The tone of Shenmue III compared to the other games

[Aman]

I felt like Ryo was a bit more of a sarcastic jerk in this game. In the first two you could tell when he got impatient or annoyed but it took longer for him to get to that point and i felt the same way he did. In this game when he does i didn't expect it or see a reason for his reaction.

 

[danielmann861]

I've only played it with the Japanese dub. I really can't be assed to even bother with the English dub. So for me, Ryo felt the same as he always has in the Japanese dub. In fact, it felt really comfy to just slip right back in and feel like not a beat was missed.

But from what I've heard of the English dub in the Easy Allies playthrough, I'd say the big difference is that Corey Marshall seems a little too self aware about his performance as opposed to the first two games where there was no real self awareness. That to me is the big difference I've heard.

Not a fan of that English dub. Some of the NPC's are fine. But I couldn't stand Corey or Brianna. Much prefer their Japanese counterparts.

I will say my one disappointment with Bailu was the fact that the villagers seemed rather receptive of you too easily. With the exception of Elder Yeh and Shenhua's little boy toy crush, everyone just seemed way too receptive of you. I was kind of looking forward to earning their trust as had been teased by Yu with the affinity system, but I don't know what the hell happened to that system.

The humor didn't bother me too badly. The first two games have their moments as well that are either intentionally or unintentionally amusing. Honestly, the things that seemed to bother others didn't bother me that greatly. Even the humor in the final confrontation with Lan Di (which I know was a sore point for some) didn't bother me...I laughed my ass off when Ren delivered that one swift kick and thought "that's our Ren!"

I don't know...I can't say it bothered me too badly. Maybe the different tone is reflective of Ryo's mood starting to change. As for Ryo being more sarcastic? I didn't take sarcasm rather I took it as him being baffled by his surroundings.

 

[chaikilla]

The tone of the third game seems to be distorted by the fact that the team seemed to take the whole 'for the fans, by the fans' thing way too far.

Because of this, they shoehorned lucky hit vendors, gatcha machines and an arcade into what is supposed to be a village where people live rather primitively. Instead of giving 3 it's own identity, Yu's team seemed to try to borrow from the old games far too much. This had a negative effect for me, because Bailu (while I did enjoy it) didn't feel unique to me. I'm pretty sure the original intention for Bailu was to place Ryo in an environment where technology didn't exist (Shenhua was amazed that Ryo used machines in one of their talks in the second game). Bailu was probably originally intended to be an experience far different from what we had experienced prior but in the end it just became China's equivalent of Dobuita. The toned down mysticism killed a lot of my intrigue in Bailu, also.

I think the game really would have profited from toning down on the fan service because it was a real immersion killer at times. An arcade/gatcha machines/pawnshops in Bailu, the Wu Shen temple in Niaowu, the backer chiyoumen, etc. I would have been way happier with easter eggs as opposed to direct, in your face, reminders that we were playing a backed game.

One other thing that irks me is that I can always remember the unique selling point of Shenmue being that it is 'NOT AN RPG' but rather a 'F.R.E.E' game. The third game moves towards traditional rpg style sidequests that require the player to complete some kind of fetch and carry mission (e.g. collect 5 herbs or collect items x, y and z). The charm of the old games was that events occurred much more organically. For example, to learn brawling uppercut you'd have to work at the harbor while you were raising the money to meet Ren. Not only you do gain a new move but the event adds a new dimension to Ryo and Delin's relationship (well, it did for me). Contrast this to 3 where everything is a little more 'gamey', blinking icons to highlight a side quest that usually ends in you receiving some item that's rarely of importance, for an npc you have no connection with.

 

[orient]

I thought the humour was one of the game's strengths. Ryo's dry replies to all the women (and men) making moves on him were genuinely funny. Mr. Su was hilarious. The game made me laugh (on purpose) many times. The only moments that were borderline "too silly" for me were the aforementioned broom-whacking of multiple bad guys in the Old Castle (one would've probably been fine, they just dragged it out too long) and Ren's kick to the face...although that was so absurd that it almost worked

Overall the tone was fine for me. There were lots of serious moments, too. Removing the humour would just make the game more bland.

 

[marcrollins89]

The direct interactions with silliness aren't too bothersome; it seems more modern anime style. I don't even like anime, but it didn't bother me. It seemed more like inside jokes and fan service, and after almost 20 years I can understand why they wanted to take that approach. Like having capsule toys of the characters in the game? Ryo SHOULD be "why is there capsule toys of Shenhua and Ine-san?" but it didn't bother me.

I mean, c'mon, the game has always had these tones. Tomato Mart? It's a pun: Tomato Mato is how it's said in Japanese. Yuan in Shenmue 2 is the transgender/gay crossdressing lover of Don Niu... On the tapes, while listening to the wire tapping recordings there's literally a vagina joke.

Shenmue has always had this kind of stuff.

I LOVED the silly joke of Chai's family picture.

Does Shenmue 3 have a bit more humor? Yeah, maybe, but Japanese culture and media has changed since 1999.

I didn't mind it and it feels like a good continuation of the first two. Plus the shrine maiden using her broom at the castle assault was adorable as anything. haha

 

[iknifaugood]

I don't really have a problem with the humor per se, as others have pointed out it was present in the first 2 games, my problem is with how pervasive it is, and how little dramatic stakes there are to balance it out. Most key story sequences have an air of comedy to them (Shenhua getting information out of the Mongolian, the rich couple in Niaowu, bosses that let Ryo get away and try again etc.) which clashes with the urgent premise of the story--finding Shenhua's kidnapped father. Furthermore, nearly every action sequence contains some level of Kung Fu Hustle-esque physical comedy, which was not at all how the previous games handled it.

In a vacuum it wouldn't have really bothered me all that much but the tone exacerbated the sense that this was a "filler episode" where nothing much of consequence happens, so don't take it too seriously; but that just doesn't jive with me. This is Shenmue 3, these games are supposed to be telling a sequential story that is building towards something, so let's not pretend that the last game didn't give Dou Niu (a nothing boss in the grand scheme of things) a more epic showdown where the stakes were somehow higher, than Lan Di.

Removing the humour would just make the game more bland.

I agree with the sentiment, but adding proper dramatic stakes would also make the game less bland. Chewie didn't kick Boba Fett in the face for the lulz in Empire Strikes Back before Luke fought Vader and I don't think its inclusion would have strengthened the scene.

 

[orient]

I agree with the sentiment, but adding proper dramatic stakes would also make the game less bland.

Not arguing that, I just don't think we ever would've got there with III, so it was nice to have the humour there to add flavour to an otherwise fairly slow and inconsequential script -- even if I did enjoy some of the more plotty, back-story stuff.

 

[iknifaugood]

I just don't think we ever would've got there with III, so it was nice to have the humour there to add flavour to an otherwise fairly slow and inconsequential script

It's funny because I agree that the story feels inconsequential, but in terms of the main plot, way more happens in S3 than S2 and S1. Let's compare:

S1: Ryo's dad is murdered, he finds out about his secret trip to China, then finds the Phoenix Mirror and goes to China.
S2: Ryo finds Lishao Tao and Yuanda Zhu, learns a bit about the mirrors, and meets Shenhua.
S3: Ryo learns the origins of the mirrors, gives the Phoenix Mirror away, and fights Lan Di!

If S3 really leaned into how momentous those events are, it absolutely could have felt like Empire Strikes Back. The biggest problem is that S3 buries the lead and most important things happen in rapid succession at the very end after almost no build up, so they barely register. Why don't you think S3 would have gotten there?

 

[orient]

It's funny because I agree that the story feels inconsequential, but in terms of the main plot, way more happens in S3 than S2 and S1. Let's compare:

S1: Ryo's dad is murdered, he finds out about his secret trip to China, then finds the Phoenix Mirror and goes to China.
S2: Ryo finds Lishao Tao and Yuanda Zhu, learns a bit about the mirrors, and meets Shenhua.
S3: Ryo learns the origins of the mirrors, gives the Phoenix Mirror away, and fights Lan Di!

If S3 really leaned into how momentous those events are, it absolutely could have felt like Empire Strikes Back. The biggest problem is that S3 buries the lead and most important things happen in rapid succession at the very end after almost no build up, so they barely register. Why don't you think S3 would have gotten there?

I think "slow and inconsequential" can 100% be applied to vast swaths of I and II as well. I wasn't trying to single out III in that regard, or for it to sound overly negative. It's basically the series' signature narrative style. The slow burn and the focus on the mundane really elevates the more action and plot-heavy parts, when done well.

I guess where the difference comes in for me, when comparing III to I & II, is the narrative pacing and the amount of character moments. The mystique ramps down in the second half (with a rapid flurry of excitement at the very end), and there aren't many characters you can just check up on and get to know, which makes a big difference to how I enjoy these games and their stories.

I & II have their own issues but they at least adequately build up before they crescendo and send the player on the next phase of the journey.

Ultimately, I don't think III has the level of character building and interaction that's required to establish really high emotional stakes. They did a decent job towards the end with Shenhua, as I did feel the urgency to save/protect her...but that's because she's the only character you spend decent time with in III.

That's a roundabout way of saying, "in a game that doesn't really build towards much in its second half and lacks meaningful character interaction (again, mostly in its second half)...humour is a welcomed addition as far as I'm concerned"

 

[Aman]

lacks meaningful character interaction (again, mostly in its second half)

So true. I just realized this morning how S3 is more like S2.5. In S2 you meet so many new characters that you feel like you really get to know and are memorable, but in S3 who are the most memorable new characters? The old master you bring wine and dumplings to? The fat kung fu master? The shrine maiden? They were paper thin one dimensional forgettable stereo types. Even S1 had characters that you didn't interact with as much as the characters in S2 but they still left an impact (Tom, Goro, Mark).

 

[gladias9]

Let's be real here. Even when there was character interaction, it was with generic NPCs you didn't care about aside from Shenhua.
No one in the entirety of Shenmue 3 comes close to the level of depth as Goro, Nozomi, Tom or.. hell even Ryo's friend Naoyuki who comes to Ryo's house to check on him and later lends him a motorcycle.

Bailu Village was definitely better than Niaowu but it was still mediocre.