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Shenmue 3 is coming... next summer Picture: SEGA/Ysnet METROGRAB

Shenmue III – bigger, but will it be better?

The new Shenmue will take multiple weeks to complete claims its creator, as he reveals a number of returning mini-games.

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If it keeps its current release date then Shenmue III will be out in just over seven months, something that still seems hard to believe given how improbable the sequels existence seemed just a few years ago.

But despite the huge anticipation there are still concerns that even though millions have been raised from crowdfunding the game doesnt quite have the budget to pull off the modern day sequel fans are imagining.

Director Yu Suzuki has been trying to downplay these worries though and during a recent promotional tour claimed that the sequel would be much larger than the previous games.

According to translations on the Shenmue Dojo forums, Suzuki stated that while the originals could both be completed in a week the new one would take multiple weeks.

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That means you could potentially be looking at a game that is two or three times bigger than the Dreamcast originals, although its hinted that some of this is post-game and optional content.

Suzuki also discussed the combat, which he described as varied, richer, and more playable while still being accessible to all types of players. Despite this he also said that the game is more hardcore than its predecessors, due to the larger size and increased freedom.

He also confirmed the return of mini-games such as Lucky Hit, Excite QTE, capsule toys, and forklift racing – but warned that others would be replaced with more interesting ones.

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Suzuki also revised a comment he made in 2017 about the game having a 70/30 split between old and new ideas, saying that the mix is now closer to 50/50.

Its unclear from the translations exactly what the new concepts are but at one point he seems to be talking about branching narratives and side quests that are more closely integrated into the main story – which was supposed to be the case in the originals but was not possible at the time.

If nothing goes wrong then Shenmue III will be released on PlayStation 4 and PC on August 27.

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