Yes, Shenmue 3 Will Have Forklifts
If you're at all concerned that Shenmue 3 won't have the same feel as its predecessors, this bit of news might help. According to Destructoid, the series' unforgettable forklift will be making a return, because hey — Ryo Hazuki's gotta work.
The official Shenmue Twitter account shared the above photo of the forklift in all of its, er, forklifty glory. And the account had a message, too:
"#Shenmue fans are never in a bad mood. Why? Because something will always be able to lift them up! Today's issue of Weekly Famitsu is showcasing the iconic forklift for the very first time! So...who is in for a ride?"
As the account stated, the forklift was revealed in Weekly Famitsu, a Japanese video game magazine. And judging by all of the responses to the photo that was shared online, fans are incredibly eager to hop in the driver's seat.
You may be wondering — what on earth is the big deal with the forklift? More than anything else, the forklift is a symbol. The first Shenmue boasted a remarkably interactive world, complete with street vendors, arcade machines and other things to spend money on. In order to make money, however, you had to work. Shenmue didn't just hand that money to you.
Ask anyone who played Shenmue about the forklift and they'll look back — maybe fondly, maybe not — on the number of pallets they moved around the docks in order to pocket some dough. All of that, just to play a few rounds of some '80s arcade game or watch Ryo buy a soda out of a vending machine. Not a lot of games were doing than kind of thing back then. Honestly, it felt novel.
The truth is, Shenmue was ahead of its time because the world felt lived in, and like you lived in it. Day and night passed and gave the impression that life went on even if you weren't there. People had routines. You had a routine — even if you were on a much greater quest. The forklift points to that sort of feeling being resurrected in Shenmue 3, and that's what has people very excited.
We're ages away from when the first Shenmue released, however, and some feel it doesn't hold up. Some even believe that Shenmue 3 won't live up to the hype — that games today have changed far too much for something like Shenmue to be welcome anymore. But others are anxiously awaiting Ryo Hazuki's next adventure — and his next shift on the forklift.
And they don't have long to wait. Shenmue 3 arrives on August 27.