Fun fact: Ryo Hazuki got a scar in the final of a martial arts tournament prior to the first game, hence the band aid

Shenmue III's crowd funding campaign has been a little strange. After smoking Kickstarter's servers during Sony's memorable E3 2015 press conference, it was met with scepticism and some serious messaging issues, which caused it to slow right down. However, following the announcement of a physical PlayStation 4 copy, the enthusiasm is back – and it looks likely to smash a few more records over the course of the coming weeks.

But speaking as part of a Twitter question and answer session, creator Yu Suzuki has iterated that he truly is grateful for the opportunity to make the sequel – irrespective of the amount of money raised. "I am grateful I have another chance for a new Shenmue," he said. "I will do everything I can within the budget." The SEGA legend previously hinted that $10 million would be ideal, but it doesn't look like it'll raise that much.

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However, the good news is that there'll still be plenty for you to explore: Suzuki-san explained that the open world will be about the size of Dobuita from the original Shenmue should it only accrue $5 million. While small by modern sandbox standards, this area was packed with numerous shops, secrets, and characters on the Dreamcast, so we'd take it. It sounds like this is going to be a much more personal sequel anyway.

The veteran developer dropped a few other tidbits over the course of the Q&A, namely that he's considering working with Coca-Cola to get some licensed soft drinks in the release, and that there's still a possibility that classic SEGA franchises could be represented, in the form of arcade games and toy capsules. He also added that he's thinking about implementing a dialogue selection system, perhaps similar to the one in the fourth disc of Shenmue II.

The campaign's up to $4.3 million at the time of typing, with the next Stretch Goal adding an extra quest to the Baisha Village environment. With just 12 days left to go now, it's going to be interesting to observe the campaign's final push. What would convince you to up your pledge at this point? And if you're not currently a backer, what kind of announcement would get you involved? Search for sailors in the comments section below.

[source twitter.com]