A little over 60 hours later, my 100th game beaten in 2020 comes to a close. Not to mention this is a game I've owned damn near since I beat Yakuza 2 like four years ago XD. This is one of a handful of games in the Yakuza series that have never come out in English, and given that this one takes place in the early 1600's, there's a lot of vocabulary that is period appropriate. That extra hard vocab kept me away from trying out this game for AGES, but this year I decided that it was finally time to push beyond the third Yakuza game, and I did it. As I mentioned before, it took me a little over 60 hours (although a decent amount of that is idled time, so I'd say probably more like 50-55 hours of actual playing) to do about 90-ish% of the content in the game on hard mode.
Kenzan is based very (and I mean VERY) loosely based on the real life person Miyamoto Musashi, who is a famous historical figure of Japan's warring states period famed for his mastery of fighting with two swords at once. The Kiryu of this story (named Kiryu Kazumanosuke, yes really X3) is the assumed name of Musashi after he's set up to take the fall for an assassination plot to kill one of Ieyasu's adult sons right before the battle at Sekigahara (the final battle that ended the warring states period and unified Japan). He is now living in Gion as a sort of loan shark (he collects money from people who couldn't pay before at the entertainment sorta-brothels), which is the red light district of Kyoto. Gion and the surrounding area play the role of Kamurocho as Kiryu tries to unravel the mystery behind why a girl with links to his past has suddenly showed up and asking him to kill a man.
The story of the game is a HECK of a mixed bag. On a base level, there are a lot of characters effectively pulled from Yakuza 1 and/or 2 and put into a historical garb (like Kiryu's friend Itou), and then there are just plain inserts of classic Yakuza characters like Haruka and Majima. There are also a handful of pretty bad queer-phobic jokes on the worse side of humor, but on the better side of humor are the sort of ahistorical "part of history" stuff like Yakuza Zero has, like how Kiryu helps invent kabuki theater (which was invented around this time, yes, but with an all-female cast, so it makes no sense how Kiryu is allowed to be a part of it XD). That stuff is all more or less part and parcel for what I expected in this game.
The overall narrative is a mess with an awful bow at the end. The game has some really interesting themes it brings up like "escaping being someone defined by violence" or "what it means to live with two identities", and they're introduced really well via the first five or so chapters that are effectively a "how did he get here?" series of connected flashbacks starting before Sekigahara and ending when Kiryu establishes himself at Gion. From there, you have that A plot of Haruka and Kiryu HORRIBLY sidetracked for what is effectively a third of the game as a B plot comes up whose main point seems to be to have Kiryu recreate the climax of Yakuza 2, right down to a 17th century stand in for Daigo Dojima.
The ending especially has genuinely had me puzzling for days as to just why it's there, as it seems like they went out of their way to ruin any good messaging the game had. The game struggles with establishing stakes (everyone in the main cast just seems invincible) and keeping a consistent plot thread (that B plot sidelines stuff REALLY hard but pretends it isn't), but the ending is really what pushed me over the line from viewing the story as just unpolished to straight up not good. It's still got the fun, action movie quality of presentation that Yakuza is always good at, and it at least avoids tumbling head-over-ass into outright nationalist propaganda like something like Ghost of Tsushima does, but it's definitely a very weak follow up to Yakuza 2, and it's not difficult for me to see why people weren't exactly blown away by this game (reviewers derided it as "Yakuza 2.5", as it wasn't a "real" next-gen Yakuza yet) back when it came out.
As far as the world design goes, it's pretty darn solid and has a really nice amount of content (as my 60 hour playtime should be self evident of). The side quests are good fun, and exploring around the content-rich surroundings of Gion are also Yakuza at its finest. I don't usually indulge in the hostess club and gambling stuff in Yakuza, and this game was no different. That stuff just doesn't interest me. The quests on the other hand have some neat spins to them, as there are 100 normal quests (my personal favorites of which were the ones involving helping a foreigner with very bad Japanese) and then there are 20 loan sharking quests and 20 bounties to collect as well. While it doesn't make a toooon of sense how Kiryu can both be a wanted man but also call the police to arrest people, the special conditions on some of them (like, "take them alive" (i.e. use only your fists)) do make them a bit more special, and it all begins to have more and more of that Yakuza-weirdness that the games start to lean into more and more after the first game. That said, there's also a cop who patrols around the streets outside of Gion, and if he sees you, you'll need to run away, and if he catches you, it's a REALLY hard fight you'll almost certainly lose. That cop is awful and it's a terrible mechanic they should feel bad about putting in the game XD.
The combat is VERY much Yakuza 2 but with a new twists: swords! Now, of course there's the "Kiryu Kazuma has never killed anyone" jokes, and that's soooorta in play here. It is absolutely hilarious with the apparently non-lethal viciousness that some of your heat actions with the swords can pull off. You effectively have five fighting styles (unarmed, katana, short katana, big sword/club, and dual-swords) of which you can have 4 of equipped at a time. Getting a shiny new sword is always fun, and even though I found that normal katana (high offense) and dual-blades (a defensive stance, believe it or not) were my two favorites, getting new heat actions and messing around with the other weapons are always nice, and the combat is as reliably a fun time as it is in any other Yakuza game. The only thing I'm a little unsure of (at least I don't remember if it was so present in Yakuza 1 and 2) is how easy it felt it was to get knocked down and just really bullied by dudes charging up sword attacks. Part of that certainly may be down to playing on hard mode (which I still don't think is terribly difficult, but a more fun challenge than normal), but it was something minorly annoying for the encounters with loads of dudes to fight against.
The presentation is pretty good but certainly hasn't aged well. This is a relatively early PS3 game having come out in 2008 (so it also has no trophies, which is weird to get used to), and while the main characters look quite nice, the contrast with the lower detailed models makes the game have quite an uncanny look to it at times during certain in-game cutscenes. There's also not a ton of music, and while the special tracks for certain fights and longer scenes are great, the normal battle music is something I really started to tune out pretty quickly. It's nothing special, but it's nothing great either, and while 1600's Kyoto does look pretty, it's not quite the hustle and bustle of 2000's Kamurocho.
Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. Part of me does wanna not recommend this, but I really can't say that I didn't enjoy a majority of my time with this game. The story is very irritating in retrospect, especially the ending, but I enjoyed my time going through it, and I enjoyed the large amount of time just playing the game. That's why I put so much time into it. I understand most people reading this likely won't be in a position to play the game themselves unless it gets some kind of Kiwami-esque remake, but there are SO many other Yakuza games on the PS3 that you're really better off playing one of them. That said, if you DO feel the need (and have the ability) to play Yakuza Kenzan, it will likely be an underwhelming time, but it is certainly still an enjoyable game.
Kenzan is based very (and I mean VERY) loosely based on the real life person Miyamoto Musashi, who is a famous historical figure of Japan's warring states period famed for his mastery of fighting with two swords at once. The Kiryu of this story (named Kiryu Kazumanosuke, yes really X3) is the assumed name of Musashi after he's set up to take the fall for an assassination plot to kill one of Ieyasu's adult sons right before the battle at Sekigahara (the final battle that ended the warring states period and unified Japan). He is now living in Gion as a sort of loan shark (he collects money from people who couldn't pay before at the entertainment sorta-brothels), which is the red light district of Kyoto. Gion and the surrounding area play the role of Kamurocho as Kiryu tries to unravel the mystery behind why a girl with links to his past has suddenly showed up and asking him to kill a man.
The story of the game is a HECK of a mixed bag. On a base level, there are a lot of characters effectively pulled from Yakuza 1 and/or 2 and put into a historical garb (like Kiryu's friend Itou), and then there are just plain inserts of classic Yakuza characters like Haruka and Majima. There are also a handful of pretty bad queer-phobic jokes on the worse side of humor, but on the better side of humor are the sort of ahistorical "part of history" stuff like Yakuza Zero has, like how Kiryu helps invent kabuki theater (which was invented around this time, yes, but with an all-female cast, so it makes no sense how Kiryu is allowed to be a part of it XD). That stuff is all more or less part and parcel for what I expected in this game.
The overall narrative is a mess with an awful bow at the end. The game has some really interesting themes it brings up like "escaping being someone defined by violence" or "what it means to live with two identities", and they're introduced really well via the first five or so chapters that are effectively a "how did he get here?" series of connected flashbacks starting before Sekigahara and ending when Kiryu establishes himself at Gion. From there, you have that A plot of Haruka and Kiryu HORRIBLY sidetracked for what is effectively a third of the game as a B plot comes up whose main point seems to be to have Kiryu recreate the climax of Yakuza 2, right down to a 17th century stand in for Daigo Dojima.
The ending especially has genuinely had me puzzling for days as to just why it's there, as it seems like they went out of their way to ruin any good messaging the game had. The game struggles with establishing stakes (everyone in the main cast just seems invincible) and keeping a consistent plot thread (that B plot sidelines stuff REALLY hard but pretends it isn't), but the ending is really what pushed me over the line from viewing the story as just unpolished to straight up not good. It's still got the fun, action movie quality of presentation that Yakuza is always good at, and it at least avoids tumbling head-over-ass into outright nationalist propaganda like something like Ghost of Tsushima does, but it's definitely a very weak follow up to Yakuza 2, and it's not difficult for me to see why people weren't exactly blown away by this game (reviewers derided it as "Yakuza 2.5", as it wasn't a "real" next-gen Yakuza yet) back when it came out.
As far as the world design goes, it's pretty darn solid and has a really nice amount of content (as my 60 hour playtime should be self evident of). The side quests are good fun, and exploring around the content-rich surroundings of Gion are also Yakuza at its finest. I don't usually indulge in the hostess club and gambling stuff in Yakuza, and this game was no different. That stuff just doesn't interest me. The quests on the other hand have some neat spins to them, as there are 100 normal quests (my personal favorites of which were the ones involving helping a foreigner with very bad Japanese) and then there are 20 loan sharking quests and 20 bounties to collect as well. While it doesn't make a toooon of sense how Kiryu can both be a wanted man but also call the police to arrest people, the special conditions on some of them (like, "take them alive" (i.e. use only your fists)) do make them a bit more special, and it all begins to have more and more of that Yakuza-weirdness that the games start to lean into more and more after the first game. That said, there's also a cop who patrols around the streets outside of Gion, and if he sees you, you'll need to run away, and if he catches you, it's a REALLY hard fight you'll almost certainly lose. That cop is awful and it's a terrible mechanic they should feel bad about putting in the game XD.
The combat is VERY much Yakuza 2 but with a new twists: swords! Now, of course there's the "Kiryu Kazuma has never killed anyone" jokes, and that's soooorta in play here. It is absolutely hilarious with the apparently non-lethal viciousness that some of your heat actions with the swords can pull off. You effectively have five fighting styles (unarmed, katana, short katana, big sword/club, and dual-swords) of which you can have 4 of equipped at a time. Getting a shiny new sword is always fun, and even though I found that normal katana (high offense) and dual-blades (a defensive stance, believe it or not) were my two favorites, getting new heat actions and messing around with the other weapons are always nice, and the combat is as reliably a fun time as it is in any other Yakuza game. The only thing I'm a little unsure of (at least I don't remember if it was so present in Yakuza 1 and 2) is how easy it felt it was to get knocked down and just really bullied by dudes charging up sword attacks. Part of that certainly may be down to playing on hard mode (which I still don't think is terribly difficult, but a more fun challenge than normal), but it was something minorly annoying for the encounters with loads of dudes to fight against.
The presentation is pretty good but certainly hasn't aged well. This is a relatively early PS3 game having come out in 2008 (so it also has no trophies, which is weird to get used to), and while the main characters look quite nice, the contrast with the lower detailed models makes the game have quite an uncanny look to it at times during certain in-game cutscenes. There's also not a ton of music, and while the special tracks for certain fights and longer scenes are great, the normal battle music is something I really started to tune out pretty quickly. It's nothing special, but it's nothing great either, and while 1600's Kyoto does look pretty, it's not quite the hustle and bustle of 2000's Kamurocho.
Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. Part of me does wanna not recommend this, but I really can't say that I didn't enjoy a majority of my time with this game. The story is very irritating in retrospect, especially the ending, but I enjoyed my time going through it, and I enjoyed the large amount of time just playing the game. That's why I put so much time into it. I understand most people reading this likely won't be in a position to play the game themselves unless it gets some kind of Kiwami-esque remake, but there are SO many other Yakuza games on the PS3 that you're really better off playing one of them. That said, if you DO feel the need (and have the ability) to play Yakuza Kenzan, it will likely be an underwhelming time, but it is certainly still an enjoyable game.
Played with the menu translation mod, and by following egomaniac's Let's Play and ThePatrick's guide. Sometimes more trouble than it was worth to do the side stuff (gave up on substories in the middle of Chapter 9) but a great set of locations just to spend time wandering around in. Coming straight from Yakuza 3 to this, I think the fact I couldn't say that about the Okinawa areas was my issue with that part of that game more than anything. This actually make me appreciate 3 less as this came out the year before but seems ahead of it in some QoL ways. Combat feels much better too but could be because of how the Remaster supposedly broke the combat in 3. Though despite the character's whole deal being his two sword style, I always found it more fun to fight with just the one.
It's a decent game, let down by some wack combat that makes the crowd fights a drag. Out of the four RGG games I've played so far this easily has the worst combat, and that's including the original Yakuza. The game also has extremely long exposition dumps even for a Yakuza game which are doubly annoying if you're following a translated guide. I was a little tired of it towards the end for those reasons, so I would only recommend it to people who are planning on playing the series from start to finish. Getting to a new story beat was always interesting and the game has great characters, bosses, and music, so overall I liked it but wish the combat wasn't so stilted.
EXTREEEEEMELY BASED
tho I am sick of pulling out my google translator every 2 seconds
tho I am sick of pulling out my google translator every 2 seconds
Ryoma dreams of being like Musashi
actual insanity. everyone is wildly ooc especially kiryu. but ngl i think musashi having a lot more edge than kiryu ever did is interesting, separates the two characters well. majima is just majima in this game. i thought the main villain guy was supposed to be mine for a while but i think its just some rando. florist rep though so its peak.
despite the language barrier this was still very much worth playing. peak ps3 vibes.
I played this game knowing zero Japanese and with no translation and I thought it was ok. Would probably be a higher ranking if I knew the language.
this game is better than yakuza 3, yakuza 4 and yakuza 5 in many aspects
Лучшая игра епта
The first Yakuza entry on the PS3 that, for such an obscure Japan-exclusive spin-off entry, paved the way for future entries - this is where modern Yakuza truly got its start.
In terms of presentation and gameplay, Kenzan is a massive step-up from 2 and I genuinely believe its story is better than the two mainline games that released before it, underwhelming final boss aside. In fact, I actually prefer this game's story to ishin's.
This one was a pleasant surprise, though it was slightly cumbersome to play as I had to rely on YouTube videos for English subtitles as I played the game, its got what may very well be the biggest explorable areas in the franchise, even if we take Yakuza 5's cities into account and a really engaging story with interesting characters, with some characters like Kiryu, Majima and Haruka having their likeliness used to represent different characters relative to the time period. I hope this game gets a remake at some point because it's actually really good.
In terms of presentation and gameplay, Kenzan is a massive step-up from 2 and I genuinely believe its story is better than the two mainline games that released before it, underwhelming final boss aside. In fact, I actually prefer this game's story to ishin's.
This one was a pleasant surprise, though it was slightly cumbersome to play as I had to rely on YouTube videos for English subtitles as I played the game, its got what may very well be the biggest explorable areas in the franchise, even if we take Yakuza 5's cities into account and a really engaging story with interesting characters, with some characters like Kiryu, Majima and Haruka having their likeliness used to represent different characters relative to the time period. I hope this game gets a remake at some point because it's actually really good.
goat
An important piece to the franchise an the first yakuza game on the ps3 an a pretty good one at that environment are pretty,combat was a bit jank an can be a bit frustrating at time especially near the end as for the music it's kinda forgettable honestly there like 2 songs i remember really fuckin wit an for the story god damn i aint understand a single word these bitches be sayin but it went hard overall rgg studios gotta give this shit an english release or a remake like they did with ishin
So, I finally finished Kenzan. Would've finished it earlier, but I need to study for my exams so whatever.
That was good. The story was amazing, I cried. It's fun to see how many story and gameplay elements actually crossed over from here to the main series. I liked the gameplay too at first, but near the end it became really annoying. Side content sucks too, BUT! They absoluetly nailed the setting and maps. That's the biggest ammount of locations we had in the whole series and that makes the world really interesting to explore. Nature looks especially beatiful here. Janky game which desperatly needs a remake, but I enjoyed it nonetheless
That was good. The story was amazing, I cried. It's fun to see how many story and gameplay elements actually crossed over from here to the main series. I liked the gameplay too at first, but near the end it became really annoying. Side content sucks too, BUT! They absoluetly nailed the setting and maps. That's the biggest ammount of locations we had in the whole series and that makes the world really interesting to explore. Nature looks especially beatiful here. Janky game which desperatly needs a remake, but I enjoyed it nonetheless
This review contains spoilers
immediate thoughts after playing this game is what a way to sour the experience of the game, that entire long battle at the end with the ninjas is possibly one of the worst experiences ive had with this series next to kiwami 2 man in black and my first playthrough of 3, aside from that this game has some major jank but i kinda like this game, i wish there was a fan translation cause i'd really like to completely understand the story without having to watch some videos to get it, even having said all that i think this is one of the best endings and akin to what they wanted to actually do with kiryu (killing him off)
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𝖤𝗇𝗍𝗋𝗒 𝗇𝗈. 3 - The Journey to Improve my Japanese
Finished in May 2020
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Easy to Understand ★☆☆☆☆
- Honestly I barely understood 80% what was written, mainly when receiving letters. Sometimes, Miyamoto Musashi repeat to himself what he's just heard "つまり...", and would smooth a bit. However everybody speaks in a traditional way in Edo period making things really harder. I believe a N1 or N2 here is a must.
Gameplay ★★★★☆
- If you are used to Yakuza series, be prepared! Bare-hand attacks are so weak compared to weapons and the system requires lots of skills and quick thinking. It was really challenging and reminded of Way of The Samurai a bit. If you want to take a deep breath, substories are there to give you some laughes.
Story ★★★☆☆
- The story is very interesting and it seems to be based on the story of Musashi Miyamoto in the Edo era! I had a bit of trouble understanding everything, at least I managed to grasp the basics. The characters are from the Yakuza series, but in this game, their characteristics and personalities in the new characters have matched very well.
𝖤𝗇𝗍𝗋𝗒 𝗇𝗈. 3 - The Journey to Improve my Japanese
Finished in May 2020
▛▟ █ █▬█ ██ ▛▟ ▛▟ █ █▬█ ██ ▛▟
Easy to Understand ★☆☆☆☆
- Honestly I barely understood 80% what was written, mainly when receiving letters. Sometimes, Miyamoto Musashi repeat to himself what he's just heard "つまり...", and would smooth a bit. However everybody speaks in a traditional way in Edo period making things really harder. I believe a N1 or N2 here is a must.
Gameplay ★★★★☆
- If you are used to Yakuza series, be prepared! Bare-hand attacks are so weak compared to weapons and the system requires lots of skills and quick thinking. It was really challenging and reminded of Way of The Samurai a bit. If you want to take a deep breath, substories are there to give you some laughes.
Story ★★★☆☆
- The story is very interesting and it seems to be based on the story of Musashi Miyamoto in the Edo era! I had a bit of trouble understanding everything, at least I managed to grasp the basics. The characters are from the Yakuza series, but in this game, their characteristics and personalities in the new characters have matched very well.
Based but elegant game with swords kind of wished NG+ would retain all of your skills from the first playthrough instead of having to revisit them.
Interesting title but definitely the weakest out of the mainline Yakuzas, first time I've beaten a game that wasn't in English too.
Musashi go brrrr
but i dont understand japanesee
but i dont understand japanesee
"𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝙨𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨, 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙨, 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨...𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙, 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨."
Dare I say the most important game in the franchise, writing down a formula that this series has come to follow even more than the original two games did. In a franchise as expansive as Like a Dragon/Yakuza, there are bound to be some titles that are left to the wayside with every title in the series being playable in English, officially or by fan-patches, except this one. I guess it’s easy to see why, the first five chapters are constrained, feeling closer to a tech demo testing out what the PlayStation 3 can accomplish which makes the possibility of a remake unlikely and a remaster even unlikelier.
Even now I’m struggling to write about this game in detail because to do so I have to expect that you have played or know the details about this game in some capacity but I know that’s not the case and I’m left feeling more like a car salesman trying to sell you on this game more than anything else. This is a game that’s defined by its connection and parallels to the main series more than how it radically differs from it. Miyamoto Musashi is not Kiryu Kazuma but he is Kiryu Kazumanosuke, a man imbued with a similar sense of purpose. Both are characters who are changed by their meeting with Haruka, both have lost years of their life unjustly, and both have been beaten and betrayed. Instead of the way of the Yakuza, Musashi is dead set in following “the way of the sword”. Fighting is all he knows, strength is the only measure these men can define themselves but it’s all for naught if they can’t even protect the ones they hold dear. Yakuza has messed around with themes of identity and duality, before and since Kenzan, but the manifestation here is one that’s based on myth, main series parallels, and their personas in the narrative. To understand what this game is trying to achieve one has to know all three because that context is needed to realize the sense of self imbued on its characters.
It’s exactly due to these parallels that the final chapter is the most shocking yet makes the most sense, reframing everything you’ve come to know and expect. There’s an inner conflict in this game’s philosophy, you can’t adapt the life of Miyamoto Musashi in the image of Kiryu Kazuma and expect some things not to be seen from a mile away. Everyone even remotely familiar with Musashi, either through history or even other fictional works such as Vagabond knows about his famous battle with Sasaki Kojiro, so the outcome is no surprise. It’s what comes after. It’s a defiance of fate in the most extreme sense possible, a past unchangeable and it rebels against even that to relay to you that what’s most sensible isn’t always right, that you’re not defined as a hero because of your actions written in history you’re a hero because of what you do here, right now. It’s about fighting even the fate that is history itself, even if history is a lie. Even if it doesn’t remember who you truly are. It’s stubborn, but it’s for yourself. It’s only due to that, only due to our ability to love that we’re able to heal. Kenzan takes two separate men, one written in the annals of history and one who's a video game legend , and merges them in a way that every distinction between the two synthesizes into one individual who is arguably greater than both of them. Even if it is a lie.
Dare I say the most important game in the franchise, writing down a formula that this series has come to follow even more than the original two games did. In a franchise as expansive as Like a Dragon/Yakuza, there are bound to be some titles that are left to the wayside with every title in the series being playable in English, officially or by fan-patches, except this one. I guess it’s easy to see why, the first five chapters are constrained, feeling closer to a tech demo testing out what the PlayStation 3 can accomplish which makes the possibility of a remake unlikely and a remaster even unlikelier.
Even now I’m struggling to write about this game in detail because to do so I have to expect that you have played or know the details about this game in some capacity but I know that’s not the case and I’m left feeling more like a car salesman trying to sell you on this game more than anything else. This is a game that’s defined by its connection and parallels to the main series more than how it radically differs from it. Miyamoto Musashi is not Kiryu Kazuma but he is Kiryu Kazumanosuke, a man imbued with a similar sense of purpose. Both are characters who are changed by their meeting with Haruka, both have lost years of their life unjustly, and both have been beaten and betrayed. Instead of the way of the Yakuza, Musashi is dead set in following “the way of the sword”. Fighting is all he knows, strength is the only measure these men can define themselves but it’s all for naught if they can’t even protect the ones they hold dear. Yakuza has messed around with themes of identity and duality, before and since Kenzan, but the manifestation here is one that’s based on myth, main series parallels, and their personas in the narrative. To understand what this game is trying to achieve one has to know all three because that context is needed to realize the sense of self imbued on its characters.
It’s exactly due to these parallels that the final chapter is the most shocking yet makes the most sense, reframing everything you’ve come to know and expect. There’s an inner conflict in this game’s philosophy, you can’t adapt the life of Miyamoto Musashi in the image of Kiryu Kazuma and expect some things not to be seen from a mile away. Everyone even remotely familiar with Musashi, either through history or even other fictional works such as Vagabond knows about his famous battle with Sasaki Kojiro, so the outcome is no surprise. It’s what comes after. It’s a defiance of fate in the most extreme sense possible, a past unchangeable and it rebels against even that to relay to you that what’s most sensible isn’t always right, that you’re not defined as a hero because of your actions written in history you’re a hero because of what you do here, right now. It’s about fighting even the fate that is history itself, even if history is a lie. Even if it doesn’t remember who you truly are. It’s stubborn, but it’s for yourself. It’s only due to that, only due to our ability to love that we’re able to heal. Kenzan takes two separate men, one written in the annals of history and one who's a video game legend , and merges them in a way that every distinction between the two synthesizes into one individual who is arguably greater than both of them. Even if it is a lie.
This is without a doubt the best RGG game. There is so little I can actually pick at this game for being bad it's unreal. Has the most unique setting, story, and set of characters in any Yakuza game with the most fun and satisfying combat I've ever played with.
If this game ever gets translated some day, or if you just simply understand Japanese, you have no reason to not play this game. It is very much worth playing.
If this game ever gets translated some day, or if you just simply understand Japanese, you have no reason to not play this game. It is very much worth playing.
Faxxin Musashi, i need an eng translation NOW. recommend using KHHsubs vids as a walkthrough
peak spin off. i recommend KHHsubs Kenzan translation videos they help a lot on your playthrough.
This game is one of the Yakuza series' best. Nothing about it has been or every will be replicated in the series, it's that unique. No amount of remaking can recreate what makes this game special. If it ever gets an English fan-translation, play it as soon as possible.
Egomaniac's LP is far and away the definitive Kenzan translation, with everything including all sidequests being translated and having a natural conversational flair, the full translated text superimposed onto the videos themselves, like the more well-known KHsubs LP but much better
The ASMR explanations of actual Japanese feudal history by an expert are a welcome bonus and genuinely made me feel like I learned something
https://lparchive.org/Ryuu-ga-Gotoku-Kenzan/
Playing this game with his LP on a second screen and pausing to sync up with the cutscenes is the best way to play this game and I got a lot of enjoyment out of it
What an immense amount of effort for something only a couple thousand people have appreciated after 10+ years
Reward his efforts and treat yourself to the best translation of this game that will probably ever exist
Great characters too, Sasaki Kojiro (the original Sephiroth!) will strike the fear of God into you and Marume Nagayoshi steals the screen every time he makes an appearance
Miyamoto Musashi (alias Kazumanosuke Kiryu) offers a compelling view into an alternate reality in which Kazuma Kiryu has a sex drive
The masters over at the Houzouin are more compelling than a lot of characters that were introduced in the other PS3 Yakuza games
If you're a fan of this series you're missing out if you don't play this, go to LParchive/Youtube, sync up those cutscene subtitles on a second screen when a cutscene starts and go to town
I went through this series in release order but played this after Dead Souls and before 5 because the anniversary montage in the Dead Souls credits showing beautiful cutscene cinematography from this game made me feel like I was missing out
And I was missing out, it's a great game and despite Yakuza 2 having insane production values and feeling like an excellently written movie that actual people would watch willingly, Kenzan was the breakout moment that ensured Yakuza would have more cultural staying power than Urban Reign or Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance
As many have said this game will likely never get translated officially because a significant amount of the plot involves the implication that Haruka has been sold into slavery and you have to earn back her freedom, and at least once you will have to beat the shit out of someone infatuated with her
But this game was set before the turn of the first millennium and I felt like it did a tasteful job (for a Yakuza game) of empathizing with the women of the Tsuruya while not wallpapering over the historical reality that women did not have personhood in the Edo period
I don't know, I guess they could probably make it work in English if people wanted it bad enough, but that's the "Michael Jackson Sonic 3" "Beatles references in Earthbound" word on the street reasoning that people provide for the lack of a translation and who knows if that's real or if it'll ever get resolved
So don't hold out, if you're a fan of this series it's about time to boot it up, and if you play through in release order starting with the PS2 games like me, slot this one in-between Yakuza 2 and Yakuza 3 and you'll be glad you did, it has sidequests that tie into some from Yakuza 1/2 somehow, bespoke mechanics in the classic PS3 engine that would never reappear in a modern setting, and the PS3 era Yakuza games call back to this one enough to where it'll enhance your enjoyment of those later games, most notably one of Yakuza 5's locales is set in the modern-day Gion, where Kenzan was set over a millennium prior
And they do bold stuff in this game that they wouldn't be able to get away with using Kiryu because Kiryu is too on-model now, too manicured as a character
tl;dr: good game worth the trouble of playing in a kind of unnatural way, as opposed to not playing it at all, if you're hARDCORe like me it beats the hell out of not playing it
The ASMR explanations of actual Japanese feudal history by an expert are a welcome bonus and genuinely made me feel like I learned something
https://lparchive.org/Ryuu-ga-Gotoku-Kenzan/
Playing this game with his LP on a second screen and pausing to sync up with the cutscenes is the best way to play this game and I got a lot of enjoyment out of it
What an immense amount of effort for something only a couple thousand people have appreciated after 10+ years
Reward his efforts and treat yourself to the best translation of this game that will probably ever exist
Great characters too, Sasaki Kojiro (the original Sephiroth!) will strike the fear of God into you and Marume Nagayoshi steals the screen every time he makes an appearance
Miyamoto Musashi (alias Kazumanosuke Kiryu) offers a compelling view into an alternate reality in which Kazuma Kiryu has a sex drive
The masters over at the Houzouin are more compelling than a lot of characters that were introduced in the other PS3 Yakuza games
If you're a fan of this series you're missing out if you don't play this, go to LParchive/Youtube, sync up those cutscene subtitles on a second screen when a cutscene starts and go to town
I went through this series in release order but played this after Dead Souls and before 5 because the anniversary montage in the Dead Souls credits showing beautiful cutscene cinematography from this game made me feel like I was missing out
And I was missing out, it's a great game and despite Yakuza 2 having insane production values and feeling like an excellently written movie that actual people would watch willingly, Kenzan was the breakout moment that ensured Yakuza would have more cultural staying power than Urban Reign or Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance
As many have said this game will likely never get translated officially because a significant amount of the plot involves the implication that Haruka has been sold into slavery and you have to earn back her freedom, and at least once you will have to beat the shit out of someone infatuated with her
But this game was set before the turn of the first millennium and I felt like it did a tasteful job (for a Yakuza game) of empathizing with the women of the Tsuruya while not wallpapering over the historical reality that women did not have personhood in the Edo period
I don't know, I guess they could probably make it work in English if people wanted it bad enough, but that's the "Michael Jackson Sonic 3" "Beatles references in Earthbound" word on the street reasoning that people provide for the lack of a translation and who knows if that's real or if it'll ever get resolved
So don't hold out, if you're a fan of this series it's about time to boot it up, and if you play through in release order starting with the PS2 games like me, slot this one in-between Yakuza 2 and Yakuza 3 and you'll be glad you did, it has sidequests that tie into some from Yakuza 1/2 somehow, bespoke mechanics in the classic PS3 engine that would never reappear in a modern setting, and the PS3 era Yakuza games call back to this one enough to where it'll enhance your enjoyment of those later games, most notably one of Yakuza 5's locales is set in the modern-day Gion, where Kenzan was set over a millennium prior
And they do bold stuff in this game that they wouldn't be able to get away with using Kiryu because Kiryu is too on-model now, too manicured as a character
tl;dr: good game worth the trouble of playing in a kind of unnatural way, as opposed to not playing it at all, if you're hARDCORe like me it beats the hell out of not playing it
I really liked this one.
I don't know japanese, so I had to watch a series of videos were this game was translated from cutscenes to dialogues.
It's basically Yakuza 1, but in feudal japan. You messed with the wrong people, and had to hid your past from everyone in a new town.
Now. The combat system goes for a more sword centered combat for the first time. Most enemies use it. You can use the standart Katana, a big sword, two Katanas, and even your own hands if you feel like it.
I won't spoil more about this game. Just think it's a samurai themed Yakuza game.
I don't know japanese, so I had to watch a series of videos were this game was translated from cutscenes to dialogues.
It's basically Yakuza 1, but in feudal japan. You messed with the wrong people, and had to hid your past from everyone in a new town.
Now. The combat system goes for a more sword centered combat for the first time. Most enemies use it. You can use the standart Katana, a big sword, two Katanas, and even your own hands if you feel like it.
I won't spoil more about this game. Just think it's a samurai themed Yakuza game.
one of the weakest entries in this franchise made interesting by its setting mostly
it feels like they were just testing the water of what the ps3 could do as they were getting ready for yakuza 3
it feels like they were just testing the water of what the ps3 could do as they were getting ready for yakuza 3
as a fan of the combat in Y3 and Y4, i have to say the the first iteration in this engine is probably the most polished and tightly designed.
i can't speak for most of its side content (except for the turtle race minigame) as i mainly just plowed through the main story, but narratively kenzan is gripping and i really love how musashi isn't just a kiryu clone.
i can't recommend for anyone to slog through a game if they don't understand the language it's in, not even with a guide. i think it's a shame how kenzan is locked behind a language barrier and trapped on the ps3, and i really hope this changes soon with the ishin remake.
i can't speak for most of its side content (except for the turtle race minigame) as i mainly just plowed through the main story, but narratively kenzan is gripping and i really love how musashi isn't just a kiryu clone.
i can't recommend for anyone to slog through a game if they don't understand the language it's in, not even with a guide. i think it's a shame how kenzan is locked behind a language barrier and trapped on the ps3, and i really hope this changes soon with the ishin remake.
If I summarize this game: it is Yakuza 1 but even more violent.
I like this game with it's samurai movie like story, but ending felt like they just copy pasted some parts(especially twists) from yakuza 1. Also for some reason late game enemies have a lot of spammy moves that aggravates me. But combat is pretty good, it's strategic with every move takes considerable amount of time, but at the same time have a lot of range so timing is the key for attacking from a good position and with the right time. Also 2 styles that you have(single sword, dual sword) pretty fleshed out. Only thing I didn't liked is hand to hand and other type of weapons feels basic in comparison. But still liked the combat even more than y3,y4 and y5, because of how rewarding it is with correct positioning it rewards you with good damage as well Really good game! Hopefully one day a fan translation releases so I can replay it without keep looking to the translation page at the same time when playing.
Also like I said story is pretty nice as well, expecially first half. It feels like a proper samurai adventure where you go part by part discover the world while trying to stay alive from the outside enemies and betrayals, it's have a really unique and unknown feeling compared to the other yakuza games...
Except it's ending part... like I said kinda feels like rethreading the old ground. I wish it kinda ended on a classic samurai duel rather than a rethread.
But overall a unique entry on Yakuza franchise. Just, if you want to experience it yourself, look up a guide because upgrading yourself does have a twist. This time it's tied to exploration rather than levels this time. So... don't miss them.
I like this game with it's samurai movie like story, but ending felt like they just copy pasted some parts(especially twists) from yakuza 1. Also for some reason late game enemies have a lot of spammy moves that aggravates me. But combat is pretty good, it's strategic with every move takes considerable amount of time, but at the same time have a lot of range so timing is the key for attacking from a good position and with the right time. Also 2 styles that you have(single sword, dual sword) pretty fleshed out. Only thing I didn't liked is hand to hand and other type of weapons feels basic in comparison. But still liked the combat even more than y3,y4 and y5, because of how rewarding it is with correct positioning it rewards you with good damage as well Really good game! Hopefully one day a fan translation releases so I can replay it without keep looking to the translation page at the same time when playing.
Also like I said story is pretty nice as well, expecially first half. It feels like a proper samurai adventure where you go part by part discover the world while trying to stay alive from the outside enemies and betrayals, it's have a really unique and unknown feeling compared to the other yakuza games...
Except it's ending part... like I said kinda feels like rethreading the old ground. I wish it kinda ended on a classic samurai duel rather than a rethread.
But overall a unique entry on Yakuza franchise. Just, if you want to experience it yourself, look up a guide because upgrading yourself does have a twist. This time it's tied to exploration rather than levels this time. So... don't miss them.
Stop reading this review and just watch this absolute banger of an opening:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4pHBy9GoW0
Released between RGG 2 and 3, this was the first RGG game to be released on the PS3. It was a smart strategy: releasing a spinoff game first allowed the team to get comfortable with a new game engine and experiment with the gameplay a little before delivering the next main title in the series. It's a strategy they would repeat with Ishin on the PS4.
This was released well before the Dragon Engine and the Kiwami remakes, so don't expect miracles with the combat, but the overall package is exceptional. I spent well over 100 hours in this game and enjoyed every minute. The ending will definitely stick with you, too.
With the recent popularity of RGG in the West, this game desperately needs a Kiwami-style remake. Keep pushing for it.
この地に生まれ この地に育つ
Born in this land
raised in this land
この地のために この身を焦がす
Burning myself
for the sake of this land
この身の限り この血を沸かす
The blood stirs
until I give out
この血の滾り すべてを分かつ
The blood seethes
until it spills out
この地に生まれ この地に育つ
Born in this land
raised in this land
この地のために この身を焦がす
Burning myself
for the sake of this land
この手を伸ばす 行く手を閉ざすもの
Raising my hand
nothing withstands
すべていざ吹き飛ばす
Here comes the blowout
天に昇る 龍が如く
Ascend to heaven
like a dragon
天に昇る 龍が如く
Ascend to heaven
like a dragon
天に昇る 龍が如く
ASCEND TO HEAVEN
LIKE A DRAGON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4pHBy9GoW0
Released between RGG 2 and 3, this was the first RGG game to be released on the PS3. It was a smart strategy: releasing a spinoff game first allowed the team to get comfortable with a new game engine and experiment with the gameplay a little before delivering the next main title in the series. It's a strategy they would repeat with Ishin on the PS4.
This was released well before the Dragon Engine and the Kiwami remakes, so don't expect miracles with the combat, but the overall package is exceptional. I spent well over 100 hours in this game and enjoyed every minute. The ending will definitely stick with you, too.
With the recent popularity of RGG in the West, this game desperately needs a Kiwami-style remake. Keep pushing for it.
この地に生まれ この地に育つ
Born in this land
raised in this land
この地のために この身を焦がす
Burning myself
for the sake of this land
この身の限り この血を沸かす
The blood stirs
until I give out
この血の滾り すべてを分かつ
The blood seethes
until it spills out
この地に生まれ この地に育つ
Born in this land
raised in this land
この地のために この身を焦がす
Burning myself
for the sake of this land
この手を伸ばす 行く手を閉ざすもの
Raising my hand
nothing withstands
すべていざ吹き飛ばす
Here comes the blowout
天に昇る 龍が如く
Ascend to heaven
like a dragon
天に昇る 龍が如く
Ascend to heaven
like a dragon
天に昇る 龍が如く
ASCEND TO HEAVEN
LIKE A DRAGON