Its relative merits and inherent quality – it contains flaws that are all too apparent, but could be the result more of underfunding than poor development – can be debated ad infinitum. But surely nobody would disagree that its status as a preserved-in-aspic relic of what games were like nearly twenty years ago provides a unique opportunity to add some context to today’s games industry.
Related: Review: Shenmue 3 is the sequel fans have been waiting for
Playing Shenmue III with modern games in mind raises a number of issues and observations. The first thing that leaps out at you when you fire it up is how slow it is. Sure, in 2001, there were already plenty of games that offered non-stop, wall-to-wall action, but it’s something of a revelation to find a game in 2019 that builds so slowly and methodically, revealing its game-world bit by bit and unfolding its many game mechanics one by one.
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