Shenmue III Review: 10 Ups & 6 Downs

3. To Be This Good Took Ages

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Ys Net

The more you play Shenmue III, the more you realise that the game is far, far bigger - and better - than it has any right to be.

Yes, a lot of time has passed, and what was once trailblazing has become blasé, but it's nevertheless worth noting the sizeable and significant difference between Shenmue's SEGA-busting $70 million budget and Shenmue III's crowdfunded kitty a tenth that size. That the game has managed to deliver not just a mere echo of its big money forebears, but a booming reverberation in equal scope and with arguably greater depth - and one not totally out of place on this generation's hardware - is a towering accomplishment.

For the sake of context, consider that the average AAA title developed in 2019 costs somewhere in the region of $50 million to produce - and that's without considering marketing and promotion. Shenmue III whipped up around $7 million - just $2 million more than fellow Kickstarter campaign Mighty Number 9, a project which took half the time to realise. Yes, there were handouts from Sony, and a dodgy under-the-table deal with Epic, but for the most part, Shenmue III is a glowing exemplar that motivation means just as much as money. There are plenty of big budget console games out there which might have greater technical mastery, but struggle to promote even half the soul of Yu Suzuki's passion project.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.