Shenmue Is Like A Spiritual Experience That Teaches You Important Life Lessons & Values

[LelouchViBritannia]

Shenmue has one of the greatest stories ever told in a video game. As kids, me and my friends always had this fond feeling towards the franchise, but could never articulate it

After replaying the series this year after 17 years, I think I get what Suzuki was trying to convey in his work. The lessons and principles throughout the game really stick with you and make you see things in your personal life a lot differently.

Some of those lessons and values include the following

• Treasure the time you have with your loved ones as you never know what tomorrow may bring
• Keep friends you love close to you and never forget them
• Everyone in the world has their own story, strengths and weaknesses
• Value your family and loved ones
• Always help those in need
• Human connection is a beautiful thing
• Never give into hatred
• Pay attention to those who care about you
• Different cultures are beautiful
• Travelling is one of the treasures of the world
• Never harshly judge or beat yourself up
• Always do what's right
• Practice your craft every day
• Stay calm in order to judge correctly
• You can always improve
• Always be respectful
• Never take things for granted
• Always stay humble and never be arrogant
• Never give up and always get back up when you fall over
• Never forget those who love you

All of these lessons are embedded in Ryo Hazuki's journey as he travels throughout the beautiful landscape of Japan & China. The teachers, friends and acquaintances he encounters are written so well and affect his character, aswell as you personally as you go from each chapter.

Its almost like a book. I think this is why people are so affected by the series and love it so much, as it can change your perspective on a lot of things in real life

It also shows you what japanese and chinese culture is like. You actually feel like you're there experiencing these cultures, which i think is how the lessons and values affect you on a much my deeper and personal level

I would love to get other Shenmue fans opinion on this, if they experienced something similar and if this is why they love the series so much

Thank you Yu Suzuki for this masterpiece

Shenmue 1, 2 and 3 were all amazing

 

[Aztorian]

Never played the original game or the seond one, but I'm currently playing Shenmue 3 and I can't really put my finger on why I'm enjoying it so much. Everything is very outdated and usually this puts me off, but for some reason this game is really relaxing me. Shoudl have called it Zenmue.

 

[Tigerfog]

I agree with OP.
Looking at how Ryo reacts to people when they brush him off makes me think I should try to act as calm as he does.

 

[Flevance]

Well said, there's also that scene where Ryu and his dad were eating dinner, it was basically about valuing things, like how many people worked pretty hard to make that rice on your plate. Shenmue isn't about a journey of vengeance, it's life's journey.

 

[lasthope106]

Yeap, the first game is a treasure. I'm glad that is available now on current systems for people to discover.

Also you forgot the main one OP.

The game teaches you about Sailors.

 

[garion333]

Whelp, time to get the HD re-releases. Sold!

 

[TheIdiot]

Whelp, time to get the HD re-releases. Sold!

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Haha, that's what I was thinking

 

[Metalgus]

I made a bit of progress story wise yesterday in Shenmue III (after doing a shit ton of trivial stuff in-game) and as I was watching the story beat unfold, it was in that moment that I was reminded of the existence of Yu Suzuki and his overall vision for this game and the complete series. I felt the whole weight of Ryo's journey up to that point, and my own journey really. The many discoveries that were made, both external and internal, and the important values and ideologies shared and learned. And I'm still in the first area of the game! Can't wait to learn more, but I'll still do lots of side shit in the meantime, because I think the slow build up really makes the bigger moments shine more.

 

[belinho3]

That's what I always come too. It's really not just a video game. It's a lesson in life following the values of martial arts.

In my opinion, the story, at leaSt what we've seen so far is not that special, the characters themselves are not that we'll written, dialogue can be really strange at places (it also came at a time the bar was not really high regarding those things in a game this magnitude), but it really is much more than the sum of its parts. That's why in this particular case, when I find out something has been cut (in 3 a whole village was cut, don't know if permanently or budget reasons), it really feels like I'll be missing something important.

For the moment it's not looking so good, but hopefully more people can get to experience shenmue 3 and give it a push so maybe we get a new one

 

[The Unsent]

Shenmue 3 isn't a great game IMO, but it's a very chilled out world. You can't help but like it when you play it

 

[BossAttack]

Shenmue has one of the greatest stories ever told in a video game.

Click to shrink...

No. Hell no, in fact.

After replaying the series this year after 17 years, I think I get what Suzuki was trying to convey in his work. The lessons and principles throughout the game really stick with you and make you see things in your personal life a lot differently.

Some of those lessons and values include the following

• Treasure the time you have with your loved ones as you never know what tomorrow may bring
• Keep friends you love close to you and never forget them
• Everyone in the world has their own story, strengths and weaknesses
• Value your family and loved ones
• Always help those in need
• Human connection is a beautiful thing
• Never give into hatred
• Pay attention to those who care about you
• Different cultures are beautiful
• Travelling is one of the treasures of the world
• Never harshly judge or beat yourself up.
• Always do what's right
• Practice your craft every day
• Stay calm in order to judge correctly
• You can always improve
• Always be respectful
• Always stay humble and never be arrogant
• Never give up and always get back up when you fall over
• Never forget those who love you

All of these lessons are embedded in Ryo Hazuki's journey as he travels throughout the beautiful landscape of Japan & China.

Click to shrink...

Yes.

That's what I always come too. It's really not just a video game. It's a lesson in life following the values of martial arts.

In my opinion, the story, at leaSt what we've seen so far is not that special, the characters themselves are not that we'll written, dialogue can be really strange at places (it also came at a time the bar was not really high regarding those things in a game this magnitude), but it really is much more than the sum of its parts. That's why in this particular case, when I find out something has been cut (in 3 a whole village was cut, don't know if permanently or budget reasons), it really feels like I'll be missing something important.

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Exactly.

 

[Fisty]

It really is a unique experience, the first two games really opened my eyes a bit to what can be communicated through gameplay when I played them for the first time last year. It's like playing games made by your chill grandpa that's always telling you about how things used to be. Cant wait to dive into 3, if I could just find the time

 

[Ted]

I see.

 

[ianpm31]

This series has had an impact on me beyond just video games. It's very unique and full of heart

 

[Y2Kev]

Never played the original game or the seond one, but I'm currently playing Shenmue 3 and I can't really put my finger on why I'm enjoying it so much. Everything is very outdated and usually this puts me off, but for some reason this game is really relaxing me. Shoudl have called it Zenmue.

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Because there's a lot of heart in it. You can feel the warmth from Suzuki's love.

 

[Acquiescence]

Another one to add to your list OP...

• Don't bang all the horny women in the village while their husbands are away working in the city

 

[Suede]

They are very beautiful games, no other games like them.

 

[chanman]

I decided to not play Shenmue III and go back and experience the first two especially after hearing Shenmue 3 isn't as good as the previous installments.

 

[The Unsent]

I decided to not play Shenmue III and go back and experience the first two especially after hearing Shenmue 3 isn't as good as the previous installments.

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Shenmue 2 is one of the greatest games ever made IMO, it's not neccessarily a bad thing not living up to that. I find 3 is closer to 1, is easy to rip apart but at the risk of sounding pretentous, the world creates a nice feeling of home.

 

[Descendant]

I decided to not play Shenmue III and go back and experience the first two especially after hearing Shenmue 3 isn't as good as the previous installments.

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Shenmue III does many things better than Shenmue I & II. Think you should give it a chance if the opportunity arises. I personally would rank Shenmue II over Shenmue III, but I think I enjoyed Shenmue III over Shenmue I.

 

[Doggg]

I ascended to a higher plane when I found the sailors.

 

[RROCKMAN]

Maybe not spiritual, but I do like what it's trying to say.

 

[The Boat]

Sigh, so many years waiting for this game and now I can't afford it. #firstworldproblems

 

[The Unsent]

Shenmue III does many things better than Shenmue I & II. Think you should give it a chance if the opportunity arises. I personally would rank Shenmue II over Shenmue III, but I think I enjoyed Shenmue III over Shenmue I.

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Shenmue 3 is better at technical/audiovisual of course, and there's more freedom in sparring, customising and interacting with shops, otherwise 2 is better in every greater way, better towns, better set pieces, better music, better story, better characters, better open world, better pacing, better QOL and more inviting with making money. Shenmue 2 is like 10/10 to me and 3 is like 6/10 or 7/10. It's still worth it though.

And yeah I agree it's closer to 1 but I believe 1 has better set pieces and does a better job building momentum over the story until you have to rescue Naomi, fight the Mad Angels and then save Quizhang and defeat Chai.

 

[Descendant]

Shenmue 3 is better at technical/audiovisual of course, and there's more freedom in sparring, customising and interacting with shops, otherwise 2 is better in every greater way, better towns, better set pieces, better music, better story, better characters, better open world, better pacing, better QOL and more inviting with making money. Shenmue 2 is like 10/10 to me and 3 is like 6/10 or 7/10. It's still worth it though.

And yeah I agree it's closer to 1 but I believe 1 has better set pieces and does a better job building momentum over the story until you have to rescue Naomi, fight the Mad Angels and then save Quizhang and defeat Chai.

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I agree and Shenmue II is a 10/10 for me also. But I do appreciate that in Shenmue III nearly all the shops actually have things to buy, where in Shenmue II most shops are just there to make the world look immersive. I also prefer the combat in Shenmue III after it grew on me nearly 50-60+ hours. I also found it way easier to make money in Shenmue III, and way less tedious due to the variety of ways you could obtain money.

But yes Shenmue II is overall better than Shenmue III when it comes to overall story, characters, set pieces, etc. The whole Kowloon area is just amazing to me, but I really did enjoy my time with Shenmue III.

 

[Deleted member 9746]

I love that journey for you.

I'm gonna buy the series soon. I want to support Yu Suzuki. A real artist 👏

 

[Het_Nkik]

I'm replaying the series right now myself (halfway through 2), and I was thinking the same thing just the other night, especially after Xiuying's parting talk.

I was like, "Man, these games sure does teach a lot of lessons."

Very excited to get to 3!

 

[Twonny]

OP, you really hit the nail on the head on why I love these games so much. I couldn't accurately pinpoint why I do, but you summed it up perfectly. Thank you.

I'll be picking up Shenmue 3 pretty soon.

 

[Lindsay]

I'd say almost 0 of those values were instilled in Robo-Ryo's head, at least not in the first two games. Maybe in the third he finally starts taking some to heart?

Shen1: "value your friends" - goes awol from school and pushes them away
Shen2: "regain your calm" - immediately after passing the test hotheadly runs off to resume his revenge campaign

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

I wish I had the time and patience for Shenmue today because it really is a special series even it's easy to pick on, but I just don't. I enjoyed my time with the first game back on the Dreamcast but even back then, I had a hard time putting up with its general slowness and things like having to wait a whole in-game day if your next story destination is some kind of business or shop and you arrive a minute after they close. Ultimately, I did finish Shenmue and appreciated the experience enough to get right into Shenmue II when it originally came out, but it was just too dense with too few mechanical improvements to the proceedings and I burned out on it pretty quickly. That said, I'm still intrigued by the incredibly detailed, nuanced, intimate world Suzuki has built and by Ryo's personal journey through it, so I really do wish I did have the time and patience to go back and properly complete Shenmue II and then move on to Shenmue III... I don't realistically see it happening, though. I just don't have enough time, especially for a series that isn't exactly known for respecting such a fleeting commodity.

I'm glad Shenmue III seems to have mostly stuck the landing, though, considering how long fans have had to wait for it. I generally only hear majorly negative things from people who never cared for or understood Shenmue in the first place/don't understand its unique place in gaming history; fans seem to be pretty happy with it despite its issues.

 

[Brakke]

OP's gunna to wild when he learns about novels.

Its almost like a book

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Lol.

 

[JayCeeJim]

Ultimately, I did finish Shenmue and appreciated the experience enough to get right into Shenmue II when it originally came out, but it was just too dense with too few mechanical improvements to the proceedings and I burned out on it pretty quickly. That said, I'm still intrigued by the incredibly detailed, nuanced, intimate world Suzuki has built and by Ryo's personal journey through it, so I really do wish I did have the time and patience to go back and properly complete Shenmue II and then move on to Shenmue III... I don't realistically see it happening, though. I just don't have enough time, especially for a series that isn't exactly known for respecting such a fleeting commodity.

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What point did you reach in Shenmue II? (out of curiosity) The harbor job? The book airing? Kowloon?

 

[Sumio Mondo]

There's literally no other games like it. At the time I played the first game i thought this would be the future of games but sadly upon playing 3 I realised even more how further away from Adventure games the medium is going. It's a rarity for any Japanese dev to make adventure games like this anymore.

Suzuki's passion for the small details that matter and appreciation of the outside world (rather than just being yet another game where you're killing people), feeling a sense of relaxation playing the games is what I love. There's really nothing more immersive for me outside of masterpieces like Deus Ex games.

 

[ss_lemonade]

Yeap, the first game is a treasure. I'm glad that is available now on current systems for people to discover.

Also you forgot the main one OP.

The game teaches you about Sailors.

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The second I started 3, I was looking for thugs this time

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

What point did you reach in Shenmue II? (out of curiosity) The harbor job? The book airing? Kowloon?

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Oh man, it's been a long time so I don't remember very clearly, but I burned out pretty early on. Referencing a walkthrough at the moment, I'm pretty sure I made it past the harbor job and the term "four wude" rings familiar to me, so I think I probably quit while, or shortly after, searching for the four wude. I'm certain I didn't make it to the second disc, though, and I don't remember any book airing, so it had to have been while I was looking for the four wude.

 

[Shadoken]

Shenmue is an experience. Its one of those few games that end up being way more than just the sum of its parts. The story,gameplay and writing is quite basic on paper but the way Ryo interacts with everyone and the lessons he learns make it a far bigger experience. It definitely sends out a very positive message.

Love it or Hate it , you can't deny its one of the most unique games in the industry and I hope theres more to come.

 

[JayCeeJim]

Oh man, it's been a long time so I don't remember very clearly, but I burned out pretty early on. Referencing a walkthrough at the moment, I'm pretty sure I made it past the harbor job and the term "four wude" rings familiar to me, so I think I probably quit while, or shortly after, searching for the four wude. I'm certain I didn't make it to the second disc, though, and I don't remember any book airing, so it had to have been while I was looking for the four wude.

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Yeah, you didn't reach disc 2 then. I think you stopped at 80% of the first disc actually.

I would encourage you to give the game another chance, even if you don't play III afterwards (which unfortunately looks to be too grindy again). II is worthwhile on its own.

In my opinion there are only two parts of Shenmue II that feel "disrespectful of your time": the harbor job (which you only need to do once at the beginning of the game), and the book airing at another segment. And the latter is like one of the most forgiving and enjoyable of the "mandatory chores" in the entire series (and is somewhat compensated by the fact you don't need money to pay any rent at that part of the plot).

The rest of the game is really straight to the point, and is filled with some great world building and the best character development of the entire series. Don't be shy of save scumming the hard parts, or to earn lots of money at gambling and forget about that matter, too. And if you reach the ending, you will probably understand much more why the fans have endured almost 20 years of waiting for a continuation.

 

[Shadoken]

OP's gunna to wild when he learns about novels.

Lol.

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I think thats the point OP is getting at. Novels have far more variety in terms of what the book is trying to tell/teach you. We could definitely use more games like this.

 

[The Unsent]

OP's gunna to wild when he learns about novels.



Lol.

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Novels about shit posting?

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

Yeah, you didn't reach disc 2 then. I think you stopped at 80% of the first disc actually.

I would encourage you to give the game another chance, even if you don't play III afterwards (which unfortunately looks to be too grindy again). II is worthwhile on its own.

In my opinion there are only two parts of Shenmue II that feel "disrespectful of your time": the harbor job (which you only need to do once at the beginning of the game), and the book airing at another segment. And the latter is like one of the most forgiving and enjoyable of the "mandatory chores" in the entire series (and is somewhat compensated by the fact you don't need money to pay any rent at that part of the plot).

The rest of the game is really straight to the point, and is filled with some great world building and the best character development of the entire series. Don't be shy of save scumming the hard parts, or to earn lots of money at gambling and forget about that matter, too. And if you reach the ending, you will probably understand much more why the fans have endured almost 20 years of waiting for a continuation.

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Thanks for the pointers! I really would like to return to it at some point, though of course it's always difficult to find free gaming time as an adult, haha. That said, don't worry -- even without finishing it, I already understand why fans have been waited so long for a continuation! Like I said in my original reply, I really loved what made the first Shenmue so special despite the parts that haven't aged well: the incredibly genuine, quaint, and realistic feel of its settings, its living, breathing world (especially for its time), its focus on restraint and imparting lessons over pure action and fighting, the bizarrely entertaining voice acting whose style still somehow remains totally unique in 2019... there's a lot that makes Shenmue special. Just need the time for it!

Rest assured though, Shenmue is far from the only series I haven't gone back to for lack of time -- and there are others I haven't even started but really wish I had the time for, such as Yakuza. Too much to play, too little time. :(

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

Such wonderful, unique games that everyone needs to at least try.

 

[bell wood's jet cola]

Yu Suzuki should just make like a chill countryside/small city simulator where there's no story and you kind of just shuffle around town, wiling' away time, talking to your elders, doing all those Shenmue-y things without any stakes. It's weird, but I think that might appeal to people more than you think... I guess it'd just be Animal Crossing O, but with that AM2 flavor. Maybe you could take the train to a few towns to find some new herbs and figurines for your China cabinet: No Man's Sky 0.5.

 

[PKrockin]

All the passerbys have my reaction to reading this thread.

 

[chanman]

I was going to send this back to Gamefly today but I decided to give this game a serious try since I had time today. Played for about a little over an hour and it's all I can think about now. Game just feels so sincere and pure to me can't wait until I get more time to play again.

 

[Dead Man Typing]

It's clear the series is very special.

I'm amazed that Shenmue 3 has managed to capture that magic again. I really didn't think it was possible.

Also, I like that everyone I know in real life who waited 18 years and backed the kickstarter, they're all taking the game slowly. No one is rushing it in marathon sessions.

I finished Death Stranding in 9 days, around 4-5 hours per day.
With Shenmue 3, I'm content to play the game for an hour, make a little progress or not. It's just a weird relaxing experience.

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

All the passerbys have my reaction to reading this thread.

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LOL, this video takes me back...

 

[品川駅]

I don't know if actually people learn those things through a video game on their TV but I am sure the fans learned patience, perseverance, hope and a little of despair lol

 

[Tarot Deck]

All the passerbys have my reaction to reading this thread.

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I feel old watching this video.

 

[PKrockin]

LOL, this video takes me back...

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I feel old watching this video.

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That video was apparently filmed in 2003... it's older than some of the users posting here. lol

 

[Tailzo]

Thank you Yu Suzuki. Nice thread :)