Even if there was no shortage of qualities to satisfy longtime fans of Shenmue, Shenmue III also had no shortcomings. And some of these have clearly prevented the game from attracting a new audience. Contrary to what some people claimed his subject, the creator of the game is not stuck in the past and is clearly aware of what Shenmue III was and has a good idea of what he would like to change in his sequel.
read also: TEST of Shenmue III: The adventure that fans were waiting for
Once is not custom, Yu Suzuki granted a long interview Esra Krabbe ofIGN Japan. During this interview, translated into English by the site Phantom River Stone, the game designer returns at length to Shenmue III, the reviews received by him and what he would like to offer in Shenmue IV.
About the budget for Shenmue III, many things (often false) have been said. If Ys Net managed to get $ 7,179,510 via crowdfunding, the game's budget was not limited to. Yu Suzuki reveals here an approximation of the total budget which benefited the development of the game:
The initial promise made to the backers was a Shenmue with a budget of two million dollars. But in the end, various partners were found and I changed plans many times, while I was already building the game, so as to achieve the best possible result. In the end, the budget reached a scale of around $ 20 million. One more zero was therefore obtained (laughs).
those who criticize Shenmue III for not benefiting from the level of achievement that the first Shenmue had in its time, Yu Suzuki expla ins that the financial reality of the project simply did not allow it:
If the goal was to reach the level of Shenmue polish in Shenmue III, I think we would have used the full budget just in Bailu Village.
Yu Suzuki believes that despite this budget, a real Shenmue game could be proposed. Even if Shenmue III suffers, in some ways, from the comparison with current games, the game's creator explains that there is a reason for:
It may not be at the level of other AAA titles at different levels but I have given everything in order to do everything I can. Since Shenmue III is completely different from recent trends, I expected that there would be some level of dissatisfaction among players accustomed to playing recent games. But we can't do anything against it because I created the game for the fans who supported him and me for 20 years. Fan satisfaction is extremely high, and this is something that I am very happy about. If we had more leeway, I would have spent time and money on requests from other players in addition to making sure I satisfied the fans. But doing Shenmue III for the fans was all I could do.
The famous Japanese game designer still intends to create Shenmue IV. If the latter is born, it is possible to expect a number of changes:
If there is an opportunity to create Shenmue IV, and I think there will be one, I know what needs to be done to satisfy casual players (Yu Suzuki means players who are not used to Shenmue, editor's note). So I would like to create a game that makes them happy too. (…)
(I'd like to improve) all kinds of things, like adding quest markers, enhancing the quick move and time hopping features, as well as making the interface clearer. I would like to offer a more fluid experience to people who want to advance quickly in history. If the amount of content is similar to that offered in Shenmue III, then you could progress in the game 1.5 times faster.
Shenmue vs The World
Despite these claims, Yu Suzuki wants to reassure fans by saying that despite these changes, he would do things so that the feeling of a Shenmue game is preserved. Economic imperatives as they are, he recalls that he must however ensure that his next game is also a commercial success:
With Shenmue III, I really answered the voices of the fans with my heart. So I was not specifically looking for big profits. That said, for my company to remain open, we have to think about creating a product that will sell. The best way to do this is a subject about which we have had great discussions. (…)
The way people who do not know Shenmue have had to perceive Shenmue III is something which, from a commercial point of view, must be understood is not it? So I analyzed what the new players didn't like. I made various thoughtful assumptions about what they meant in their comments and gave them my sincere consideration. But it was painful (laughs).
Open world games have been omnipresent in the gaming landscape for several years. Proposing such a type of virtual world is therefore not enough to stand out. To deal with this, Yu Suzuki is considering a solution that risks spilling a lot of ink:
This time, rather than wanting to play an open world game at all costs, it could be interesting to play a game that takes place in confined areas. (…)
I am a technologist. So I want to try to do new things, even if they are not flashy. For example, I want to make the movements in a narrow space more fluid than in the games released so far. The narrow places are more immersive but the narrow paths cause many problems like getting stuck.
Shenmue IV in the viewfinder
Elsewhere in this interview, Yu Suzuki gives some hints as to the changes he would like to make to the game system in a possible Shenmue IV:
I have looked at different titles as part of my research. There are many systems that would not suit Shenmue. And even though they might not work in Shenmue as it is, they do have some things we can learn from. (…)
With the quest markers, I would like to distinguish the main quest from the side quests, show where to change money or where you can fight. But in order not to eliminate the need for exploration, I would like to have a system that does not reveal too much with a display that evolves once you have obtained the information. (…)
In order to make the time jump more freely accessible, I would like to make it possible to sit on a bench. By doing a, the player would activate a wait system allowing time to advance, for example. (…)
Everyone has talked about the lack of mugs (in Shenmue III). So I'll add mugs in the next one (laughs)! (…)
I have taken into account all the comments from the players. So I also want to completely update the facial animations. (…)
Also, if there aren't enough people, it doesn't look like it's happening in China. So I would like to increase the number of characters who roam the city simultaneously. For a city the size of Niaowu, I would like the population to be four times as dense.
One of the aspects of Shenmue III that has caused a lot of talk and has even generated criticism among fans of the series is its history, and more particularly what some have perceived as a weak progression of the latter. Yu Suzuki also spoke about this subject and what he would like to do in Shenmue IV:
In Shenmue IV, I want the side quests to go deeper. The relationships between the inhabitants of the city will be told in more detail via the annex quests. (…)
And in terms of the main story, the backstory holes will be quickly filled. For example, I would like to tell the story of Shenhua, show the type of person that Ren is and solve the mysteries that have been created so far.
All these statements have something to intrigue fans of Shenmue. But will Yu Suzuki manage to fund Shenmue IV as he believes? What is more, with a budget allowing it to achieve its ambitions? Impossible to say yet. The latest news is that Shenmue IV has not been announced. According to the boss of the parent company of Deep Silver, Shenmue III has come back on its own but still remains a niche product.
What do these Yu Suzuki statements inspire in you? Do you find them encouraging? Do you think he has learned the lesson of the critics of the place of Shenmue III? Do you think it could still attract a wider audience with Shenmue IV? Let us know in the comments below.
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