Yakuza is funny, because it proves that a good story, a lovable cast, a refined world with fun substories and the omnipresent feat of being able to convince you that the fate of Japan rests upon a fight between two shirtless men is enough to make this one of my favorite games this year.
LaD Gaiden is the second swan song for Kiryu, and a beautiful one at that. Since it is solely focused on him, the game has the breathing room to reminisce on the earlier games, his past adventures, and ponder on the mistakes he's made along the way; through both the you get to glimpse into the human behind the brute facade, and laugh (often out loud!) with him at certain moments and callbacks to previous shenanigans that have now turned into franchise-defining memories.
Kiryu absolutely pulls this story through, and both voice actors manage to deliver an emotional impact at the end that demolishes any other RGG game in emotionally destroying me. Having spent over 230 collective hours across seven entries with this character, I couldn't think of a finer ending.
RGG is also clearly succeeding in stepping up their storytelling and game design with each iteration: the combat is fast, flashy and the most fun it has ever been, making me hold it in the same esteem as Lost Judgment and managing to get me to play through the coliseum, which I usually steer clear of; the boss battles are cinematic, fun and super long, and took me back all the way to Yakuza 0 and 2, which still have some of my favorite ones; Sotenbori is fresh and dense, accompanied by Akame, which turned out to be a fun and happy-go-lucky companion, and who offered great contrast to Kiryu. The only thing I would change is the skill upgrade system being tied to Akame Requests, which did not hinder the game for me, someone who is not invested in her or the substories Gaiden has to offer might feel put off and not enjoy the combat as much as a result.
I am insanely hyped for Infinite Wealth, and overjoyed I got into Yakuza throughout the past year at the behest of a close friend after showing interest in the wacky minigames and fun side content - little did I know what I was signing up for.
LaD Gaiden is the second swan song for Kiryu, and a beautiful one at that. Since it is solely focused on him, the game has the breathing room to reminisce on the earlier games, his past adventures, and ponder on the mistakes he's made along the way; through both the you get to glimpse into the human behind the brute facade, and laugh (often out loud!) with him at certain moments and callbacks to previous shenanigans that have now turned into franchise-defining memories.
Kiryu absolutely pulls this story through, and both voice actors manage to deliver an emotional impact at the end that demolishes any other RGG game in emotionally destroying me. Having spent over 230 collective hours across seven entries with this character, I couldn't think of a finer ending.
RGG is also clearly succeeding in stepping up their storytelling and game design with each iteration: the combat is fast, flashy and the most fun it has ever been, making me hold it in the same esteem as Lost Judgment and managing to get me to play through the coliseum, which I usually steer clear of; the boss battles are cinematic, fun and super long, and took me back all the way to Yakuza 0 and 2, which still have some of my favorite ones; Sotenbori is fresh and dense, accompanied by Akame, which turned out to be a fun and happy-go-lucky companion, and who offered great contrast to Kiryu. The only thing I would change is the skill upgrade system being tied to Akame Requests, which did not hinder the game for me, someone who is not invested in her or the substories Gaiden has to offer might feel put off and not enjoy the combat as much as a result.
I am insanely hyped for Infinite Wealth, and overjoyed I got into Yakuza throughout the past year at the behest of a close friend after showing interest in the wacky minigames and fun side content - little did I know what I was signing up for.