‘Shenmue 3’ director Yu Suzuki opens up on challenges, storyline and more in new video

“Shenmue 3” director Yu Suzuki has recently discussed about the writing the game’s story. He has released a new video update with comments stating how the game’s storyline is falling into place.

The legendary video game designer is known for his contributions to Sega’s arcade hardware all through the 90s. He is said to have pioneered polygonal 3D graphics, and has been part of numerous big-ticket releases. He announced his plans to develop the third instalment of “Shenmue” franchise back in 2015. With the video update, Suzuki has provided insights into how challenging it is to develop video games with good pacing. He has also pointed out the difference between watching a movie and playing a game.

Suzuki explains that everyone who watches a two-hour movie, will notice that the sequence of events actually play out in the same way. However, that’s not the case with video games where every individual enjoys a slightly different experience. The average length of RPG games, such as “Shenmue 3,” goes hard on designers as it is impossible to ascertain which player will race through the game and which player will spend 100 hours in completing it. A player, who spends a lot of time on the game, may forget the plot details from earlier stages, once he reaches the end.

Thus, it is very difficult for designers to cater to all possibilities. Moreover, modern gamers demand a lot of thematic depth. They refuse to spend time on games that have underdeveloped narratives and lack multiple and inter-connected themes.

“In ‘Shenmue’s’ case, it’s always been an adventure about kung-fu, and how this brusque guy meets someone like Shenhua ... It’s not romance, but I wanted to show a little interaction between a boy and a girl, and what’s difficult is that one plot is not enough, so you insert two or three themes, where you get mixed up with which introduction goes with what climax and which conclusion,” Suzuki explains in the video.

He explained that a game’s visual and audio components are not enough. A game must have a story that possesses a strong sense of interactivity. Thus, it is clear that the world-famous designer is creating a stunning storyline for “Shenmue 3” to live up to the expectations of the gamers and that would be equally good, if not better, than the first two instalments, reports GameRant. The game is expected to launch in December on PS4 and PC. One can watch the video on Kickstarter.