The long awaited third installment of SEGA's cult classic Shenmue titles, Shenmue 3, was announced for release only a few months ago. Despite the short period of time, a set of screenshots released by developer YsNet have hinted some of the game features of Shenmue 3. Despite the alleged budget cuts on the game, the impressive screenshots have never showed any sign of being short on budget for the game development.
YsNet recently posted a game update on the development of Shenmue 3 on its Kickstarter page. Screenshots showing some features of the game suggests that the developers are currently working on map testing. Such testing, as reported by VG 24/7, could help the developer team discern whether an area is too large or too small by looking at the layout. It was also showed that all the elements of screenshots appear to still be in testing with objects. According to YsNet, the Ryo used in the images is an older version which was taken in a specific angle to avoid spoilers. First announced during Sony's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Press Conference, it was reported that the game's funding closed over 6.3 million USD.
According to Game Director Yu Suzuki, he wished that he could have more money to realize his full vision to the game. So far, however, there is little to complain about, he added. Techno Buffalo speculates about the budget cut of maybe affecting Ryo's face or having a smaller map, but the site surprisingly did not see it from the quality of the screenshots. However, it can be seen from the raw screenshots that much is still under development.
The game's project organizers, in an explanation, said: "The story and scenarios are now out of the planning stage and it is time to get the people, places, and things to start fitting together into a world with proper dimension, adequate space, and appropriate scale to keep the feel and essence of all that is a Shenmue game." At present, crowd funding was able to break the record of 2 million USD in pledges. Digital Trends reports that the game already earned over 6 million USD from the initial round of funding and is continuing to solicit pledges through an individual funding campaign.
Control Ryo Hazuki as he travels from Japan to Hong Kong in search of his father's murderer in YsNet's Shenmue 3. The game is scheduled to release on December of 2017 for PS4 and PC.
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