The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter backer rewards have finally been revealed. Lots of people pledged millions of dollars to realize the dream of finally making the third game in the Shenmue franchise. Now that the campaign has concluded and the game is on its way to the Epic Games Store and consoles, the fine folks at YS Net have another matter to handle — the physical and digital rewards for Kickstarter backers.
The digital rewards largely consist of cosmetic and story stuff as noted in the Kickstarter campaign update. The highlight has got to be the International Telephone Card, an item that only lets Kickstarter backers unlock unique in-game conversations. If you’re more concerned about adorable toys, a series of capsule toys featuring adorable characterizations of characters are also available. Ryu will also get a unique jacket that can optionally replace the classic brown one that he’s worn for a while now.
ALSO: Best Turok Games | From Dinosaur Hunter to Evolution
The physical Shenmue 3 Kickstarter backer rewards are where things get really interesting. Yu Suzuki had to sign five thousand art prints that are being shipped out to backers who purchased certain tiers. Other backers will be getting case mock-ups, t-shirts, rainbow-colored calligraphy, and/or an art book.
Two items in particular stand out. The first is a nice light-up hologram that shows our protagonist in fine form and would certainly look nice on a shelf or desk. The “Vintage Grab Bag” reward, however, is much more interesting. This particular part of the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter backer rewards contains a variety of promotional goods from Shenmue and Shenmue 2 that one would be hard-pressed to find out there in the world today. Going by the images shown in the backer update, these items include watches, figurines, t-shirts, and CD cases. (Amazingly, only one of these four things have truly been rendered obsolete.)
The devs state that they’re working their hardest to get the backer rewards out to all of their supporters. Shenmue 3 arrives on August 27, 2019, for PC via the Epic Games Store and for the PS4.
