Inspired by the Into the Aether podcast, I played Venba around midnight on a Friday night and completed it in about an hour or so.
Beginning with the game's merits, the game's art department is the real driving force behind the game, with drawings that come to life. The game itself cares that they are seen as drawings: at times when there are zoomed-in details, the outlines of the characters are clearly irregular, as if done in pencil. Simply wonderful.
The gameplay is simple and fun. The game is moooooolly short as I said. Of the hour I described, I will have played for half the time and in the other half the story was being told.
Speaking of the story, it is perhaps the part that convinced me the least. It seems to suggest that it will have two points of view, neither of them correct or wrong, but it ends with almost exactly that ending. A little "strong" in saying "see? This is how you should see your culture," a somewhat difficult subject for me, an Italian who left home many many years ago.
Anyway, if you have the game pass, it must be tried!

I'm a Yakuza series fan, having completed chapters 0 and 7, and I love the setting, characters, and stories. When I heard about the remastered/remake/"whatever people call it" of the Ishin chapter, I was immediately drawn to it. Few open-world games feature Japan, let alone a realistic one without monsters. Just like I mentioned in my Red Dead Redemption 2 review, that game redefined open-world checklists for me. It took over 100 hours to complete this one because I wanted to experience every piece of content, even defeating one of the series' legendary secret boss.

While the gameplay may seem familiar for a Yakuza game, the inclusion of swords and guns introduces three remarkably distinct fighting styles, making combat more enjoyable than ever before (I say 3 because I never used the fists only style, almost a meme in this game tbh). It's not just about "my fists deal more damage" as equipment upgrades provide a tangible sense of progression.

The story is as epic as any in the series, and there's not much more to say about that. My only regret is missing just ONE fish to complete my collection :((

In summary, this is a highly recommended game that offers a fast-paced, fun experience with an intriguing setting and thrilling fights. It's a must-play for the series fans, especially with its upcoming availability on Game Pass!