin in S2.
 
Had the same ideia as you. But, i would not say "fix". I would rather make a fan fiction plot, just to prove they misfire what people love about this game. Reading some threads, i know for sure some fans, knows exactly what Shenmue had to have in order to succeed.
- Make Bailu Village a meaning place for real self discovery for Ryo about the martial arts, ShenHua, Iwao, the mirrors and the prophecy.
+ Martial arts: although confident, he would be defeated, by Mr Muscles, at the begging of the game. Right after they got out the cave, wich i would make playable (sounds like fan service and nostalgic, with definately a trophy for cominng out there), just to give Ryo a clue, about Mr Muscles, who's responsible for Yuan's kidnap. They reach Mr Muscles and we have the first free battle. If we lose, Mr Muscles does a fancy move in Ryo and defeats him. If we win, wich is supposed to be rather rare, once this is the first contact with the new combat system, Mr Muscles does a different and powefull move and defeats Ryo. If we win, we got a trophy. Ryo realize he needs to improve his kung fu skills.
° I would keep the training sessions. The one inch punch training session is fun. But, definately, would have a move, maybe a signature move, that uses the one inch punch. The Rooster step and horse stance aren't fun. They were more of a pain. Woul improve or make other. Maybe a splatter one. Ryo does a "Jean Claude Van Dame" splatter round house kick in Shenmue 2, one of the best QTEs in the game. Anyone knows where is it? lol. He could improve and once again, make a signature move maybe.
° Ryo is in Bailu Village, known as a martial art's practitioners holy destiny for lots of fighters of the wold. Learning just one move, the Body Check, is beyond my comprehension. Ryo learnt more at the docks with Shozo!!!!
° Master Feng would be similar to Xuying in S3. Same feeling. Not exactly. But quite the same. Feng would be compelled to help Ryo, due some of respect for Iwao.
° Master Feng would be responsible for the signature move wich Ryo need to master. He would talk about Iwao. Give tips on locations where Iwao trained. Pretty much Xuying's role.

There's so much i would add. But, i'll leave at that, since this is painfully to me. I have no doubt this was indeed possible and acheievable by the team with that budget. I really feel sorry for this.
 
HazukiFCBR said:
Had the same ideia as you. But, i would not say "fix". I would rather make a fan fiction plot, just to prove they misfire what people love about this game. Reading some threads, i know for sure some fans, knows exactly what Shenmue had to have in order to succeed.
- Make Bailu Village a meaning place for real self discovery for Ryo about the martial arts, ShenHua, Iwao, the mirrors and the prophecy.
+ Martial arts: although confident, he would be defeated, by Mr Muscles, at the begging of the game. Right after they got out the cave, wich i would make playable (sounds like fan service and nostalgic, with definately a trophy for cominng out there), just to give Ryo a clue, about Mr Muscles, who's responsible for Yuan's kidnap. They reach Mr Muscles and we have the first free battle. If we lose, Mr Muscles does a fancy move in Ryo and defeats him. If we win, wich is supposed to be rather rare, once this is the first contact with the new combat system, Mr Muscles does a different and powefull move and defeats Ryo. If we win, we got a trophy. Ryo realize he needs to improve his kung fu skills.
° I would keep the training sessions. The one inch punch training session is fun. But, definately, would have a move, maybe a signature move, that uses the one inch punch. The Rooster step and horse stance aren't fun. They were more of a pain. Woul improve or make other. Maybe a splatter one. Ryo does a "Jean Claude Van Dame" splatter round house kick in Shenmue 2, one of the best QTEs in the game. Anyone knows where is it? lol. He could improve and once again, make a signature move maybe.
° Ryo is in Bailu Village, known as a martial art's practitioners holy destiny for lots of fighters of the wold. Learning just one move, the Body Check, is beyond my comprehension. Ryo learnt more at the docks with Shozo!!!!
° Master Feng would be similar to Xuying in S3. Same feeling. Not exactly. But quite the same. Feng would be compelled to help Ryo, due some of respect for Iwao.
° Master Feng would be responsible for the signature move wich Ryo need to master. He would talk about Iwao. Give tips on locations where Iwao trained. Pretty much Xuying's role.

There's so much i would add. But, i'll leave at that, since this is painfully to me. I have no doubt this was indeed possible and acheievable by the team with that budget. I really feel sorry for this.
Click to expand...


All these people wanting these story ideas; where were they during the process of this game development on Shenmue backer boards offering advice?
I recall I mentioned one thing that should have been fixed; Ryo's face. It at a certain point, was too 'small' (the proportion of his eyes, nose and mouth to his actual head'. I wrote to them in on this, and apparently it got fixed so yeah, where were all these story suggestions because I never saw them.
I know the team didnt offer much in terms of revealing story elements as they went on with development, but if story was such an important factor for you guys, where was all the communication? I didnt see any.
Personally I play the games more for the gameplay and I knew since 2010 this chapter was going to focus more internally on Ryo and Shenhua's character development with their convos

Also check my Baji Quan thread in the spoiler section I made if you want to research that kick you were asking about because I linked a Shenmue 1/2 complete moveset video in it
 
Don’t forget to re-record Ren’s English dialogue with a different voice actor and rewrite some of his garbage, out-of-character lines.
 
Budgiecat said:
All these people wanting these story ideas; where were they during the process of this game development on Shenmue backer boards offering advice?
I recall I mentioned one thing that should have been fixed; Ryo's face. It at a certain point, was too 'small' (the proportion of his eyes, nose and mouth to his actual head'. I wrote to them in on this, and apparently it got fixed so yeah, where were all these story suggestions because I never saw them.
I know the team didnt offer much in terms of revealing story elements as they went on with development, but if story was such an important factor for you guys, where was all the communication? I didnt see any.
Personally I play the games more for the gameplay and I knew since 2010 this chapter was going to focus more internally on Ryo and Shenhua's character development with their convos

Also check my Baji Quan thread in the spoiler section I made if you want to research that kick you were asking about because I linked a Shenmue 1/2 complete moveset video in it
Click to expand...

You can’t be serious...

It’s the fans fault for the story being so bad. I’ve heard it all now.
 
TwiceFriedRice said:
You can’t be serious...

It’s the fans fault for the story being so bad. I’ve heard it all now.
Click to expand...


I didn't say that now did I?
I said if people wanted so much for this story to be a certain way, then they should have been vocally pushing it to have that 'outward' story aspect to it since it was public knowledge that this story would be more focused 'inward' as mentioned by Yu himself 5 years before this game was even announced.
 
Budgiecat said:
All these people wanting these story ideas; where were they during the process of this game development on Shenmue backer boards offering advice?
I recall I mentioned one thing that should have been fixed; Ryo's face. It at a certain point, was too 'small' (the proportion of his eyes, nose and mouth to his actual head'. I wrote to them in on this, and apparently it got fixed so yeah, where were all these story suggestions because I never saw them.
I know the team didnt offer much in terms of revealing story elements as they went on with development, but if story was such an important factor for you guys, where was all the communication? I didnt see any.
Click to expand...
I backed the game and purposely didn't follow any developments beyond trailers because I didn't want anything spoiled. If you wanted Shenmue 3 solely for the gameplay then I'm sorry but you're wrong for wanting Shenmue 3; Suzuki could have made Mueshen: Minigame Hunter as a spiritual successor; the ONLY reason for Shenmue 3 to exist is to continue the unfinished story and I think that was self evident.

Budgiecat said:
Personally I play the games more for the gameplay and I knew since 2010 this chapter was going to focus more internally on Ryo and Shenhua's character development with their convos
Click to expand...
Yu Suzuki also said that Niao Sun would be a major character and that the poem would be explained and there would be a whole other playable area and that there would be 4 bosses including a master tactician, so if you want to go by promises that Suzuki made I don't think it will end favorably for you.

(EDIT) Also this isn't a look inward, Ryo and Shenhua talk a lot about not much in particular. She certainly seems to like him, but she made that known in S2, and he doesn't appear to have any feelings for her. He doesn't contemplate his journey or what he intends to do after, he doesn't learn of his destiny or his place in a bigger picture and he doesn't seem concerned with finding out. He doesn't care much about the mirrors or what they do, he purposely gives up the phoenix mirror without any regard for the consequences, and he doesn't even know what the bad guys want!
 
Last edited:
One big fix would be to give Yuan and Sun far more to say. I feel like a lot of story complaints would be lessened if Niao sun really hammed it up after she took the Phoenix mirror, a few minutes of hinting of the plans for the mirrors and the tension between her and Lan-di.
 
Budgiecat said:
I didn't say that now did I?
I said if people wanted so much for this story to be a certain way, then they should have been vocally pushing it to have that 'outward' story aspect to it since it was public knowledge that this story would be more focused 'inward' as mentioned by Yu himself 5 years before this game was even announced.
Click to expand...

How can we vocalize what our story complaints are when we don’t know anything about the story. Not to mention we had complete trust in Yu. And the whole “inward” thing wasn’t even realized anyway, and also isn’t at the core of our complaints.

Reach harder.
 
I Got Sriracha In My DNA said:
So I've been playing with the Japanese dub and Ren seemed in character to me on my playthrough. Is it different in the English dub?
Click to expand...

Probably. The biggest issue I have is some of his lines seem really out of character. When he first met Shenhua and said “YEOWZA!”, I wanted the character to die immediately.

He also at times seems like a caricature of his character from Shenmue 2. How many times do we have to hear that he only cares about treasure?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top