Shenmue III Review: 10 Ups & 6 Downs

2. Exhausting Stamina

Shenmue III Stamina
Ys Net

Shenmue fans will tolerate an awful lot - they're Shenmue fans, after all - but the all-new Stamina system is an innovation not just ill-advised. It's actively discouraging.

In Shenmue III, Ryo Hazuki has developed some sort of wasting disease, possibly from lightly brushing against a poisonous weed whilst hiking through Guilin. This means that, no matter what he's doing - even if he's just standing in one spot, rocking from one foot to the other - his HP will continuously drain. Running - and you'll want to do a lot of running - accelerates the process of decay, until it reaches a point when Ryo has to eat something or else, in his words, he'll "fall over".

A stamina system which limits you from legging it at full pelt continuously is not uncommon in many modern games, and it's actually a perfect fit for a series which began life with a sharp focus on realism. Unfortunately, the execution in Shenmue III makes an already slow game a painful trudge. The point is to force players to restore health by stockpiling food, making use of the game's excellent economy. More often than not though, it's just a frustrating impediment. Need to fight someone to continue the story? Too bad: your HP has dropped too low getting there. Failed said fight? Wait till tomorrow, or eat five bulbs of raw garlic.

That's not realism: it's just a chore.

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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.