Random Shenmue IV Thoughts.

I think Niao Sun will get both Mirrors, will use them inside the cliff temple and be destroyed by a calamity like the raiders of the lost ark.

Lan Di I imagine will be tempted by the same darkness inside the cliff temple, to honour his dead father in some way, and Ryo will have some character development, have to pull him from the brink, a bit like the Shang Chi film, because Ryo and Lan Di aren't so different, as the trope goes. 'A power that could destroy him or make him realise his will'
 
Demon's Triangle said:
I think Niao Sun will get both Mirrors, will use them inside the cliff temple and be destroyed by a calamity like the raiders of the lost ark.

Lan Di I imagine will be tempted by the same darkness inside the cliff temple, to honour his dead father in some way, and Ryo will have some character development, have to pull him from the brink, a bit like the Shang Chi film, because Ryo and Lan Di aren't so different, as the trope goes. 'A power that could destroy him or make him realise his will'
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Now that you've said it, I could see it happening too. I think the difference between Lan Di and Niao Sun is that the former recognises the importance of Shenhua to unlocking the secret of the chiyou. Niao Sun was happy to give her back in exchange for the mirror, while Project Berkley's trailer and Shenmue 2's bad ending where Lan Di proclaims that he will take Shenhua's power for the chiyou seems to suggest that Lan Di sees her as a key to unlocking the secret of the mirrors.
 
I wonder what direction they'll take with Shenhua in this game. There was much more of a mystical aura to her in disc 4 of Shenmue 2 than there was in the entire third game. In that chapter alone she lifted a bunch of daffodils with some kind of supernatural power (chi?) and pushed the sword of seven stars down in its slot without physically touching it. In Shenmue 3, there's no overt display of any supernatural powers but her ability to talk to animals is mentioned. By the time we reach Niawou, Shenhua felt like a cardboard cut out for the entirety of that chapter, before being reduced to a damsel that needed saving. I don't know if the supernatural elements were purposely toned down but it does feel like that and it seems to hurt her character, specifically. My interest in her always stemmed from her having some kind of 'power' that would slowly be unearthed as the series progressed.
Even references to this power in the bad ending of Shenmue 2 weren't present in 3's, where Lan Di has zero interest in her as opposed to wanting her power in 2's bad ending.

I really thought that character perspective system was going to not only be about allowing us to play as Shenhua, but to explore the more supernatural elements of the game, while Ryo's side of the story would be more 'realistic'. I thought this would be the way they would balance the demands for realism and mysticism in the series but it didn't turn out like that. Or maybe it still will happen. Either way, I want to see more from Shenhua.
 
I think in S3 Shenhua still
have her powers, for example in the interrogation with the thug or when she meets Ren.

Something I think must happen is S4 or 5 is the fight between the Phoenix (Shenhua) and the black Dragon (Lan-di)
 
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Even if the war is gonna branch out to some more European countries, I don't see it spreading to Japan and India where S3 was developed. The Euro release might get delayed or something but I don't see why it would influence the games industry as a whole. People want entertainment, especially in times of war.
 
Well... November 2019 was when S3 released. That's more than two years ago now. The Shenmue Anime has started airing. Even without the war having started between Russia and Ukraine and the various western civil wars we're on the brink of... I am starting to get pessimistic on Shenmue 4 happening. Not even whispers of a new game in development as many of us were hoping would happen along side the release of the anime. Disappointment is ensuing.
 
Telekill said:
Well... November 2019 was when S3 released. That's more than two years ago now. The Shenmue Anime has started airing. Even without the war having started between Russia and Ukraine and the various western civil wars we're on the brink of... I am starting to get pessimistic on Shenmue 4 happening. Not even whispers of a new game in development as many of us were hoping would happen along side the release of the anime. Disappointment is ensuing.
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I would not be afraid of what I read, the Russians, and by that I mean ordinary people, they wanted to join Donetsk, but they did not want Putin to attack Ukraine. Which means that if he tried a bigger conflict, it would be settled by ordinary people in Russia. NATO will not go into a bigger conflict, we would have to be led by complete maggors out of reality.
 
I wouldn’t get too excited, but they seem to just be in the business of releasing whatever their very wealthy owner likes and it’s interesting YS was the first person in their TGS vid. You gotta know something about gaming to open like that.

But yknow who knows who’s running their social media
 
They responded well to my #letsgetshenmue4 reply. Is it bad form to keep tweeting them? lol

I don't want them to hate Shenmue fans, but I can't ignore such aa hopeful reply from such a unique company.
 
Random tinfoil about the story - not sure if there is a better thread to post this in, as it is about Shenmue IV after all.

I have been brewing on a few thoughts about Lan Di while I have been playing through the series, and while he is a great character with a menacing presence, I don't think he is the true villain of the saga. The only time we have seen him act on his own initiative, and not on the orders of the Chi You Men (If this is throwing up red flags for you, I will explain in a second), was to get revenge on Iwao for killing his father. Even taking into account the bad endings, which occur on April 15th, and July 31st 1987 respectively, Lan Di only kills Ryo to obtain the mirror. I believe that Lan Di has no personal interest in the mirrors, and is just acting on orders from up the chain of command to obtain the mirror. I believe these dates were specifically chosen by the Chi You Men in order to have possession of the mirrors at a certain time (hence the dates for the bad endings of II and III being the same, because Ryo is in China) in order to enact their plan. Lan Di only kills Ryo on these dates as a last resort to get the mirror; I think he does not wish to kill him otherwise, only until he becomes an obstacle in his path does Lan Di take action against him. This also extends to the bad ending of SII, where he may just be acting on orders to capture Shenhua, not kill her (this reasoning is a little shaky, I admit). Lan Di is the opposite of Ryo, but he isn't truly evil. He merely succumbed to the will for revenge by killing Iwao, but that does not make him irredeemable in my opinion. I believe that Ryo will choose not to kill him, but instead opt to forgive. Its obvious that is the central message the story is trying to tell, using Xiuying's brother and Lan Di as tragic examples of chasing revenge.

Another reason why I think Lan Di is redeemable: Iwao did in fact murder Sunming Zhao. This is getting pretty out there, but here is what I think happened in Meng Cun. Iwao knew that his wife was sick, and was looking for a way to save her by means of ancient prophecy. He attempts to summon Chi You/activate the mirrors/whatever the mirrors are used for, but Sunming tries to stop him. In a battle, Iwao kills him out of anger, but when he realizes he has killed his best friend, Iwao realizes that he has been driven mad by his pursuit of power, and decides against using the mirrors, instead opting to hide them in Yokosuka. This of course means that Akane dies, but Iwao knows it is what he has to do; the mirrors cannot be used. How this revelation would be revealed, I have no idea. But I think that it would shock Ryo, who previously did not believe that his father killed Sunming, into realizing the truth: he is just like Lan Di, and Ryo gives up his quest for revenge, instead opting to honor both his father and Sunming by destroying the mirrors once and for all, possibly using Shenhua to help. What happens after this, I cannot say, but I think it is the direction the story is likely to go.

I hope this didn't just seem like rambling, and I would be interested to know of any thoughts people have of my assessment of Lan Di and my theory on the past of Iwao and Sunming.
 
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trevtrev45 said:
Another reason why I think Lan Di is redeemable: Iwao did in fact murder Sunming Zhao. This is getting pretty out there, but here is what I think happened in Meng Cun. Iwao knew that his wife was sick, and was looking for a way to save her by means of ancient prophecy. He attempts to summon Chi You/activate the mirrors/whatever the mirrors are used for, but Sunming tries to stop him. In a battle, Iwao kills him out of anger, but when he realizes he has killed his best friend, Iwao realizes that he has been driven mad by his pursuit of power, and decides against using the mirrors, instead opting to hide them in Yokosuka. This of course means that Akane dies, but Iwao knows it is what he has to do; the mirrors cannot be used. How this revelation would be revealed, I have no idea. But I think that it would shock Ryo, who previously did not believe that his father killed Sunming, into realizing the truth: he is just like Lan Di, and Ryo gives up his quest for revenge, instead opting to honor both his father and Sunming by destroying the mirrors once and for all, possibly using Shenhua to help. What happens after this, I cannot say, but I think it is the direction the story is likely to go.
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I don't know if this theory really lines up with the timelines since Iwao and Akane weren't even together at this time and she hadn't even given birth to Ryo yet. So he would have had to know she was years away from death and still bet everything on magic. That said, I like the sentiment of the theory and it would be cool if Iwao did kill Zhao out of a moment of greed or fear rather than something more noble.
 
Just spotted a new interview with Yu Suzuki.


According to Google Translate, he says about his future plans:
"I'm still making games. I think we will be able to make some announcements this year, so please do not hesitate to contact us."
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He also talks a bit about Shenmue 4, and how it should appeal to a wider audience if made.
 
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