Shenmue 3 hits Steam today
After a year of Epic exclusivity, it's arriving on Steam
Today, I invite you to go back in time and visit China to search for a little bit of vengeance. Specifically, back to spring 1987, to help a young Ryu Hazuki hunt for his father's killer. Of course, you could partake in a spot of tortoise-racing or chicken-chasing while you're it. That's right, I'm talking about the weird and wonderful world of Shenmue 3, which sheds its Epic exclusivity and arrives on Steam today.
Shenmue 3 originally came out on this very day last year, four years after a fruitful Kickstarter campaign that saw developers Ys Net raise $6 million. It follows on from the story of Shenmue 2 (which came out a whole 19 years ago), with Ryu hanging out in rural China looking for the baddies who murdered his dad - and playing load of odd minigames on the way.
In his Shenmue 3 review, Matthew says the game can be a bit boring, but somehow that only manages to add to its charm: "The mad thing is, for all its creaky ideas and garlic guzzling, I was enraptured for chunks of Shenmue 3. Its laid back rhythm lulls you into a state that few games do, one of such extreme zen/boredom that even the smallest change in pace can feel monumental."
Shenmue 3 hits Steam later today, and will cost just £17 in its launch weekend sale. It's still on the Epic Games Store, too, if you'd rather grab it there.
Elsewhere in the land of Shenmue, in September Crunchyroll announced it's getting a spin-off anime series that Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki himself will help produce.