Following the release of Shenmue III back in 2019, fans have once again been left in the dark over the series's future, with the occasional interview quote from Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki being all we have to suggest that another new game might still be on the cards.
This is obviously a little bit frustrating given some people have been waiting to see the conclusion of Ryo's story ever since the late 90s, but there is a ray of hope for those looking to have a little more Shenmue in their lives. This is because, in the meantime, we've started to see some amazing new fan games emerging from the Shenmue community, from the Christmas-themed action-adventure Dreams of Saturn to the Tamagotchi-esque Virtua Pet- Chobu Chan!
The latest of these — Shenmue: Reclaiming The Path — is a new title from the Dreams of Saturn creator George Kitchen — that was announced only yesterday for PC (as spotted by Shenmue Dojo). It is a Shenmue adventure set in the picturesque landscapes of Guilin and features Dreamcast-style graphics, as well as an original story that includes a new hero as well as returning characters such as the Chi You Men, Master Zhoushan, and Zhen Wei.
A short trailer was released yesterday on YouTube, showing off almost four minutes of footage from the stunning new fan project, including a look at some of the gameplay (including third-person and first-person exploration and QTEs) as well as various cutscenes.
A release date for the project has been set for September 16th, 2024. We'll keep you posted once more information is available.