The Trinkets and Kinship of Shenmue
“Maybe I Should Get Another”
I have always had a thing for little trinkets. Back when my office workplace was permanent, which is going back beyond ten years now, my desk would often accommodate a Lego character here, a Marvel miniature there, an overall undeniable youthful spirit everywhere. The world's new hybrid way of working means no more permanent desk, but at home I remain surrounded by my various literature, as well as the odd Nintendo Amiibo or something similar.
It's just who I am, even as I approach my mid-40s. My history of such trinkets is a long-standing one. Fond memories of my first trip alone to the local newsagent remain strong, for it was all about the mystery toy/candy machines outside. I never knew at the time that 10/20p would bring so much joy.
Over 30 years later, taking my 4-year-old son to a toy store is living proof that that youthful spirit and inclination has clearly passed down from father to child. Much as it did with my daughter before him, he will happily glance past the Lego and Lightning McQueen collectibles cars that he equally adores without so much as a tentative purchase request. Well, sometimes. But once we hit the collectibles section a demonstration of pointing excitedly like something out of a Looney Tunes cartoon occurs. I can empathise. These days I’m more physically reserved, but nevertheless other family members still sometimes bear the brunt of our over-enthusiasm for inanimate plastic, often bringing us both away from retailer ecstasy. But not without a trinket or two of course.
That first moment of coming across such a pair of trinket-dispensing machines outside the Sakuragoaka village store, one of the primary locations in Sega’s recently remastered adventure, Shenmue, became a calling like no other. A sentimental moment within a sentimental moment, if you will. Once that had passed, the excitement I’d passed down in my genes surfaced. “Are they toys?” I was asked both enthusiastically and hopefully. Usually, in such circumstances, that question would not apply. Very few video games allow for such miniature interaction, even in 2025. It was to my delight, and that of my son, and my daughter before him, that the answer was most definitely, “Yes”.
And so a query of mere functionality quickly ascended/descended into capsule toy addiction. The 100 Yen – around 50p of today's British money – price tag seems insignificant, especially as Ryo begins the game with 10,000. Forlorn housekeeper Ine-San leaving 500 yen allowance each day only facilitates the habit further. But as Ryo says as he collects it: “I should be grateful”. This father/daughter/son collection connection certainly is.
The toy collection comes in the form of Sega characters – the casts of Sonic, Virtua Fighter and Nights into Dreams among others – that didn’t even exist in 1986, the period the events of Shenmue take place. Given the alternative mix of dice, rubber balls and paperweights just wouldn’t cut it, this was always a historically unforgivable oversight, much like the Sega Saturn sat in the cupboard of protagonist Ryo Hazuki’s bedroom, but no one cared regardless.
Toy capsule collecting is always a major part of any revisit to Yokosuka, but is always presented in a new light with this particular audience. As I direct Ryo to each machine, I let my daughter/son decide how many turns I take on each. It might be 5 turns on the Sonic toys, the next day just the 3, and so on for the other machines. It became a game within itself. As Ryo’s remaining cash flow is displayed with each purchase, no white lies are going to get me out of it. Even more recently, as I began Ryo’s journey yet again, I decided to spend pretty much the first day just spending money on capsule toys as a grief mechanism - you can see the results here.
After each capsule toy machine routine comes to an end, it’s time to inspect the goods. After all, “How are we going to know how many are left to get, dad?” As if any more incentive was required to complete the capsule toy collection Shenmue has to offer, the aforementioned PS4/Xbox One remaster also rewards collectors with trophies/achievements for their efforts. It brings a near 30-year-old game’s unique experience to a new generation of players.
Shenmue is the ultimate example of a small world examined. I've talked about my experiences of what was the world's most expensively produced video game here before, but it cannot be understated how the 4 years of development and alleged $50-80 million spent shows in its unquestionable detail. Real life locations such as the interconnecting street of Dobuita are prominent throughout – and much of it still parallels many ways in 2025 to the 1986 Yu Suzuki representation. The use of meteorological records to generate the weather cycles of December 1986 Yokosuka produces a plentiful mixture of clement, heavy rain, even snow. All are triggers of excitement from my children, from decorations on display at Christmas, to impromptu shouts of “you need to get in the arcade, it’s raining so time to play some games”. What kind of father would I be to disappoint my children?
Yu Suzuki, Shenmue’s creator, made the effort to integrate his own arcade classics Hang-On and Space Harrier into the local arcade of Dobuita Street, and both were still relatively new back in 1986. As a child of the 80’s myself, fond memories remain of the Hang-On theme ringing in the air at many a seaside arcades well into the 90’s. But the life-size, distinctive motorcycle cabinet is now an arcade antique, rarely seen on today’s arcade scene. The concept of such a cabinet within a video game, let alone in real life, blew my daughter’s mind. She is of that age where she is in complete admiration for her parents’ childhood past’s, more specifically pastimes. We both love to read. We both have our collectible streaks. I play video games and so does she, but more specifically the ones attributed to my past.
As the story develops, the arcade and collectibles become more and more secondary. My children's attention lies away from searching for sailors, gangs and Chinese translators. Thankfully I have enough cash to catch the bus to work at the harbour each day. But not a day in the game passes without prompts of “Have you fed the kitten today?” or “Have you spoken to Nozomi?”, or even “Is Tom still dancing in the street?” It’s a testament to Shenmue’s cast of characters and their day to day actions, not just mindless spending on amusement. They may be mostly insignificant but hardly inconspicuous at the same time.
As the world of Shenmue presses on towards the next chapter, and a new location of Hong Kong, the initial appeal, while still present, is overshadowed somewhat by gambling districts and the variety of those outlets. Collectibles remain plentiful but in an location far less cosy, and unfortunately for my toy-collecting children, that's the idea; Ryo is moving away from his comfort zone of Japan, and the adventure’s pace propels as a result. But should I inevitably come across a toy capsule machine, I'll always be sure to call on them to share the delights.