Digital Foundry has dived into the history of the Dreamcast cult classic, Shenmue, offering a look at the various then-revolutionary technological achievements that Yu Suzuki’s action-RPG offered.
The video goes into detail on the first chapter in the Shenmue franchise, offering a look at its genesis as a Virtua Fighter RPG to its evolution as a new IP, first on the Sega Saturn and eventually the Dreamcast version we know and love.
We also get a detailed look at the tech behind Suzuki-san’s 1999 adventure, so you can appreciate just how ahead of its time it was upon release.
Shenmue returns with PS4 sequel in 2017
Shenmue made an unexpected return at E3 2015, when Suzuki-san and Sony teamed up to reveal the third entry in the series for Kickstarter. The game quickly became the fastest title on the crowdfunding website to hit one million, and went on to raise $6.3 million during its Kickstarter run.
Due out on PlayStation 4 and PC in December 2017, Shenmue III will see the return of the series’ trademark Quick-Time Events and Virtua Fighter-inspired combat, as well as a full day/night cycle.
Developer Ys Net has confirmed that the story is around 95 percent complete, although has indicated we probably won’t see the game at E3 next week.
SEGA has said that it is investigating the possibility of a high-definition revamp of Shenmue and Shenmue II for modern consoles.