Shenmue 3 is a game that many people thought would never happen. After nearly 18 years of waiting, fans can finally continue the story of Ryo Hazuki. With such a huge amount of time that’s passed, many people might be wondering if Shenmue 3 is open world?
Is Shenmue 3 Open World?
The original Shenmue was a defining game on the Sega Dreamcast, and at the time, the most expensive game ever made.
At a time before the open world genre, Shenmue helped create an explorable world with NPCs that had defined schedules that they’d stick to.
Shenmue 3 sticks to the style and design of the original games to a tee, presenting you with an open world-like area to explore. But it’s not the kind of typical open world game you’re thinking of.
There’s no checklist of quests or anything, but you will be able to roam around the world as you see fit, to a degree. Certain sections will be blocked off until you advance further in the main story.
Don’t go into Shenmue 3 expecting a vast world to explore every corner of, but there is plenty to see and do. You can play gambling minigames like turtle races or lucky hit. You can search for herbs and make money doing jobs. Or you can help villagers out and take on a few sidequests.
Just to sum up the answer quickly.
Shenmue 3 is indeed an open world game, but not quite in the way most modern games are. Its world is a smaller contained area that you can wander around in, much like the first two Shenmue games.
If you need any tips or walkthroughs while playing through the game, make sure to check out our Shenmue 3 guide wiki. It has plenty of helpful info, like how to block or how to get the herb map.
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