Forklift Driving, Arcade Games Underscore Forking Short Shenmue 3 Teaser

Hot damn, folks. We’ve got forklifts, we’ve got whack-a-mole, and we’ve got kickass kung-fu action. It looks like we’ve got a veritable Shenmue game on our hands after all.  

In a new 30-second trailer finally released online by Ys Net, fans and players get a quick look at Shenmue 3‘s mini-games and combat. The trailer is the same one that has been circulating in the real-world at PlayStation kiosks for the past month or so. 

For anyone that’s played either of the Shenmue games, it’s clear that Yu Suzuki has a soft spot for industrial machinery, especially glorified hand-trucks such as the forklift. Indeed, players know how fun it is to race with them, too, since the equipment featured so heavily in the original classic, and the game’s forklift race is one of the most classic gaming moments of all time. 

While it’s unclear if the forklift race will make a comeback in Shenmue 3, it is clear that Ryo will at least get to drive one at some point during the game, perhaps to make an extra buck or uncover the nefarious machinations of Lan Di and the Chi You Men. 

Suzuki confirmed forklifts as far back as January of this year, but it’s still great to see it in action here. 

Also shown in the trailer, albeit shortly, is a game of whack-a-mole, confirming that Shenmue 3 will feature more arcade mini-game fun, as we’ve come to expect. 

Since this year’s E3, where it was confirmed that Shenmue 3 will be a timed-exclusive for the Epic Games Store, controversy has surrounded the Kickstarted project. Since the exclusivity deal came after the game was fully funded on the crowdsourcing platform, some backers weren’t happy with the fact that they would be forced to use the Epic Games Store over another storefront such as Steam. 

At the time, those asking for refunds from the “Shenmue III Team” were being denied. At the time, some reached out to Deep Silver, the company publishing the game, for clarification on the matter. Sources speaking with PC gamer said: 

… “the developer is ‘looking into it.” The publication was also told that while Deep Silver is publishing Shenmue 3, it “joined the project long after the KickStarter was set up and therefore isn’t in a position to comment on the actions as we are not involved in that side of the project.” 

However, Epic Games has recently said that it will bear the burden of refunding backers who wish to take their money elsewhere. Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games said on Twitter: 

Epic is funding the cost of all Kickstarter refunds resulting from Shenmue III’s move to the Epic Games store, so that refunds won’t reduce Ys Net’s development funding.

Unfortunately, the announcement only calmed the stormy waters surrounding the game for a short time. It seems that Kickstarter backers will now have to purchase the game’s season pass and Deluxe Edition separately. 

Shenmue 3 was originally set to release on August 27. However, the game was recently delayed for “refinements,” according to the developer. The game will now release on November 19 for PC and PlayStation 4.