Shenmue 3 screenshots tease combat, characters and environments

An update on Shenmue 3’s development has been posted to Kickstarter by developer YS Net, and it’s coming along nicely.

It’s been several months since Shenmue 3 hit its funding goal on Kickstarter, raising a grand total of $6,333,296 during the campaign.

Developer YS Net have been providing frequent updates ever since, and the latest showcases a number of screenshots for the upcoming game.

In their “Month 3 Progress Report,” YS Net discusses map testing, surveys and community updates.

Map testing will allow to developer to work out whether a map is too large or small by “looking at the layout of a certain space.”

“For example, an outside area may feel too open, YS explained. “That space may be reduced by 20%, and the number of people there increased from 10 to 16, to affect the proper consistency and density of the area.”

All of the screenshots released aren’t representative of the final product, and many of the character models are either outdated or simple placeholders to avoid any spoilers.

Related: 5 questions we still need answering about Shenmue 3

The screenshots don’t reveal much about the game, and are taken from at “an angle to avoid spoilers as much as possible.”

We aren’t sure what they spoil so early in development, but it’s great to see that Shenmue 3 is making some progress.

Shenmue 3 was first announced as a Kickstarter campaign during Sony’s E3 Press Conference in 2015.
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14 years have passed since the release of Shenmue 2, so hopefully this new installment will be worth the wait.

Ys Net has spoken recently about the idea of re-releasing Shenmue 1 and 2 for modern consoles, but nothing has been confirmed.

Shenmue 3 is set to release in 2017 for PS4 and PC.