New Shenmue 3 Screenshots Offer Early Look at Battles, Conversations, and a House

Ys Net has released four new screenshots for Shenmue 3 and provided an update on development of the game. The images, which you can see below, show two battle scenarios, a conversation shot, and a house model.

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According to an update posted on the project's Kickstarter page, the elements used in the screenshots are still in testing and "objects are being used as placeholders." The character model for Ryo is an older one, while backgrounds and buildings will be reworked in the future. The battle scene screenshots were taken from skewed angles to avoid spoilers.

Shenmue 3 development is in its third month and "the story and scenarios are out of the planning stage," the update says. "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."

The development team is currently working on map testing, which will "define the different areas to make sure they are neither too big, nor to small, to get to that Goldilocks zone."

"This consists of looking at the layout of a certain space, and experimenting to make necessary alterations," it explains further. "For example, an outside area may feel too open. That space may be reduced by 20 percent, and the number of people there increased from 10 to 16, to affect the proper consistency and density of the area."

The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter was revealed during Sony's E3 press conference, and it was funded in record time. By exceeding $2 million, a number of the project's stretch goals have also been met. This has effectively expanded the scope of the game to include a skill tree and a rapport system, as well as additional quests and expanded areas.

Series creator Yu Suzuki previously said that, for it to be a "true open world" game, funding would need to hit at least $10 million and provided a way for people to continue donating. Asked about this, Suzuki said he wouldn't be disappointed if that figure wasn't reached as he "will make what [he] can within the budget from your money."

Shenmue 3 is scheduled to come to both PC and PlayStation 4. Sony is helping to market and produce Shenmue 3, but won't be receiving any of the money raised through Kickstarter.

Ys Net has said it is aiming for a December 2017 launch for Shenmue 3.