Sonoshee
Account Removed at Users Request
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2018
- Favourite title
- Shenmue
- Currently playing
- Cookie Cutter
IGN talk to Yu Suzuki in a new article released today, November 1st:
Yu Suzuki Talks Shenmue 4, Air Twister, and 40 Years of Game Development - IGN
IGN speaks to video game developer legend Yu Suzuki about Shenmue 4, Air Twister, and more.
www.ign.com
“I want Shenmue 4 to be enjoyable for newcomers,” he said. “To make that possible, the most important thing is to make it enjoyable without knowing previous events in the story. I don’t think that a new player wants to know 100% of the story. 20 or 30% could be enough. In Shenmue 3, we implemented a digest movie that teaches the player the main events of the previous games, but for Shenmue 4 I want to integrate that part into the main game. It would be great if the player could naturally learn about previous events just by playing the game. For example, rather than watching a separate movie, having playable flashbacks could be a way to do it.”
For a long-running game series, making a sequel inviting for inexperienced players is always a big task, especially for a story-focused series like Shenmue. Once in a similar position, the Yakuza series made a shift by releasing Yakuza 0 in 2015. This prequel became a turning point for the franchise, especially in the West. We asked if Suzuki had thought of a similar approach for Shenmue.
“Yes, I have. I cannot go into detail at this point, but it is something I have been thinking about,” he said. “I think recreating the streets of Dobuita with modern visuals on a new engine alone would make it worth doing. It also connects to the topic of not simply expanding in size. Making an even more detailed Dobuita than the original Shenmue is an interesting idea, especially if it’s not a remake but a prequel with a new story.”