Shenmue Gaiden has been placed on hold for the time being due to Esspiral no longer working on the project. While, I currently have a some assets for the game, more are needed in order to achieve the desired result.
I'll have to wait for more assets to become available from the modding community
The project will be released at a later date. Stay tuned for further updates.
Apologies, if this disappoints some of you, but it is what it is.
In the mean time, look forward to other community projects coming out on a regular basis on the shenmuedojo forums.
Thanks again.
November 2015 update
Weekly update
Send all your questions and requests to [email protected]
Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ShenmueGaiden
Hey Shenmue fans. So over the last few months, me and the amazing Esppiral have been working together on a special project. We originally planned to reveal it back in June but chose to delay it as Shenmue 3 was announced. Never saw that coming lol.
Without further delay, the Shenmue Community would like to present to you all.....
INFO
Title : Shenmue Gaiden
Platform : PC/????
OS: Windows XP/7/8 / ????
Release date : 2016 / (Demo 2015)
Game Type: Visual Novel
Story: Non-Cannon. (This is a fan made game. Do not take the story seriously. It's something we threw together and does not represent the actual Shenmue story at all.)
All images are a work in progress. Expect massive improvements as the year goes on.
Shenmue Gaiden will be a spin off non-canon story and take place just before Ryo reaches Shenhua's house in Guilin. A second story based in Hong Kong will also be included. Shenmue Gaiden will focus on the Shenmue Online characters. The lady in red and Lan di will be involved, however, they will take more of a background role. This will be done as we dont wont to interfere with the original story too much. We would like it to feel as authentic as humanly possible.
PLOT 1
After walking through the beautiful forest of Guilin for hours, Ryo and Shenhua finally reach their destination. This brief moment of peace is quickly interrupted as the pair are approached by a young girl begging for help. The Xiangjin village has been attacked by a woman dressed in red and group of men wearing black suits. Ryo and Shenhua make their way to the village to investigate. What sort of danger awaits them?
PLOT 2
After being defeated by Ryo and his friends, Dou Niu and Yuan are determined to get revenge. They team up with an old foe and seek out the Heavens and Xiuying within Hong Kong.
Ryo - Hero of the series. He promises Lui Hui that he'll find the people responsible for the attack on Xiangjin village.
Shenhua - Heroine of the series. She is good friends with the children of Xiangjing village and accompanies Ryo throughout his travels in Guilin.
Lan Di - The main villain of Shenmue. His reasons for being in Guilin continue to be a mystery.
????? - Mysterious woman dressed in red.
Xiuying - One of the masters of Hong Kong. A very strong and independent woman. She is determined to stop Dou Niu and Yuan once and for all.
Ren - Leader of the Heavens. Nemesis to Dou Niu.
Luihui - An orphan child from Xiangjin village. She looks up to and respects Shenhua.
Shui - Another child from Xiangjin village. He is good friends with Lui Hiu
Maggie - A fearsome and mysterious woman
Chi You Men - The Henchmen of a mysterious organisation.
More to be added.......
All characters sprites will be in full HD and receive noticeable upgrades to their models. Different expressions will also be added to their faces depending on the situation. This will allow us to deliver an extra layer of realism.
Lighting
Sprites will also receive various lighting effects depending on the background and time of day.
Animation
Finally, each sprite will have their eyes and mouths move when speaking or on screen.
Hopefully, all of these improvements will add an extra layer of realism and provide a better overall experience.
Character Model Improvements list
- HD Models
- Dynamic lighting
- Animated faces
All backgrounds in Shenmue Gaiden will be in FULL HD and optimized to support widescreen. Those who played the previous visual novel may have noticed the game running at a 800x600 resolution. This new entry will run at a minimum 1080x720 and support other resolutions.
The backgrounds will also received noticeable upgrades such as lighting and special effects.
Guilin Langhuishan Area
Textboxes has been customized to reflect the feel of Shenmue. The text itself is a work in progress. Here are some sample images from the game.
Ren And Joy
Yuan and ???
Chi You And Village Boy
Ryo and M
Cutscene images will also make a return. However, this time they will be custom made and not directly ripped from Shenmue 1 or 2.
Ryo Training
Ryo and Shenhua by a campfire
Shenhua
Ryo and Shenhua walking through the forest
Mechanics / Others
Shenhua's House
Each night, you'll return to Shenhua's house. Before you go to sleep, you'll be able to discuss the current events of the story, along with having a general discussion about every day life.
Shenhua will also teach you the game's system mechanics and give you advice about future events.
Choices, Choices, Choices
Image maps
Certain sections of the game will give you options to explore various areas at your leisure. Each path leading to a different area of the game.
Conversation choices
Those who played the first game knows that it was full of conversation choices which led to different responses. This game will have the same features but expand on them further.
Voiced characters
One feature we would really love to include is voiced characters. We would love the community to contribute to this. Adam Koralik, his girlfriend and others have already expressed their interest in doing voice over work.
Jobs
More unique jobs than the first visual novel.
??????
Music will consist of tracks from Shenmue online, Shenmue Orchestra, Fan made music and Shenmue 2 Guilin music.
More info to be revealed soon!!!
Q - What type of game is this?
A - This is a visual novel title. A visual novel is an interactive narrative driven game using static images, text and sometimes video clips. Think Pheonix Wright.
Q - Why did you make this?
A - This is a passion project and was made for the Shenmue Community. We haven't had a Shenmue game in 15 years, so we thought it would be nice to create one.
Q - How many people do you think will play this title
A - Not many. Maybe around 50 - 100.
Q - The character portraits look strange?
A - Esspiral is practically remaking the character models. Its hard work. Expect them to improve in the final game.
Q - Copyright /Sega/Ys net/Cedric Biscay
A - This is a non profit simple fan game. There are hundreds of Sega fangames all over the internet. That said, if Sega, Yu Suzuki, Cedric Biscay or anyone else involved with Shenmue want us to stop the project, then we will cancel it immediately. No questions asked.
Q - How did you make Niao S......i mean the lady in red
A - Me and Esspiral broke into SEGA HQ and stole the plans for Shenmue 5. In all seriousness, Esspiral has put a ton of work into creating this model. The result is magnificent as you can see.
Q - Can I help on the project?
A - Absolutely. Scroll down to the bottom of the thread and see the list of available jobs. Whichever one suits you, send us an email and we will go from there.
Q - You shouldn't interfere with the Shenmue story
A - This game is non canon and will focus on the characters that have been written off from the series (Shenmue online characters). Lady in red and Lan di will take a more background role.
Q - Can you make chapter 2? (Ryo traveling to Hong Kong via boat)
A - Its possible. One day, we may try it.
More FAQs coming soon....
The following individuals have shown interest in taking part in the Shenmue Gaiden project. More staff will be added in the coming weeks. Some individuals may want to withdraw from their current positions in the future. Staffing not final. Wishlist staff are the ones we would like to recruit. Current staff, please email us regarding any additional info. [email protected]
- ShenSun (Producer/Director)
- Esspiral (Producer/Director)
- David Diville (Shenmue Master/French coordinator)
Wishlist
- Shengoro James (Shenmue 500k coordinator)
- Ziming
- Yama
A sample of various phrases/lines/part of the script will be sent out to the voice over team in the coming weeks. Casting of characters will then take place.
- Adam Koralik & Mrs Claus
- Adoxographist
- Shengoro James
- Laura Eliza
- Axm
- David Diville
- Ceej & Brother
- T'Pei
- Heather Chu Bishop
- Giorgio
- Ryo911
- Bryan Figueroa
- More to be added.....
Shown interest. Awaiting Confirmation.
- Eternal Dragon
- Happy Console Gamer
Wishlist
- Esspiral
- Riken productions
- Matthew Velazquez
- François Bilodeau
- More to be added
Needs to confirm
- David Formston
Wishlist
- LanDC
- Miles Prower
- Adrian Farrugia (Editor)
- Redandwhite
- ShenmueP1
If you would like to help on the project, let us know. This is a community project, so all help is welcome.
Current jobs
--Voice Overs (To voice certain characters in the game)
- Fan Artist (To draw Shenmue fanart)
--Voice Ripper (To rip voice files of specific characters from Shenmue 1/2)
--Editor (Read the script for spelling and grammar mistakes)
--Video Editor (Create trailers for game and to demonstrate updates on youtube)
--Photoshop Designer (Create wallpapers and promotional images for the game)
--Music Creator (To remaster or create original Shenmue inspired soundtracks)
--Any other unique skill that you may have, let us know. Contact us at [email protected] or message us through Shenmuedojo
The following is the development plan for the rest of the year. If we stick to this vague schedule, we should be able to release a demo on Christmas day. Some crucial info may be missing. Updates to the page as we notice them.
October 21st - 31st 2015
• Base game / engine built. (COMPLETE)
• import all current backgrounds / characters (COMPLETE)
• complete basic structure for Guilin demo chapter (COMPLETE)
November 1st - 30th
• Incorporate events, ?, story branches, social events, image maps, music etc.
• Shenmue Gaiden update on the 3rd
December 1st - 10th
• proofread script
• Shenmue Gaiden update on the 3rd
• hand script over to David Deville for French translation
• Receive final demo script
• Have script voiced by voice actors
December 19th - 24th
• Have script voiced by voice actors
• TEST TEST TEST
• MORE TESTING
• Send copy to david and esspiral for approval.
December 25th
• Eat Christmas dinner and open presents
• Release Shenmue Gaiden Demo
• Presents for all.
December 31st - 1st January
• New announcements
• Feedback
• Party
Updates will continue, with major updates being released on the 3rd of each month.
Many Thanks.
If you would like to speak to me or Esspiral about the project, jobs, or anything else then please send us a private message through the Shenmuedojo forums. Alternatively Email us at [email protected]
Like our Facebook Page to get updated on new developments
Shenmue Gaiden Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/ShenmueGaiden
Thanks a million guys. We hope you all enjoy the game.
#SaveShenmue
