The village itself is a charming setting, too it's filled with interesting landmarks that give it character, like a massive sunflower garden and a small collection of gambling facilities on the riverbed. There are some gorgeous vistas both in and outside of Bailu village, making the day-to-day strolls warm and inviting. In terms of setting, Shenmue III succeeds quite admirably in making the world pleasant to be in. Once that's over with, Shenmue III's story revolves around a small martial-arts village in the middle of China (and later, a larger harbor town), as he investigates various happenings, interacts with the populace, and engages in time-wasting activities like mini-games, gambling, scrounging for herbs, and levelling up his fighting skills. Shenmue III picks up right where the last game left off-as though 18 years haven't passed since players wrapped up Ryo Hazuki's last adventure-resolving Shenmue II's cliffhanger in a way that's surprisingly unexciting after such a long stretch. Unfortunately, while it's fascinating as a weird curiosity from a long-gone era of gaming, it's simply not that fun to actually play.

The truth is much more banal, of course: It's the result of a (sometimes rocky) crowdfunding campaign and the hopes and dreams of a fervent fanbase. It's as though it was beamed here from a parallel universe where the Dreamcast was an ongoing success and early-aughts game design remained the norm decades later. Shenmue III is an anomaly, a game that feels like it doesn't really exist.

Shenmue 3 gamestop