Shenmue Zero

Shenmue Zero is an un-official Shenmue PC game created by Tenshin Soft. Before Lan Di came to take the Dragon mirror, before Iwao Hazuki was murdered, before anything you’ve seen, there was Shenmue Zero. Shenmue Zero takes place in Yokosuka, Japan just a few years before Shenmue I. Ryo was still a child under the strict guidance of his Sensei, and father, Iwao Hazuki. Things were much different.

Instructions

Controls & Walkthrough

–Controls–
Movement:
 Arrow Keys (<, ^, >); Note: You cannot move backwards

Speaking to an NPC:
 At the Dojo- Press Enter once to initiate a conversation with either Iwao or Fuku-san.
 You Arcade area- Hold Enter to speak with the NPC… you have to follow him, though, he’s
                  always in a hurry! Press the apostrophe key [‘] to advance the conversation.
                  (Tip: After he offers you advice about swords, don’t hit [‘]. Instead,
                  return to the dojo for a cutscene about how Ryo got the bandage on his face.
                  This is a secret cutscene that can only be activated then.)

–The Complete Guide to Shenmue Zero–
1. After viewing the initial cutscene, proceed forward and speak to the NPC at the tree
   (Fuku-san). After the conversation, head into the dojo up the stairs and speak to Iwao,
   Ryo’s father. Next to him will appear a rake. Stand next to it and push [t] on keyboard.
   Head down the stairs on top of the strange looking graphical sphere of transparent
   “leaves.” Hold [Spacebar] until the leaves “melt” into the ground (for lack of a better
   way to describe the oddity of how I made them disappear). You’re finished when the
   Yen changes from 0000 to 1000. (Don’t ask where you can spend it… that feature never
   made it in to the end.) You can drop or pick up the rake in this segment at any time with
   [d] or [t]. You’re done with this section; proceed down the long of the wooden fence
   to the grassy hill at the end of the house.

2. You have now entered the You Arcade section of Yokosuka, only one of two areas in the
   game (now you’ve seen both). Speak to the roaming NPC here in the salamander-color shirt.
   After he has nothing else to say, behold cars on the road at the end that can’t decide
   which direction they want to face at any one point and Fuku-san doing absolutely nothing!
   Head back up to the dojo for the next cutscene.

3. After Ryo and Nozomi speak, just head back into town.

4. Speak to the roaming NPC once again. (See the tip above in Controls for secret cutscene.)
   (If you decided to see the secret cutscene, head back into town and continue speaking to
   the NPC, finishing the conversation.) If you did not decide to see the secret cutscene,
   just finish the conversation with the roaming NPC. In either case, head right back up to
   the dojo.

5a. Now we’re in Ryo’s bedroom. This is a cutscene I was, and still am, quite proud of. Other
    than Fuku-san’s kick to open the door. (Note: I was too bothered to animate more… it was
    a big pain animating on my old PC.) After the scene ends, you will be outside the dojo.
    A man in glasses has come seeking Iwao (!).
 b. QTE (Quick-Time Event): You will need two keys on the keyboard to perform this QTE, [s]     and [d]. When the key on the screen appears, press that key (don’t blink!). Once the
    QTE is finished, the man will be on the floor. If you fail, just Continue from the
    menu and try as many times as it takes you (it’s not particularly difficult, though).

6. Head back down into town for the final cutscene of the game. Congratulations! You’ve
   finished Shenmue Zero. You can visit Ryo’s room at any time by clicking the left button
   on the mouse at the main menu or wander the game by continuing. Likewise, you can also
   just start a new game (will overwrite your previous adventure).