Shenmue cover
FranchiseShenmueSeriesShenmue

Shenmue

Critic score1 critic
First release
Dec 29, 1999
Developer
Sega AM2
Publisher
Sega
Genres
Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure, Simulator · Sandbox, Open world, Fantasy, Historical

"He shall appear from a far Eastern land across the sea. A young man who has yet to know his potential. This potential is a power that can either destroy him, or realize his will. His courage shall determine his fate. The path he must traverse, fraught with adversity, I await whilst praying. For this destiny predetermined since ancient times... A pitch, black night unfolds with the morning star as its only light. And thus the saga, begins..." This first chapter of Shenmue kicks off Yu Suzuki's cinematic Dreamcast tour-de-force, an exploration-heavy adventure that has players immerse themselves in Yokosuka, Japan. Players slip into the role of a young martial artist named Ryo Hazuki, who is on the trail of his father's killer. On the way, players must talk with hundreds of characters, engage in martial arts battles, and marvel at the realistic depiction of the Japanese coastal town.

Also known as シェンムー, Project Berkley, Shenmue: Isshou - Yokosuka, シェンムー 一章:横須賀
… See more, 莎木 第一章 橫須賀, Virtua Fighter RPG

Attributes

No Attributes added.

Details

Storyline, release dates, time to beat, age ratings, modes, links, keywords

Release dates
Dreamcast
Dec 29, 1999
Dreamcast
Nov 08, 2000
Dreamcast
Dec 01, 2000
All 6 release dates
PlayStation 4
Aug 20, 2018
Xbox One
Aug 20, 2018
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Aug 21, 2018
Time to beatIGDB · recorded
Main Story
40h
Main + Extras
80h
Completionist
120h
Game modes
Single player
Perspective
Third person
Where to buy
Keywords
martial arts, detective, murder, minigames, quick-time events
… All 69, death, christmas, gangs, hand-to-hand combat, brawler, action-adventure, karate, time limit, multiple endings, artificial intelligence, revenge, dice, kung fu, high score, day/night cycle, single-player only, voice acting, cat, polygonal 3d, original soundtrack release, motion blur, non-player character, descendants of other characters, save point, moral decisions, side quests, branching storyline, questing, melee, holiday themes, real-time combat, vending machine interaction, rpg elements, mercenary, coming of age, mid-development ip split, video game characters that play video games, arcade cabinet, interactive environments, realism, motion capture animation, quick time event, fetch quests, power of friendship, quest tracking, spiky-haired protagonist, ambient music, day-based narrative, cancelled episodic game series, flashback, the 1980s, disc streaming, persistent world, cliffhanger, tragic hero, product placement, gameplay twist, supply and demand, metagame, platform change, vmu support, interactive achievement awards 2001, unresolved stories, asian protagonist

At a Glance

Critic Score
90
Main Story (IGDB)
40h
Main + Extras (IGDB)
80h
Completionist (IGDB)
120h

How it plays

Languages

  • Englishinterface, audio, subtitles
  • 日本語interface, audio, subtitles
IGDB · recorded 1 Oct 2026

Language data: IGDB · recorded 1 Oct 2026