by Himuro » Tue May 23, 2017 9:21 am
I don't think it's a contest. Without Guilin Shenmue would be dead. If the game ended at Kowloon, who literally gives a shit what happens next. It's just a game where dude conquered and doesn't look inside himself, at all, and then rides into the sunset in the search for treasure. Pretty much every mystery in the series is grounded in Guilin. Who is Shenhua? What are the big stone mirrors for? What about the sword? What's with the cave? What's with Shenhua's powers? Ryo doing tai chi? A hint of him looking inside of himself and reconsidering his revenge? Who made camp before them, Lan Di? What about the Shenmie tree? It must have a significant role. Why does Ryo feel like he knows it? Are they siblings? Are they lovers? Is Shenhua a mystical being that has been reincarnated? Or is she hundreds of years old?
These mysteries and more, from three to four hours of one gameplay section.
No Guilin, no Shenmue III. Without Guilin who gives a fuck. It's just a generic - although fantastic - game where the hero wins at the end. Yawn.
Shenmue Dojo would have been dead by at least 2010 if Guilin weren't in II. What's there to talk about? Ryo beating Dou Niu? Without Guilin, if you beat disc 3 and it was the end of the game you'd probably think,"ah, I know how it ends. Ryo will beat Lan Di in the end, who cares." But Guilin changes the map, the stakes, and resets the board.
Without Guilin I don't see the fanbase give nearly as much of a shit about Shenmue. It'd have its fans and everything but it wouldn't have a fanbase grasping for something new as much as does now. It would have been a dead series like Suikoden or something.
Himuro has received 3 thanks from: Mystere, Sappharad, SickOctopus