Shenmue III Review Summary

Stunning graphics and visuals: The game features high-quality graphics and beautiful visuals, with improvements noted especially on PC. The environments are richly detailed and visually stunning.

Shenmue charm and nostalgia: The game retains the unique charm and feel of the Shenmue series, appealing to fans of the prequels and offering a nostalgic experience.

Enjoyable and addictive gameplay: Players find the gameplay enjoyable and addictive, with solid combat mechanics and a variety of activities to engage in.

Unique and authentic atmosphere: The game provides a unique atmosphere and authentic experience, capturing the essence of the original games and offering a beautiful representation of Chinese culture.

Rich story and characters: The game offers an interesting story with a wonderful cast of characters, providing rich character development and a continuation of the Shenmue narrative.

Poor story pacing and development: The story is criticized for its slow pacing, lack of progression, and unsatisfying ending. Many players feel the story is sluggish, lacks depth, and does not conclude properly.

Boring and slow gameplay: Many players find the gameplay to be boring, slow-paced, and antiquated. The gameplay loops are weak, and the overall experience is mundane and frustrating due to poor controls.

Clunky combat mechanics: The combat system is widely criticized for being clunky, poorly designed, and frustrating. Players report issues with combat movement, character speed, and overall combat mechanics.

Repetitive and tedious tasks: The game includes repetitive dialogue, fetch quests, and grinding tasks that players find tedious and time-consuming.

Does not match previous games: Players feel that the game does not live up to the standards set by its predecessors, Shenmue 1 and 2. The combat system and overall experience are seen as inferior.

Sequel maintaining series style: As a sequel, the game maintains the style of the first two games but introduces revamped combat that some find less effective.

Story-driven and slow-paced: The game is noted for its story-driven gameplay and slow pacing, which contributes to an immersive experience.

Combat mechanics central to gameplay: The game heavily features combat mechanics, including a turn-based combat system and core gameplay mechanics that are frequently discussed.

Variety of mini-games: Mini-games and side activities, such as fishing and arcade games, add variety to the gameplay.

Comparison to Shenmue 2: Players compare the game to Shenmue 2, noting similarities and differences in feel and gameplay.

Optimization issues: The game is reported to be badly optimized, leading to performance issues and stuttering despite adequate technical performance.

Poor voice acting and subtitles: The voice acting is criticized for being bad or rough, and the subtitles are considered terrible.

Frustrating controls and menus: Players find the controls frustrating and the menu system inadequate, leading to poor operability.

Mixed graphics feedback: While some players praise the graphics as a huge jump, others criticize them as technically limited and lacking customization options.

Technical glitches: There are reports of reflections disappearing with external tools, cut scenes blacking out, and music cutting off.

Recommended for franchise fans: The game is highly recommended for long-time fans and those emotionally invested in the Shenmue series. It may not be as appealing to casual fans or new players, especially at full price.

Recommended for specific player interests: The game is suggested for players with specific interests such as slow-paced narrative-driven games, retro games, beautiful scenery, mini-games, and those looking for a relaxing experience.

Buy on sale or at lower price: Many reviews suggest purchasing the game only when it is on sale or priced at a certain lower threshold, such as 10,000 won or less, to get the best value.

Play previous games first: To fully understand and appreciate the game, it is recommended to play the previous games in the series or at least watch gameplay of them.

Install mods for better experience: Certain mods, like the Kiwami mod, are recommended to enhance the gameplay experience.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00.

Game completion: 40.0h.

Story completion: 36.0h.

Session length: 20.0h.

Shenmue III starts off slow and tedious but becomes more enjoyable after the initial hours, particularly when players engage in various side activities and mini-games.

Reported time to anchor: 2h.

Friction: Slow story pacing; Tedious tasks; Dated mechanics; Unskippable animations.

Nostalgic Franchise Loyalist: Patient and willing to endure grind and slow pacing for the sake of the story and nostalgia. Motivation: Continuing the story and reliving the nostalgia of the Shenmue series. Stance: sale.

Patient Explorer: Exploratory and patient, willing to engage with slow pacing and routine tasks. Motivation: Experiencing a unique, immersive game world. Stance: deep sale.

Frustrated Achievement Hunter: Completionist and critical, often frustrated by the game's grind and mechanics. Motivation: Overcoming challenges and achieving completion. Stance: no buy.

No Steam Cloud support: The game lacks Steam Cloud support, which is a notable drawback for players who use multiple devices or want to back up their progress.

High-quality Korean patch: The game includes a well-received Korean language patch, which enhances accessibility for Korean-speaking players.

Large data capacity: The game is noted for its substantial data capacity, which may indicate a large amount of content or high-quality assets.

Tolerable with trainer: The game experience is considered tolerable when played at 2x speed with the aid of a trainer, suggesting some players find the normal pace unsatisfactory.

Backed on Kickstarter: Several players pledged support for the game from day one on Kickstarter, showing early commitment and interest.