Shenmue III Review: 10 Ups & 6 Downs

9. Corey Marshall's Unwavering Performance

Ryo Shenmue III
Ys Net

Though his flat entreaties as to the whereabouts of sailors and speakers of the ancient language of Chinese have been meme-ified to high heaven, the suggestion that Corey Marshall's monotone rendition of Ryo Hazuki is an example of terrible video game voicework sort of misses the point.

The truth is, whilst objectively a bit naff, Marshall's Ryo is absolutely perfect. The Hazuki sprog's almost unflinching stoicism and inability to understand human emotion (see how many female flirtations he entirely fails to register) practically demands his robotic, scarcely human delivery. Would he sound right any other way?

Absolutely not, and Marshall, an endearingly self-deprecating friend of the fandom, knows it. It may not have been the intention of the inexperienced actor in 1999, but bringing his A-Game - ie, his F-game - absolutely was in 2019. If Ryo had suddenly started thesping like Simon Callow, just for being stuck in a cave for ten game minutes, the illusion would have shattered. Marshall's faithful voice is just another part of the game's incredible transportative charm.

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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.