Shenmue
1999
- role-playing (rpg)
- simulator
- hack and slash/beat 'em up
- adventure
- fantasy
- historical
- sandbox
- open world
- single player
The story
"He shall appear from a far Eastern land across the sea. A young man who has yet to know his potential. This potential is a power that can either destroy him, or realize his will. His courage shall determine his fate. The path he must traverse, fraught with adversity, I await whilst praying. For this destiny predetermined since ancient times... A pitch, black night unfolds with the morning star as its only light. And thus the saga, begins..." This first chapter of Shenmue kicks off Yu Suzuki's cinematic Dreamcast tour-de-force, an exploration-heavy adventure that has players immerse themselves in Yokosuka, Japan. Players slip into the role of a young martial artist named Ryo Hazuki, who is on the trail of his father's killer. On the way, players must talk with hundreds of characters, engage in martial arts battles, and marvel at the realistic depiction of the Japanese coastal town.
What it’s like
Slow, lived-in daylight over a Japanese harbour town: long unhurried walks down narrow streets, pale autumn sun, sea wind and gulls, and in the evenings the warm amber of shop lamps and vending-machine glow against dusk. The camera trails the protagonist at a human pace, and the whole place seems to breathe around him, with shopkeepers, dockworkers and kids going about their business while the day ticks forward on a real clock. The score is sparse and wistful, with soft guitar and piano loops that fall away into the sounds of traffic, footsteps and distant ferries. Tone is quiet melancholy edged with patient suspense, the kind of unhurried mood that suits a long autumn evening alone or a slow weekend with a controller. Pacing is deliberately measured: long stretches of wandering, talking and small chores, broken by sudden, brief scuffles and quick-time moments. Violence is occasional and short, with stylised martial-arts fights and a few sombre, dark moments around a killing; there is no gore, and the sexual content is minimal. Emotionally it follows a grieving young man methodically chasing answers and slowly growing into his own resolve. It suits players who love atmosphere, slow exploration and immersive worlds more than fast action.
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