Guide Note:

Shenmue is a role-playing/action-adventure game for the Dreamcast developed by Sega-AM2 and published by Sega. It is the first part of the unfinished Shenmue saga.

Fast Facts:

1. Developer: Sega-AM2
2. Publisher: Sega
3. Platform: Dreamcast
4. Genre: Role-Playing | Action-Adventure
5. Mode: Single-player
6. Rating: Teen (T)
7. Release Date: November 6, 2000

You play as Shenmue who, after returning home to witness his father's death, goes on a mission to find the man that killed his father—Lan Di. He must follow a series of clues and talk to various people to find out the man's whereabouts. But as he is searching, he begins to uncover a great secret about his father.

There are three different styles of gameplay during the game. The one that you will spend the most time in is the Free Quest, where you explore the Yokosuka area of Japan. This section allows you to interact with the NPCs, investigate objects and progress the plot. There are also a variety of mini-games like darts and snooker. The second mode is the Quick Timer Event (QTE) where buttons will flash on the screen and the player must press the relevant buttons in order to control Ryo's actions. Battles against enemies take place in QTE as well as other action such as chasing a crook or avoiding obstacles. There is a time limit that is indicated by beeps. The faster the beeps the less time you have to enter in the button combination. The success during these scenes can affect the gameplay as well as the cutscene. Finally, free battle is the most common gameplay type during fights against enemies. Ryo can learn different martial art skills and styles and can use these techniques by certain combinations of buttons reminiscent of games like Virtua Fighter. Martial art techniques can be learned from martial artists or through scrolls.