When Shenmue 3 originally came out, I was very fond of it. Honestly, it’s the best of the Shenmue games, offering better combat, more content, and the most believable world of any game in the series. But it’s also very dedicated to being a Shenmue game, which annoyed people who either didn’t like the other ones so much or whose nostalgia glasses kept them from remembering what the first two games were actually like. Thanks to Epic Games, however, everyone on PC can now give the game another shot because Shenmue 3 is free on EGS.
Starting today, Shenmue 3 can be added to your Epic Games account, either through the client or on the site. This is a great chance for people on the fence to actually give the game a fair shake. Granted, it also means people who haven’t played a Shenmue game are going to try it, which might backfire. While I love the game, it’s meant for a specific niche. It isn’t built for people who like to roam around empty, open maps while making their way to the next icon, or those who want to randomly get into fights with enemies all the time. In addition, Epic will have another game free tomorrow, although we’ll have to wait and see what that is. Shenmue 3 is only the first of a series of daily free games for the holidays.
Shenmue 3 free on Epic Games Store
In case it isn’t immediately obvious (even though it is), Shenmue 3 is the third installment in the series and picks up quite literally immediately after the end of the second game. If you haven’t played that, you will have no idea of who anyone is, where anything is set, or how anyone got there. People love to describe the series as some kind of prototype for the Yakuza games, but those people don’t actually know what they’re talking about. These games are about patiently learning about locations while existing in them, not hitting people with bicycles and managing cabarets.
