Now being nearly two months since the release of Shenmue HD Remaster, fans sit in anticipation as the third in the trilogy is slowly approaching for August next year. With the original duo from the Sega Dreamcast now playable for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, it kept fans occupied until then and allowing the fanbase to return to what brought the series to its cult status.
As the game was titled HD remaster, the two titles still looked to be sticking to the originals from the early 2000s. Eurogamer’s DigitalFoundry has released some footage of the cancelled project initially planned for the remaster before the final version we have now.
In the video, it shows off iconic location in both the first and second Shenmue titles with completely reworked graphics including textures, lighting, shadows, and environment geometry. At first glance the footage illustrates that what was planned before the HD remaster we know now was more ambitious than we could have ever expected. Though it was only a work-in-progress since this version of the remaster never officially released, it is an enormous upgrade when comparing it.
The first Shenmue stood out greatly with the detail in both its environments and even character models. Though the game’s protagonist Ryo wasn’t present in the video, what we witnessed from the standard NPCs as they walked in an out of frame was impressive with their upgraded character models. While second title stood out with the scale it originally strived for in contrast to the first. Presenting great detail in building textures, reflective lights on glass, and in-depth shadow maps.
It’s unaware why Sega might have chosen not to continue the more ambitious approach to the original titles than what we received this Summer, but it does explain a lot with the bugs and glitches that live within the released remasters. Looking at the footage, a lot of effort was put into the cancelled version and the decision to stick true to the original’s look meant the game being rushed as it was on a set deadline.
The upcoming title in the Shenmue trilogy was originally pitched as a kickstarted project at Sony’s E3 Press Conference in 2015. With the amount of eager fans that donated to the making of the announced title, the game shortly after reached its aimed goal and miles past.
Shenmue III was recently delayed with an release date set for August 27, 2019 for PlayStation 4.
