Yu Suzuki Speaks to Weekly Famitsu on Shenmue III: Part One | Translation

This stunning new image above, showing Ryo at the wheel of - yes! a forklift truck - in a warehouse setting, accompanied an article released today by Japan's Weekly Famitsu magazine who have interviewed Yu Suzuki about the latest state of Shenmue III.

We are currently translating the interview, with a preview section below.

YS = Yu Suzuki

Forklifts: World Premiere

Image caption: Revealed to the world for the first time is the figure of Ryo Hazuki driving a forklift in Shenmue III! The location, which looks like a warehouse, has a different feel to it from the recent trailer or the images of Bailu village we saw during our private media viewing. Will the story take us to visit a harbor town again? In our 2015 interview, Suzuki had responded "The forklift's popularity is amazing, isn't it! I'm considering them," but it would seem that they will be implemented!!

[Notes from Switch]
1. In a 2017 Famitsu interview, Yu Suzuki said "Forklifts... if I don't include them, everyone will be upset with me. [laughs] Forklifts are being readied."
2. A forklift, albeit of a differing design, was also present in the background of the warehouse battle scene image distributed with Kickstarter Update #85 (July 2018).

How to Make Money, and the Ideal Shenmue

Q: Ooh, forklifts! It appears that it will be necessary to earn money in Shenmue III too, won't it?

YS: Shenmue III places particular focus on economic balance and the economic cycle. By economy, I mean things like the flow of money; and money is important. Money becomes involved in a lot of different ways. For example, there are herbal medicines: if you collect together the right medicinal herbs growing in the fields and mountains to form the ingredients of a herbal medicine, you can sell them at a good price. All sorts of elements are connected together by money. If you've already got capital to work with and want to increase it, then there's what I showed you earlier...

Q: Making money at gaming parlors?

YS: Some people may lose money though [laughs]. This time, technique scrolls are an extremely important element, and there are various ways to obtain them. Cases include exchanging an item at a pawn shop, completing a capsule toy set collection, or bringing 3 specific prize items to a pawn shop to exchange for a unique technique scroll. Money's link to the user cycle is something I really paid special attention to.

Q: The various forms of entertainment are intertwined with the economy, each linking together to form the player's experience of playing the game. Time was spent on its construction, so will you be in time for the release date of August 27th?

YS: Of course. We're moving forward under that schedule.

Q: Among other things that haven't been shown in images, in Shenmue III we will also be able to do fishing, won't we?

YS: Yes. For fishing, you'll be able to rent a fishing rod. When you reach a certain point, you'll be able to rent one at Bailu village. There are several places you can fish: some at a pond, some at the river and so on. There are also some spots that could be considered "hidden gems". There are multiple types of fishing rod with differing performance, and using one you can catch a fish and exchange it for money based on the fish's weight. There are also occasionally fishing-tournament type events.

Q: If you fish a "hidden gem" spot, is there a chance you could catch a monster fish there?

YS: Well, I can't say too much [laughs]. There's also a kind of a "stamp rally" where you go from one fishing spot to the next, collecting certain types of fish.

Q; Near the start of Shenmue II, there was a fishing tackle shop not far from the park, wasn't there. Did you have the idea of fishing from back then?

YS: I'm pretty sure I wanted to. Things like fishing and hunting. I don't remember those days very clearly though [laughs].

Translation of the article is in progress. Next part to come soon.

Source: Weekly Famitsu magazine (print edition)

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