Inside the Mad Creation of Shenmue 3 Part Two (Topic)

We continue to translate reports from Game Informer reporters who went to Ys Net to talk about the history behind Shenmue 3. Last time we talked about how the Shenmue series came about, how it died and was resurrected on Kickstarter.

A stranger in a strange city

As in previous parts of Shenmue, players can investigate as they see fit. The game has a lot of activities to distract from detectiveism. Guilin is rich in entertainment, with more than 140 shops, galleries, hotels and temples. Players can spend hours of in-game time playing pachinko-style mini-games, working part-time as a forklift [this is what I understand the return of the legend - WorldOfTopics], fishing on the waterfront, collecting herbs or looking for collectibles in the game.

As Ryo wanders the streets of Guilin, we immerse ourselves in the local city life. The aromatic steam comes from the grill of a local food vendor, and a group of monks practice their martial arts in a nearby courtyard. We walk past the couple and listen to their quarrel about why they don't like their hotel, and then we hear how the husband promises to buy his wife whatever she wants. Ryo peers into the windows of a nearby apartment building and catches a man in the mirror. Finally, at the end of the street, Ryo enters the local arcade where he can kill time playing various entertainment and digital arcade games. One boxing game invites the hero to test his strength by hitting soft targets. Across the room is a parody of Virtua Fighter.

However, often our rest will be interrupted by random events, for example, during a full-scale brawl in a bar. Shenmue's original combat system was based on Virtua Fighter and seemed a little daunting to those who weren't playing fighting games at the time. On the other hand, combat in Shenmue III has been completely overhauled and looks less demanding on your skills than in the previous two games

“We've redesigned the Shenmue III combat system from the ground up. It has become much more fun and easier to play, even if you have few skills. We use some AI elements, so even if you just randomly click the buttons, something meaningful will happen, ”Suzuki says.

“Without practice, we took up the game and easily climbed the tournament ladder among all opponents. Our first rival is a short guy with a shaved head. He attacks with several quick hits, but we dodge to the side and use our own combination, entering from the open side, he falls to the floor. Ryo's movements seem natural and responsive, and we have no problem with simple combinations of light and heavy attacks.

Our second rival is an elderly monk with a pompadour and a thin mustache. Despite his age, he looks more impressive than the first rival. Fortunately, Ryo has a few more tricks up his sleeve. In addition to traditional combos, Ryo can use several ready-made attacks that can be performed by pressing the right trigger. Players can choose which attack is set to the combo button. These attacks have a very large spread in application speed and damage. We will use the pre-created combination for us to break through our opponent's defenses and knock him down.

After a few matches, Ryo starts to run out of steam. Luckily, we can use our inventory to eat different health regenerating foods. Naturally, Ryo can also upgrade his fighting style and boost his basic attacks by training or participating in local tournaments. It remains to be seen if the story of Shenmue 3 will be as exciting, but at the end of the demo you feel that the game has never been at this height, "says a journalist for Game Informer.

Between truth and lie

“To be honest, I don’t play many other games. If you say you love Chinese food, you probably mean that you like to eat it, but I like to cook, not eat. Often in the gaming industry, the guys who create games also love to play games. But in my case, I really just love to create them, so my methods are very different from many developers "- admits the game designer before lunch.

A special feature of Shenmue is its attention to the details of everyday life. Players can get lost in the game world or collect figures from machines that will give them nothing. Fans appreciate these quirky aspects of Shenmue, not because they stretch the game, but because these tiny details evoke a deeper sense of believability. The Shenmue world is not real, but it seems to be.

“For Shenmue III, I wanted to create something so realistic that you could subconsciously smell the flowers in the countryside or the humidity in the air. If it were possible, I would like to convey the smells from the game ”- says the game designer.

Telling this during the demonstration, Suzuki drew the attention of journalists to the weather effects. The game designer notes that when it starts to rain, the droplets form small circles on Ryo's jacket. The weather system may seem pretty standard for a modern open world game, but these little details worry the writer. Later, while researching Ryo's hotel room, Suzuki says players can make international phone calls to characters from past Shenmue games.

The hero can open every box in his room and inspect everything that is in it, even if it doesn't make sense for the story. When players want to add something to their inventory, the character must pick each item up individually and physically move it to their pockets.

These little details can add a tremendous amount of realism to Shenmue, but they are also flaws that other developers sacrifice to keep the pace of the game going. Suzuki simply does not see how you can make such a game differently. “In the real world, if you see a door and want to open it, you open it.

In the real world, you can touch and move whatever you want. Since I don't play other games, it seems natural to me to interact with the whole environment. The key word is realism. Shenmue does not necessarily correspond to reality, but everything that happens in it is also a reality that can be trusted, as if it is almost real. This is what I call entertainment. Somewhere between the truth and the lies of the reality we are trying to get into. People may think that I am trying to create something real, but this is not really our world, but rather a new reality that I am creating. ”

What are we waiting for

Yu Suzuki is not your usual game creator. Several times in the report, he admitted that he does not like playing video games. In fact, Suzuki had never played them before joining Sega. Moreover, he accepted a job offer from Sega because the company offered more leisure time than others. Whether Suzuki is right or not, he is still a game designer who knows what he wants. He doesn't care how other developers make their games, but he knows exactly what game he wants to make. And that's why Shenmue gives players the experience of Ryo Hazuki's life that way, with action-packed action packed with everyday moments.

“I think Yu Suzuki came to a head when he created the original Shenmue,” says Payton. “You can see him trying to be innovative. Whether it's the nature of an open-world game, or the need to plan your day, or the ability to interact with the world in unique ways, he added all of this to the overall feeling of simulation. I think it was a little confusing for players and critics, but like many great works of art, over time we can look back and understand how special the Shenmue dilogy was. ”

With a relatively small budget, Suzuki is set to release another game that matches the form he created 20 years ago. Shenmue III features a more advanced graphics engine and improved combat system, but the core gaming experience consists of the very little things that people love to play for. Yu Suzuki doesn't care how the industry has developed over the past 20 years. He knows what he wants. What's more, he knows what Shenmue fans want.

The Game Informer journalist ends with a story about how he and Suzuki walked around Chinatown in Japan. The game designer took them to one of his favorite restaurants.

“We offer him to take a gyoza, but Suzuki waves it off, takes the menu and is about to order food for us. After all, Yu Suzuki is a person who knows what he wants. We don't eat gyozu that night, but the food is incredible. ”

Read Part 1 Inside the Mad Creation of Shenmue 3

The Topic of Article: Inside the Mad Creation of Shenmue 3 Part Two.
Author: Jake Pinkman