Random Shenmue III Thoughts

One random Shenmue III thought that popped into my brain a couple days ago:

I wonder if the most relevant story event from the game, which IMO is the Phoenix mirror getting in the hands of Niao Sun, was also the end of the game in the original plan, and thus was moved ahead from the Baisha segment to the castle in Niaowu.

Or maybe not. The Baisha chapter was originally hinted to be as some kind of strategy war between factions of the Chi You Men, and I can perfectly see Niao Sun getting hold of the Phoenix mirror being the trigger of it all.

I guess the combat between Ryo and Lan Di was probably moved ahead, since it makes little sense to happen in Niaowu (what business had Lan Di there, anyway?). And maybe Niao Sun trying to kill Lan Di by burning the place was also going to be a Baisha event. But the Phoenix mirror changing hands fit Niaowu completely.

What do you guuys think?
 
One random Shenmue III thought that popped into my brain a couple days ago:

I wonder if the most relevant story event from the game, which IMO is the Phoenix mirror getting in the hands of Niao Sun, was also the end of the game in the original plan, and thus was moved ahead from the Baisha segment to the castle in Niaowu.

Or maybe not. The Baisha chapter was originally hinted to be as some kind of strategy war between factions of the Chi You Men, and I can perfectly see Niao Sun getting hold of the Phoenix mirror being the trigger of it all.

I guess the combat between Ryo and Lan Di was probably moved ahead, since it makes little sense to happen in Niaowu (what business had Lan Di there, anyway?). And maybe Niao Sun trying to kill Lan Di by burning the place was also going to be a Baisha event. But the Phoenix mirror changing hands fit Niaowu completely.

What do you guuys think?

In your last paragraph you have hit what for me (and for others) is one of the biggest problems with how the game ends. Niao Sun says "Lan Di is waiting", and... sure enough, he is. But WHY is Lan Di waiting?! Lan Di doesn't care about Ryo at all. He only wants the Phoenix Mirror, and it's unclear whether he knows Ryo has it. Even if he does know Ryo has it, I don't think it's in Lan Di's character to sit there and let Ryo bring it to him. As we have all seen in the bad endings of all three games, if he knows Ryo has the mirror, he just rocks up and takes it.

Now, the thing is, with a slight tweak, this CAN be made to work a bit better. Niao Sun is an expert manipulator and given she knows about Ryo having the Phoenix Mirror, she probably also knows that Ryo will blindly do pretty much anything if he thinks it can get him closer to avenging his father. She also knows that although Lan Di will certainly defeat Ryo, the fight would take at least a few minutes, increasing the chance that Lan Di doesn't escape the fire. Therefore what would have been better would have been if Lan Di clearly WASN'T waiting for Ryo when he and Ren kicked their way in. It would have been more in character for Lan Di and also another layer in Niao Sun's manipulation of Ryo and betrayal of Lan Di.

Perhaps the fact Lan Di is chilling on a sofa behind closed doors with some henchmen was supposed to imply he wasn't actually waiting for Ryo, but if this was what they were going for, I think perhaps they should have made it a bit clearer. "Lan Di is waiting" at face value doesn't make sense to me.
 
Following on from the above post - funnily enough I did not have the gripe that so many people online did about the fact Ryo cannot hit Lan Di. On the contrary, for reasons that others have covered in detail, I think the story wouldn't make sense if Ryo COULD hit Lan Di at this point.

I was far more bemused at the beginning of the game when I lost my first fight against the scrawny pail throw guy and got a journal entry in which Ryo bemoans the fact he is "no match" for him... a bit of a comedown from beating the best street fighters in Kowloon and an actual giant on the Big Ox Building roof.
 
In your last paragraph you have hit what for me (and for others) is one of the biggest problems with how the game ends. Niao Sun says "Lan Di is waiting", and... sure enough, he is. But WHY is Lan Di waiting?! Lan Di doesn't care about Ryo at all. He only wants the Phoenix Mirror, and it's unclear whether he knows Ryo has it. Even if he does know Ryo has it, I don't think it's in Lan Di's character to sit there and let Ryo bring it to him. As we have all seen in the bad endings of all three games, if he knows Ryo has the mirror, he just rocks up and takes it.

Now, the thing is, with a slight tweak, this CAN be made to work a bit better. Niao Sun is an expert manipulator and given she knows about Ryo having the Phoenix Mirror, she probably also knows that Ryo will blindly do pretty much anything if he thinks it can get him closer to avenging his father. She also knows that although Lan Di will certainly defeat Ryo, the fight would take at least a few minutes, increasing the chance that Lan Di doesn't escape the fire. Therefore what would have been better would have been if Lan Di clearly WASN'T waiting for Ryo when he and Ren kicked their way in. It would have been more in character for Lan Di and also another layer in Niao Sun's manipulation of Ryo and betrayal of Lan Di.

I completely agree with your tweak. In fact, it's little tweaks like these what differentiates good writing from bad writing IMO. And I'll always say that the main beats of the Shenmue III story are perfectly fine. The problem lied on how they were delivered.
 
In your last paragraph you have hit what for me (and for others) is one of the biggest problems with how the game ends. Niao Sun says "Lan Di is waiting", and... sure enough, he is. But WHY is Lan Di waiting?! Lan Di doesn't care about Ryo at all. He only wants the Phoenix Mirror, and it's unclear whether he knows Ryo has it. Even if he does know Ryo has it, I don't think it's in Lan Di's character to sit there and let Ryo bring it to him. As we have all seen in the bad endings of all three games, if he knows Ryo has the mirror, he just rocks up and takes it.

Now, the thing is, with a slight tweak, this CAN be made to work a bit better. Niao Sun is an expert manipulator and given she knows about Ryo having the Phoenix Mirror, she probably also knows that Ryo will blindly do pretty much anything if he thinks it can get him closer to avenging his father. She also knows that although Lan Di will certainly defeat Ryo, the fight would take at least a few minutes, increasing the chance that Lan Di doesn't escape the fire. Therefore what would have been better would have been if Lan Di clearly WASN'T waiting for Ryo when he and Ren kicked their way in. It would have been more in character for Lan Di and also another layer in Niao Sun's manipulation of Ryo and betrayal of Lan Di.

Perhaps the fact Lan Di is chilling on a sofa behind closed doors with some henchmen was supposed to imply he wasn't actually waiting for Ryo, but if this was what they were going for, I think perhaps they should have made it a bit clearer. "Lan Di is waiting" at face value doesn't make sense to me.
I had always interpreted that as Lan Di not knowing they were coming and Niao Sun manipulating Ryo. I don’t know if that was definitely the intention when creating the scene, but it’s what made the most sense when I first played it.
 
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I had always interpreted that as Lan Di not knowing they were coming and Niao Sun manipulating Ryo. I don’t know if that was definitely the intention when creating the scene, but it’s what made the most sense when I first played it.
Yes, it works better if that’s what they were going for. I hope it was.
 
I've been thinking about writing a blog post regarding Shenmue III and the importance of routine. I don't know, maybe it's because I've been on a bit of a lifestyle change lately and have been building a routine around fitness (or trying to lead a better life). But the more I think about Shenmue III in regards to the routine I'm building in my own life, the more I realize there is something to be written there about the misunderstood genius of III's gameplay and just how much it stresses the importance of routine.

I should go and open Google Docs and start writing while I have this spark of an idea. Because I don't get them very often :ROFLMAO:
 

And it's written. Enjoy. If anyone should read it.
 
Great stuff, Dan!

And I can agree with that: routine is usually a good thing, but if it starts to wear you down, something needs to be switched up.
 
Your article has been a pleasant read, Dan. I don't know if you practiced martial arts before but you sure have a martial artist heart and spirit.
 
Like previously with ducks, there's a deeper meaning at the presence of chickens in Shenmue III. It tells us how YS feels about it, because the chickens try to catch fly but they don't. Like Shenmue. Shenmue is a chicken or at least that's what Yu-san implies, don't shoot the messenger.
Edit: I really know Shenmue its a tree
 
Like previously with ducks, there's a deeper meaning at the presence of chickens in Shenmue III. It tells us how YS feels about it, because the chickens try to catch fly but they don't. Like Shenmue. Shenmue is a chicken or at least that's what Yu-san implies, don't shoot the messenger.
Edit: I really know Shenmue its a tree
You shared deep knowledge with me. Thank you.
 

And it's written. Enjoy. If anyone should read it.

Just read this, nice work Daniel.

I recall my first playthrough being very aware of how structured/routine based the game felt. Obviously I quickly learnt the importance of training in Shenmue 3 (I think most players do after initial encounter with the bookie). It will be interesting to see if that emphasis on training is continued in Shenmue 4 or with two companions and the cliff temple confrontation if other elements are explored.
 
My new post is on the blog now.

In this post i imagine the Shenmue III Definitive Edition/Director's cut edition, a version of the game that i would love
to see, i think that with this additions the game would have been even better.


1674486002358.png

I'm on my second playthrough of Shenmue III and now i love the game even more, i'm playing on PS5 and the game is so much better this way.

Shenmue III is a gorgeous game, sometimes i even stop running with Ryo so i can enjoy the scenery, the locations and the graphics of the game more. The effect of the rain on the floor and on Ryo's jacket is so beautiful, i love these details in the game.

The game is so beautiful, It is sad that we don't have a photo mode in the game, i wish we could have a photo mode similar to what we have in Shenmue II.

In Shenmue III everything feels connected and we have so many things we can do in the game, i love all the new additions and to me the gameplay of Shenmue III is the best gameplay of the Shenmue series so far, i just feel that if the game had character development for the side characters, Baisha, and some more story scenes like flashbacks of Iwao in Bailu Village with Sunming Zhao the game would have been even better.

I'm trying to platinum the game, looks like it will take a long time but it will be worth it, i have the platinum of Shenmue I & II, i want for Shenmue III as well.

Shenmue III is one of my favorites games of the PS4 generation. 💚
 
My new post is on the blog now.

In this post i imagine the Shenmue III Definitive Edition/Director's cut edition, a version of the game that i would love
to see, i think that with this additions the game would have been even better.


View attachment 17589

I'm on my second playthrough of Shenmue III and now i love the game even more, i'm playing on PS5 and the game is so much better this way.

Shenmue III is a gorgeous game, sometimes i even stop running with Ryo so i can enjoy the scenery, the locations and the graphics of the game more. The effect of the rain on the floor and on Ryo's jacket is so beautiful, i love these details in the game.

The game is so beautiful, It is sad that we don't have a photo mode in the game, i wish we could have a photo mode similar to what we have in Shenmue II.

In Shenmue III everything feels connected and we have so many things we can do in the game, i love all the new additions and to me the gameplay of Shenmue III is the best gameplay of the Shenmue series so far, i just feel that if the game had character development for the side characters, Baisha, and some more story scenes like flashbacks of Iwao in Bailu Village with Sunming Zhao the game would have been even better.

I'm trying to platinum the game, looks like it will take a long time but it will be worth it, i have the platinum of Shenmue I & II, i want for Shenmue III as well.

Shenmue III is one of my favorites games of the PS4 generation. 💚
Agreed wholeheartedly, it's a stunningly beautiful game and easily one of my favorites of the 8th gen too, shortcomings and all. I get why people get a little anxious whenever we bring of the idea of a S3 Director's Cut, responding with "4 needs to come first" and all that. Still, a S3DC built on top all the combat additions and engine updates of an S4 would be truly fantastic and a relatively economical way to pull in additional cash for an S5.

Of course, the hard part is getting S4 greenlit...
 
In the Hu Xiao temple when Ryo was leaving the temple the monk gave for Ryo the skill book of the move Thunder Palm.

When Ryo asked why the monk said... "You look like you're from Japan. And your appearence suggests that you're a martial artist. A martial artist once visited this temple a long time ago. This is something that martial artist dedicated to the temple. It can only serve its purpose if you possess it."

When Ryo looked at the skill book he saw a few kanji, he made a surprised face, the game didn't translated the kanji

As far as i know the meaning of the 3 kanji from up to down is the name Hazuki Iwao 芭月 巌 and the other 2 kanji i don't know the meaning, someone can correct me if i'm wrong.


Move.jpgRyo.jpg

In my opinion the monk saw Ryo and probably immediately remembered about Iwao. When Master Feng saw Ryo he said that Ryo is the spitting image of Iwao, probably the Monk thought the same thing and decided to give this skill book to Ryo.

This skill book even appear on the key items of the game, that means it's an important item.

The game didn't translate the part when Ryo saw the skill book but as far as i know it really is Hazuki Iwao, probably the skill book was from Iwao.

In Shenmue III we got more informations about Iwao, i wished for a little bit more like flashbacks of his time in Bailu Village, but the informations we got are interesting as well, i would love to see a spin off that would tell Iwao's journey in China.

In one part of the story Iwao travelled to China. Iwao went to Hong Kong/Kowloon, Bailu Village and probably Niaowu and other places.

It makes sense to me that this skill book was from Iwao and now Ryo have the skill book, it is a nice touch in the game. In my opinion in Ryo's journey Ryo is seeing the same places Iwao went, this to me is one of the beautiful details about Shenmue.
 
In my opinion in Ryo's journey Ryo is seeing the same places Iwao went, this to me is one of the beautiful details about Shenmue.
Same here. Sometimes even without actively seeking as his main goal (because he isn't on a tour), Ryo ends at a place or near a person related to his father journey or figure because everything its connected, as you well said. It could be destiny calling and makes me wonder perhaps Iwao refused a mission that now has chosen Ryo. I feel also like the mirrors act as vessels for a force and both Ryo & Shen Hua are human vessels for that same force.
 
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