Games Similar to Shenmue??

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Nov 26, 2019
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Shenmue
Can anyone suggest some games/game franchises that are similar to Shenmue?? Graphics do not matter, generation/platform do not matter. I've yet to find any other games that capture the 'spirit of Shenmue'. Yakuza is something I always see compared to Shenmue but honestly aside from some of the character models and Asian backdrop I see no real comparison in the moral of the story. The Yazuka games are dark, gritty and soulless in my opinion. The Asian theme is great, but I'm not limited to it. I'm looking for something that is a labor of love from the creator much like Shenmue is for Yu Suzuki, something spiritual-based and a true heros journey. Not into the 'bad guy is a good guy' kindve stuff. I know this is a needle in a haystack when it comes to video games that aren't edgy and dark, but figured I'd ask! Open to all ideas, consoles, themes within the spiritual heroes journey parameters. Thanks!
 
Bully: Scholarship Edition

I'm talking about the gameplay of it though since the story of Bully is just there to make you laugh.

What similarities it has with Shenmue ?

1.You have to sleep at night like Shenmue games.
2.You have distinct looking npcs.
3.You can talk to every npc.(But you can reply to them positively or negatively instead of asking them directions.)
4.You play as a teenager similar to Shenmue.
5.You can buy sodas from vending machines.
6.You can earn money by doing some side quests similar to Shenmue.
7.It has lots of mini games in it.
8.Combat is hand to hand similar to Shenmue.(But with less depth)
9.You can somehow feel that the world is alive. When the classes start you will see students moving into classes.(And then you barely see them. At night you can't see any students. And you can see students interacting with each other like Bullies bullying nerds)
10.You can learn new combat moves similar to Shenmue games.
 
In terms of totally different spirit , I would say none.

Dark is too popular, nowadays

In the end, this game is the contrary.
That's why it's so underated...
...For now.

Yakuza won't have same.
Try to not compare them.

I could be wrong of course, but If you're looking for another game's spirit, try Okami, Jade cocoon or ico maybe...
Don't expect GTA XX or Yakuza XX have the same.
...Not yet.

If you're looking for same, most likely better gameplay without something else deeper, there's a bunch of other games than shenmue 3.
yakuza-like , god of war, GTA.... whatever
 
In terms of totally different spirit , I would say none.

Dark is too popular, nowadays

In the end, this game is the contrary.
That's why it's so underated...
...For now.

Yakuza won't have same.
Try to not compare them.

I could be wrong of course, but If you're looking for another game's spirit, try Okami, Jade cocoon or ico maybe...
Don't expect GTA XX or Yakuza XX have the same.
...Not yet.

If you're looking for same, most likely better gameplay without something else deeper, there's a bunch of other games than shenmue 3.
yakuza-like , god of war, GTA.... whatever
"In terms of different spirit, I would say none." - In my experience so far, I totally agree.

"Dark is too popular, nowadays" - I couldn't have said it better! I got out of video games completely in 2007(though I was already growing sick of them by 2004) and didn't re-enter gaming until 2019(due to Shenmue 3)because of this very reason. When the uninteresting paper thin overrated Halo 1 and 2 became 'the best FPS available' in the early 2000's combined with all the other dark war stuff that was being pushed heavily at that time I lost complete interest in gaming. Then all of the Call of Duty/Battlefield trash became popular and I was out. I remember when Medal of Honor for PS1 was really the only mainstream war game in the mid 90s and was actually somewhat interesting because the market wasn't over saturated.

Yakuza is definitely garbage, which is why I mentioned it cause I figured people may try to compare it here as I see everywhere else.

Thanks on Okami, Jade & Ico!! I have tried them long ago and remember thinking they were interesting, I will give them another visit.

I did enjoy GTA 5 actually, I think it is really well written and offers so much in the open world of things that I don't mind the grit and dark content. If dark is done right and infrequent I don't mind it. I also found myself loving Mortal Kombat 11(XL and 9 as well in this past year)cause as much as MK catches so much hell for being violent, the story is actually somewhat spiritual and is a heroes journey on many levels.

Nothing compares to Shenmue, and I knew by asking this question it would be a long shot but was hoping maybe I overlooked something.
 
Bully: Scholarship Edition

I'm talking about the gameplay of it though since the story of Bully is just there to make you laugh.

What similarities it has with Shenmue ?

1.You have to sleep at night like Shenmue games.
2.You have distinct looking npcs.
3.You can talk to every npc.(But you can reply to them positively or negatively instead of asking them directions.)
4.You play as a teenager similar to Shenmue.
5.You can buy sodas from vending machines.
6.You can earn money by doing some side quests similar to Shenmue.
7.It has lots of mini games in it.
8.Combat is hand to hand similar to Shenmue.(But with less depth)
9.You can somehow feel that the world is alive. When the classes start you will see students moving into classes.(And then you barely see them. At night you can't see any students. And you can see students interacting with each other like Bullies bullying nerds)
10.You can learn new combat moves similar to Shenmue games.


Thanks! I tried Bully many moons ago, wasn't for me but I do appreciate the suggestion!
 
Hey, check out this topic in the gaming forum...

Many people (including myself) mention the Quantic Dream games...

Thanks! I appreciate the link and I did look around on it. The Quantic Dream games are all quite interesting and well made but don't seem to do it for me on the 'spiritual' level. They're pretty gritty. I can definitely see the correlation of uniqueness and gameplay style in those games though and appreciate the suggestion!
 
The Touryst on Nintendo Switch
 
I don't think there is any game similar to Shenmue.

That's what makes it so special, and why the fans were desperate for a third game for all those years.
 
I don't think there is any game similar to Shenmue.

That's what makes it so special, and why the fans were desperate for a third game for all those years.

Unfortunately I have to agree. I've yet to find anything similar in 20 years.
 
I think you'll have a difficult time seeing the similarities unless you play this, but Cradle has become one of my favorite games for a lot of the same reasons Shenmue did.



It's only on PC. I like it because it's a game whose world I simply enjoy being in. You'll be tasked with slow, mundane tasks. It's a slow moving game with a beautiful landscape and wonderful music. I find it peaceful to just be in the open and look around and listening to the music, taking it all in.

It's also got some quirky characters to interact with and a mysterious story to unravel.
 
I think you'll have a difficult time seeing the similarities unless you play this, but Cradle has become one of my favorite games for a lot of the same reasons Shenmue did.



It's only on PC. I like it because it's a game whose world I simply enjoy being in. You'll be tasked with slow, mundane tasks. It's a slow moving game with a beautiful landscape and wonderful music. I find it peaceful to just be in the open and look around and listening to the music, taking it all in.

It's also got some quirky characters to interact with and a mysterious story to unravel.
This actually looks interesting. Thanks! Reminds me of a modern version of Myst or Riven.
 
There is no game like Shenmue unfortunately but there are games with similar vibes at least. All I can think of is Syberia, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, and the sequel to that, Dreamfall: Chapters. Looking into the 3D adventure genre might be helpful.

The first two games I mentioned will need work arounds if you're not playing on windows xp or a virtual machine I think. Dgvoodoo will fix Syberia though.
 
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I echo others here who have said there is no game quite like Shenmue; it truly is one of a kind. However, depending on exactly what it is that you enjoy about the series, you can find games that scratch specific itches. For instance:

If you like how "real" the townsfolk feel, then the obvious game to play is The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Like in Yokosuba, the inhabitant of Clock Town each have their own names and schedules, and have their own stories going on in the background independent of the player. Majora's Mask is much more "gamey", as the villagers' problems are more pressing, and it's your goal to solve them— not to mention, um, it's a Zelda game— but this game has some of the very best incidental NPCs around.

If you like the "serious, but low-stakes" tone, then the Kyle Hyde series— Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Last Window: The Secret of Cape West, both for the Nintendo DS— could be what you seek. In his games, Kyle investigates mysteries that really only matter to him, while uncovering other secrets and helping people along the way— which feels broadly analogous to Ryo's quest for revenge taking a backseat to more immediate and pressing concerns. Of course, these games are more akin to traditional adventure games and are thus a more guided and linear experience. As a side note: Last Window was never released in North America, but it was released in Europe, so you'll need to import a copy. But the DS is region free.

If you like exploring well-realized places that feel "lived in", then realMyst, Gone Home and other games of their ilk ("walking sims") might be up your alley. This is less about Shenmue as narrative experience and instead looking at it as an atmospheric experience; the curiosity it can invoke with how all its drawers and cupboards can be opened, each revealing unique contents and that frequently give a little glimmer of a character's personality. Myst-likes and walking sims are all about that low-key detective work, investigating your surroundings and piecing together— in your head— what it says about the people. Of course, that's also the biggest thing setting it apart from Shenmue: you never actually meet any other characters face-to-face. But if environmental storytelling is your thing, this is a very rewarding genre to look into.
 
I'm with stillsense here. Deadly Premonition ticks a lot of boxes that Shenmue ticks. Both are about a murder investigation, take place in comfy open world towns that focus more on atmosphere than sheer size, have a cast of memorable and likable characters, a real time day-night system, and a great story. And all despite incredible limitations (Technology being Shenmue's, budget being Deadly Premonition's). Deadly Premonition is one of my favorite games of all time, and for a lot of the same reasons why the Shenmue series is on that same spot. I will say, though, that as it's technically a horror game, it's much more brutal than Shenmue's ever been. Bonus points if you're a fan of David Lynch's Twin Peaks, on which it's extremely heavily based.

One I haven't seen mentioned yet is Shadow of Destiny (or Shadow of Memories in Europe), which is a real time adventure game set in a cozy German hamlet, in which the main character is tasked to use time travel to prevent his own murder and uncover the person or people trying to kill him. This doesn't have a day/night cycle with a sped up "real time" environment like Shenmue or Deadly Premonition, but a literally real time setup, where every 1:1 second ticks toward your next time of death. Directed by Suikoden's own Junko Kawano, Shadow of Destiny is one of the most memorable adventure games I've ever played, and all of its multiple endings are worth getting. I'd only suggest hunting down the PC or PS2 version with the original English dub, since the new dub (no idea why they bothered) for PSP isn't nearly as good.
Also when I say those endings are worth getting, they're really worth getting. Nearly every ending gets you closer to solving the overarching plot.
 
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