The perfect finale to such a legendary protagonist. This game cemented Kiryu as my favorite character all time and Yakuza as my second favorite franchise. This game is the first game to make me actually cry. Yeah, it's damn good.
This game moves past the multiple character idea in favor of going back to how it all began. Kiryu and Kamurocho. I liked this a lot because while the last two games executed the protagonists quite well, I just thought it was time to back to solo Kiryu. As a result, this game is much shorter in comparison to 5, but I frankly don't mind it. I would much rather it tells its story at a good pace rather than bloat it for no real reason. Besides, the side content in this game is also pretty good so there's no reason to skip out on it. Ideally, you're gonna wanna do the majority of however much side content you want to do prior to chapter 8, because chapter 8 is when things REALLY start heating up and you will not wanna put the controller down.
This game starts immediately following the stunning ending of Yakuza 5 and I really like that as I don't believe another game in the series has done that before. The entire prologue is very very good. Made me tear up a little bit at some moments and is a great set up to the events of this game.
I don't wanna get into story specifics because that would spoil 5 and also this game. Additionally I want people to enjoy it and take it in for themselves. All I will say is that it's VERY good and it will make you shed some tears that's for sure. The last third or so of the game is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions and I loved every single second of it. The Villains are quite good, although the main villain is someone who is formidable but I can't take him seriously sometimes when I see his face lmao. Haruka also has a big role in this game but I won't discuss it due to major spoilers. If you're a fan of her like I am, then you're emotions are gonna be all over the place.
This was the first version of the Dragon Engine so it does have a few issues but for a first attempt this is still quite good. One issue is the weighty feel of your character. It's great when you're running and have momentum but trying to quickly evade or make a turn is kinda rough, so for combat you gotta have a good read on you're opponent. Didn't bother me personally that much but I can see it being a bigger issue for others. They also for some reason changed the heat system for this game for no real reason. Instead of dedicated bar for Heat it's not orbs for some reason. Heat actions have also been decreased by a decent amount. This is to incentivize you to use the new "Extreme Heat Mode", which is basically just a mode where you take damage but there is no stun so you can just unleash a big combo, and if you do it well enough then it will finish with a cool finisher. I didn't like this change honestly, I already loved the previous system so this felt pretty unnecessary, it's not bad just not what I would've wanted. Other than those two issues I have no issues at all with the Dragon Engine. If you want a little bit more insight for the Dragon Engine then you can go back to my Kiwami 2 review.
Both Cities in this game, Kamurocho and Onomichi, are very good. Kamurocho still has everything we love from previous entries so that was great to explore again in this engine. Onomichi is a district in Hiroshima that isn't occupied by the Tojo or the Omi, so seeing another yakuza group here was pretty cool. The yakuza group Kiryu becomes friends with here are really good and a contender for best sidekicks. Nagumo and Yuta were my favorites and I hope we get to see them in another game down the line. This city has a cool layout and is fun to explore but man there isn't much to do here in terms of entertainment. Which I suppose does make sense thematically but I would've like at least a bar for Karaoke. Regardless Onomichi is a pretty cool city and I really appreciate it.
Now onto the side content. The substories in this game are stellar. The writing is top notch and I love to see how an aging Kiryu handles and reacts to these situations now after years of them. The Karaoke in this game is just amazing. Some absolute gems like "Today is a Diamond" or "Hands". Don't be fooled by the latter, it will mess you up emotionally. The other minigames in the Sega Club are also great as usual.
The characters are all pretty great. Kiryu is simply wonderful and I'll let the game speak for itself. The Onomichi gang is pretty awesome and I really loved them by the end. Someya, Lo, Iwami, Sugai, Kurusu, and a few others I won't mention due to spoilers, were all simply fantastic villains. Someya and Lo are all timers for me. Haruka is great, our old buddy Akiyama is also nice to see periodically through the game, as is Date. A really great cast of characters all round.
Voice Acting is just wow. Left me speechless a lot of the time due to the sheer passion from Takaya Kuroda and co. The music is just on a whole nother level man. Banger after banger, this is definitely the best OST in the series and that's not an easy achievement either, especially with 0 and 2 being so good. "Destiny" is also my favorite track in the series now. The violinist was having the time of his life on that track man. Plus the events that take place afterwards also hit so incredibly hard. This is an OST I haven't been able to get out of my head for a week and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Now critically this game is a 9/10 in my eyes, but the last third of the game is so incredibly impactful that I had to make this a 10/10. The raw emotion this game and this franchise as a whole has got out of me is a surprise I never saw coming. Getting into Yakuza because of the Baka Mitai meme a year ago was one of the best choices I've made. These games have taught me so much but at the same time just given me so many laughs along the way as well. This is a franchise I will not soon forget, because Yakuza truly, is one of a kind.
10/10
PS. If you wanna get into the games I'd recommend this order 0 > Kiwami > Kiwami 2 > 3 >4 > 5 > 6. All the games can be found on Gamepass and are regularly on sale on PSN and Steam. Hope you enjoy the journey as I did!
This game moves past the multiple character idea in favor of going back to how it all began. Kiryu and Kamurocho. I liked this a lot because while the last two games executed the protagonists quite well, I just thought it was time to back to solo Kiryu. As a result, this game is much shorter in comparison to 5, but I frankly don't mind it. I would much rather it tells its story at a good pace rather than bloat it for no real reason. Besides, the side content in this game is also pretty good so there's no reason to skip out on it. Ideally, you're gonna wanna do the majority of however much side content you want to do prior to chapter 8, because chapter 8 is when things REALLY start heating up and you will not wanna put the controller down.
This game starts immediately following the stunning ending of Yakuza 5 and I really like that as I don't believe another game in the series has done that before. The entire prologue is very very good. Made me tear up a little bit at some moments and is a great set up to the events of this game.
I don't wanna get into story specifics because that would spoil 5 and also this game. Additionally I want people to enjoy it and take it in for themselves. All I will say is that it's VERY good and it will make you shed some tears that's for sure. The last third or so of the game is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions and I loved every single second of it. The Villains are quite good, although the main villain is someone who is formidable but I can't take him seriously sometimes when I see his face lmao. Haruka also has a big role in this game but I won't discuss it due to major spoilers. If you're a fan of her like I am, then you're emotions are gonna be all over the place.
This was the first version of the Dragon Engine so it does have a few issues but for a first attempt this is still quite good. One issue is the weighty feel of your character. It's great when you're running and have momentum but trying to quickly evade or make a turn is kinda rough, so for combat you gotta have a good read on you're opponent. Didn't bother me personally that much but I can see it being a bigger issue for others. They also for some reason changed the heat system for this game for no real reason. Instead of dedicated bar for Heat it's not orbs for some reason. Heat actions have also been decreased by a decent amount. This is to incentivize you to use the new "Extreme Heat Mode", which is basically just a mode where you take damage but there is no stun so you can just unleash a big combo, and if you do it well enough then it will finish with a cool finisher. I didn't like this change honestly, I already loved the previous system so this felt pretty unnecessary, it's not bad just not what I would've wanted. Other than those two issues I have no issues at all with the Dragon Engine. If you want a little bit more insight for the Dragon Engine then you can go back to my Kiwami 2 review.
Both Cities in this game, Kamurocho and Onomichi, are very good. Kamurocho still has everything we love from previous entries so that was great to explore again in this engine. Onomichi is a district in Hiroshima that isn't occupied by the Tojo or the Omi, so seeing another yakuza group here was pretty cool. The yakuza group Kiryu becomes friends with here are really good and a contender for best sidekicks. Nagumo and Yuta were my favorites and I hope we get to see them in another game down the line. This city has a cool layout and is fun to explore but man there isn't much to do here in terms of entertainment. Which I suppose does make sense thematically but I would've like at least a bar for Karaoke. Regardless Onomichi is a pretty cool city and I really appreciate it.
Now onto the side content. The substories in this game are stellar. The writing is top notch and I love to see how an aging Kiryu handles and reacts to these situations now after years of them. The Karaoke in this game is just amazing. Some absolute gems like "Today is a Diamond" or "Hands". Don't be fooled by the latter, it will mess you up emotionally. The other minigames in the Sega Club are also great as usual.
The characters are all pretty great. Kiryu is simply wonderful and I'll let the game speak for itself. The Onomichi gang is pretty awesome and I really loved them by the end. Someya, Lo, Iwami, Sugai, Kurusu, and a few others I won't mention due to spoilers, were all simply fantastic villains. Someya and Lo are all timers for me. Haruka is great, our old buddy Akiyama is also nice to see periodically through the game, as is Date. A really great cast of characters all round.
Voice Acting is just wow. Left me speechless a lot of the time due to the sheer passion from Takaya Kuroda and co. The music is just on a whole nother level man. Banger after banger, this is definitely the best OST in the series and that's not an easy achievement either, especially with 0 and 2 being so good. "Destiny" is also my favorite track in the series now. The violinist was having the time of his life on that track man. Plus the events that take place afterwards also hit so incredibly hard. This is an OST I haven't been able to get out of my head for a week and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Now critically this game is a 9/10 in my eyes, but the last third of the game is so incredibly impactful that I had to make this a 10/10. The raw emotion this game and this franchise as a whole has got out of me is a surprise I never saw coming. Getting into Yakuza because of the Baka Mitai meme a year ago was one of the best choices I've made. These games have taught me so much but at the same time just given me so many laughs along the way as well. This is a franchise I will not soon forget, because Yakuza truly, is one of a kind.
10/10
PS. If you wanna get into the games I'd recommend this order 0 > Kiwami > Kiwami 2 > 3 >4 > 5 > 6. All the games can be found on Gamepass and are regularly on sale on PSN and Steam. Hope you enjoy the journey as I did!
Mazer786
2 years ago