Platform: PlayStation 4 (Via PlayStation 5)
Date Started: July 19th, 2022
Date Finished: December 8th, 2022
Time Played: 20 Hours
"And Thus, the Saga Begins..."
Shenmue, alongside its followups, is my favourite video game of all time. As a series, this is not only unlike anything I have played, but no other game comes close to the adoration I have for it. This first entry, the first chapter, is a wonder of storytelling and exploration thanks to it's magnificent mysteries and character work, captivating cinematic presentation and cosy small town intimacy. It lays the foundation for, and is in and of itself, something truly magical, and each time playing through it is pure joy.
The world and atmosphere is one of the absolute main highlights in Shenmue (although, to me, every aspect is a highlight). What's "exploration" for us, the player, is the familiar for Ryo as we trot around his tiny home town of Yokosuka, investigating the death of his father and talking to all the locals. Being able to chat to every single one of these NPC's, who each all have their own voice, name, background story and daily schedule, exemplifies how immersive this game is, and how perfectly it transports you to this locale.
Shops, restaurants, hair salons, tattoo parlours, bars, gambling rooms, food shops, fortune tellers and more make up this tiny world, and you can see each one of the workers here open up shop at the start of the day and go to their own home at the end of it, as well as their customers visiting with shopping bags in hand. People have lunch breaks, kids play outside and washing is put out on the sun and taken down in the rain. The level of detail is astonishing, even down to the weather being accurate to the time, place and date of the real world location, all something rarely found anywhere else since. It's the single most immersive piece of media I have ever experienced.
Equally magnificent is the story of the game, which, on paper is a fairly simple tale, but it's one that gets more and more fascinating the more you dive in. The mystery of the mirrors, Ryo's father, Lan Di and the Chi You Men are all magnificently enthralling, and the memorable cast of characters you meet and spend time with along the way make your stay in this world ever more mesmerising. The myriad optional scenes and side quests also make sure that there's tons to uncover and even more depth to each character interaction, although I can't say I've ever attempted to play the game without a guide in order to see everything I can!
Combat-wise I always find things tricky in this game because I'm not really good at remembering and learning combos and the like, but I really have a great time regardless, and another of the things I love here is physically training daily in order to level up these skills. All of these small things really add to the immersion once again, as you really bring yourself into the role of Ryo - training, meditating at the alter, checking in on your friends and sparring in the dojo daily, whilst never losing track of your main goal - I will avenge you father!
It's clear that I could gush about this game forever, but I have to stop somewhere before just lose it completely - I didn't even get around to detailing how wonderful a lead Ryo is and how excellent the other lead characters and their relationships are, how untouchable the soundtrack is or how amazing it feels to plod around in the night when the lights illuminate the cosy streets - especially at Christmas when the decorations are up! Suffice it to say, this first chapter in the Shenmue saga is a masterful first entry into my favourite thing the video game medium has to offer, and I can't wait to retread into the next entry.
Date Started: July 19th, 2022
Date Finished: December 8th, 2022
Time Played: 20 Hours
"And Thus, the Saga Begins..."
Shenmue, alongside its followups, is my favourite video game of all time. As a series, this is not only unlike anything I have played, but no other game comes close to the adoration I have for it. This first entry, the first chapter, is a wonder of storytelling and exploration thanks to it's magnificent mysteries and character work, captivating cinematic presentation and cosy small town intimacy. It lays the foundation for, and is in and of itself, something truly magical, and each time playing through it is pure joy.
The world and atmosphere is one of the absolute main highlights in Shenmue (although, to me, every aspect is a highlight). What's "exploration" for us, the player, is the familiar for Ryo as we trot around his tiny home town of Yokosuka, investigating the death of his father and talking to all the locals. Being able to chat to every single one of these NPC's, who each all have their own voice, name, background story and daily schedule, exemplifies how immersive this game is, and how perfectly it transports you to this locale.
Shops, restaurants, hair salons, tattoo parlours, bars, gambling rooms, food shops, fortune tellers and more make up this tiny world, and you can see each one of the workers here open up shop at the start of the day and go to their own home at the end of it, as well as their customers visiting with shopping bags in hand. People have lunch breaks, kids play outside and washing is put out on the sun and taken down in the rain. The level of detail is astonishing, even down to the weather being accurate to the time, place and date of the real world location, all something rarely found anywhere else since. It's the single most immersive piece of media I have ever experienced.
Equally magnificent is the story of the game, which, on paper is a fairly simple tale, but it's one that gets more and more fascinating the more you dive in. The mystery of the mirrors, Ryo's father, Lan Di and the Chi You Men are all magnificently enthralling, and the memorable cast of characters you meet and spend time with along the way make your stay in this world ever more mesmerising. The myriad optional scenes and side quests also make sure that there's tons to uncover and even more depth to each character interaction, although I can't say I've ever attempted to play the game without a guide in order to see everything I can!
Combat-wise I always find things tricky in this game because I'm not really good at remembering and learning combos and the like, but I really have a great time regardless, and another of the things I love here is physically training daily in order to level up these skills. All of these small things really add to the immersion once again, as you really bring yourself into the role of Ryo - training, meditating at the alter, checking in on your friends and sparring in the dojo daily, whilst never losing track of your main goal - I will avenge you father!
It's clear that I could gush about this game forever, but I have to stop somewhere before just lose it completely - I didn't even get around to detailing how wonderful a lead Ryo is and how excellent the other lead characters and their relationships are, how untouchable the soundtrack is or how amazing it feels to plod around in the night when the lights illuminate the cosy streets - especially at Christmas when the decorations are up! Suffice it to say, this first chapter in the Shenmue saga is a masterful first entry into my favourite thing the video game medium has to offer, and I can't wait to retread into the next entry.