After promising as much, especially following the game’s delay to November, Ys Net has confirmed PC backer trial for Shenmue 3 coming this weekend. The trial will allow players to explore Bailu Village. It’s only for a day but you can keep replaying it to experience everything.
An email will be sent out this weekend for those who pledged the correct tier. Overall, you’re looking at an hour’s worth of gameplay with the trial ending at 9 PM in-game time. It’s possible to wrap things up in quicker fashion by simply completing the main battle. Otherwise, wander around and take the story in, playing different mini-games as you please.
Shenmue 3 is out on November 19th for PS4 and PC. The PC version is a timed exclusive to the Epic Games Store. While refunds were being offered to backers who wanted Steam key, they’re no longer guaranteed given negotiations with Valve. Stay tuned for more details on the same in the coming months.