Today, during Japan Expo in Paris, Shenmue III Director Yu Suzuki hosted a panel about his work and career, and he provided some new and interesting elements about Shenmue III and more.
Suzuki-san mentioned that Shenmue III is a game that provides you with a lot of freedom and that you can really savor over time.
He also explained that playtesters play the game in very different ways. For instance, greedy people play the game in a different way compared to those who are more economically savvy. For instance, the way they make money changes a lot from person to person.
While the objective is the same, Suzuki-san has never seen the same playthrough twice with different playtesters. If he had to summarize the game in one punchline, he’d say that “Shenmue III is a mirror of yourself.”
He also showcased new screenshots, design sketches for the original Shenmue, and a couple of videos.
In the screenshots, we get to see Chai, Lan Di, and the “Panda Market” in the first town. Incidentally, the village really exists. We also take a look at the arcade which will include playable games.
You can check out the images, the sketches, and the videos showcased during the livestream below. Interestingly, the sketches show the evolution of protagonist Ryo Hazuki from his conception to his final form.
Strangely, the videos were showcased in a rather haphazard way, and the second lacked audio. That being said, it’s new footage, so it’s much better than nothing.
As an interesting bonus, a question was asked through a video message by Grasshopper Manufacture’s Goichi “Suda51” Suda. The question was what kind of racing game Suzuki-san would do nowadays. He mentioned that maybe he could make a racing simulation during rush hour. It would use GPS data from the streets of various countries, and the goal would be to get from point A to point B as fast as possible.
The streets would change all the time, making it unpredictable, causing players to drive in very different situations depending on time and place. The main talent wouldn’t necessarily to be fast and good but to figure out the best route from start to destination.
You can watch the recording of the full livestream below.
If you want to see even more about the game, you can also watch another recent batch of screenshots, the previous trailer, and some more gameplay.
Shenmue III will finally release for PS4 and PC on Nov. 19,
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