Update: Shenmue 3 is no longer the free game. Find details of the next free game here.
Shenmue 3 has officially been revealed as the first mystery game to appear in the Epic Games Store Christmas giveaway bonanza.
You have until 4PM GMT tomorrow, December 17, to add it to your collection. To redeem any free games, all you need to do is sign into the Epic Games Store website or client, then add them to your basket and go through checkout. Once purchased, they will remain in your library to keep forever.
Shenmue 3 was previously rumoured as the first of 15 games up for grabs over the festive period. This came via a listing posted on Deadlabs by user, Billbill-Kun, so we’ll be watching to see if any other games are leaked.
As in 2020 and 2019, each game will be available for one day before disappearing, with one exception. One final free game will drop on December 30th, 2021 and remain on the Epic Games Store for a week.
After leaving Shenmue fans on a cliff-hanger for almost two decades, creator Yu Suzuki and developer YS Team were successful in crowdfunding a third instalment. It launched in late 2019 to above average review scores. Shenmue supporters were finally about to continue Ryo’s story though it’s fair to say this third game hardly felt modernised, as if plucked from the mid 00s.
Here’s what we had to say in our own verdict:
“It’s quite a reductive conclusion to land on, but Shenmue III is exactly what you’d expect. From what we’ve played so far (and we’ve only scratched the surface) it has proven to be a faithful continuation of the beloved landmark series and one that’s benefitted from some light modernisation without changing what fans found so magically alluring about Shenmue in the first place.”
Shenmue 3 may be a bit of a “love it or hate it” choice though it signals that the remaining freebies in the Epic Games Store giveaway could all be bigger releases.
Source: Epic Games Store
