Looks like there’s hope for Ryo Hazuki’s soulless gaze in Shenmue 3. When the first Shenmue 3 teaser trailer dropped in August, fans of the beloved adventure series were a little more than concerned at how the protagonist’s facial expressions never changed.
In an interview with Game Watch, developer Yu Suzuki mentioned that the previous facial animations were removed, but would be replaced at a later time.
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As of today, a recent Kickstarter update video from Ys Net shows a test on what could be an overhaul in their facial animations. The developer runs us through a test with a “grandma” character who, as the dev puts, is scary. The test footage lands firmly in the uncanny valley, and because of that, the reactions to the changes are split.
Some fans thank Ys Net for the update and are generally receptive to the faces, calling the game “lovely”. Other backers don’t feel reassured by the creepy facial poses. “Sorry, but I’m disappointed.”, says one backer. In between comments like these are debates about facial animation tests versus the finished product after rendering.
All faces considered, Shenmue 3 is still about a year of time in development left. The development team is also working with a small budget compared to its triple-A competitors too, having raised $6.3 million in its Kickstarter campaign. Assuming Ys Net ships the game in the second half of 2018, Shenmue fans may have to warm up to grandma’s eerie face bones.
