A perfectly nice vertical slice of Yakuza whose storytelling is split between really good, powerful character stuff for Kiryu and then some clumsy tablesetting for the upcoming mainline game LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTH.
Gameplay-wise, there's not quite enough compelling content for it to feel full-featured, but you don't exactly feel like you're getting short shrift either. There's 40 good hours of classic Yakuza stuff if you're looking to plat, and none of it is as bad as the lows of the series' other side content. If you wanted to main path it you could quite quickly, though.
As for the story, it starts out VERY strongly with Kiryu in a depressing, captive limbo existence and with some actual honest-to-God character growth for once. Seeing him bitter and bitingly apathetic about his situation is great given how long he's been around now without changing a whole lot. The game also does quite a good job at putting him at a distance from the rest of the RGG universe in lots of subtle ways (even though the meat of the game is quite traditional) reinforcing his frustrations and hopelessness. It feels like some kind of Yakuza version of LOGAN (Mangold, 2017), with Kiryu living on uselessly in the aftermath of his world, but maybe finding some small bit of purpose anyway. This first section of the game ends with (spoilers) an excellent, extremely dark sequence in which it looks like he's going to be unceremoniously executed in a dank basement by people who are supposed to be his allies for basically no reason and without anyone he cares about ever even knowing he was still alive. Of course you know it's not gonna happen because, come on, but even the idea of it is powerful.
Unfortunately, after this awesome stuff, things take a bit of a turn and becomes a much more traditional RGG plot and much less grounded, eventually tying into Kiryu's surprise guest appearances in LIKE A DRAGON. It's not as good, but so it goes - this is the identity of the series, and it certainly feels appropriate in that way. Can't blame 'em too much.
Eventually, however, that hamhanded world-building gets out of the way and it switches back into shockingly good mode for an ending that hit me so hard I think it may or may not be the first video game I've ever played that made me actually drop a tear. If you're invested at all in this series, you're gonna feel it.
So, overall, it's pretty good! I'm interested to see where they go with Kiryu from here. And this made me cautiously optimistic about INFINITE WEALTH. Some of the beats in this little half-game went to places that the series never quite touched before, so if they've got this in 'em I think they've justified Kiryu's continued presence. We'll see!
Gameplay-wise, there's not quite enough compelling content for it to feel full-featured, but you don't exactly feel like you're getting short shrift either. There's 40 good hours of classic Yakuza stuff if you're looking to plat, and none of it is as bad as the lows of the series' other side content. If you wanted to main path it you could quite quickly, though.
As for the story, it starts out VERY strongly with Kiryu in a depressing, captive limbo existence and with some actual honest-to-God character growth for once. Seeing him bitter and bitingly apathetic about his situation is great given how long he's been around now without changing a whole lot. The game also does quite a good job at putting him at a distance from the rest of the RGG universe in lots of subtle ways (even though the meat of the game is quite traditional) reinforcing his frustrations and hopelessness. It feels like some kind of Yakuza version of LOGAN (Mangold, 2017), with Kiryu living on uselessly in the aftermath of his world, but maybe finding some small bit of purpose anyway. This first section of the game ends with (spoilers) an excellent, extremely dark sequence in which it looks like he's going to be unceremoniously executed in a dank basement by people who are supposed to be his allies for basically no reason and without anyone he cares about ever even knowing he was still alive. Of course you know it's not gonna happen because, come on, but even the idea of it is powerful.
Unfortunately, after this awesome stuff, things take a bit of a turn and becomes a much more traditional RGG plot and much less grounded, eventually tying into Kiryu's surprise guest appearances in LIKE A DRAGON. It's not as good, but so it goes - this is the identity of the series, and it certainly feels appropriate in that way. Can't blame 'em too much.
Eventually, however, that hamhanded world-building gets out of the way and it switches back into shockingly good mode for an ending that hit me so hard I think it may or may not be the first video game I've ever played that made me actually drop a tear. If you're invested at all in this series, you're gonna feel it.
So, overall, it's pretty good! I'm interested to see where they go with Kiryu from here. And this made me cautiously optimistic about INFINITE WEALTH. Some of the beats in this little half-game went to places that the series never quite touched before, so if they've got this in 'em I think they've justified Kiryu's continued presence. We'll see!
DJSCheddar
6 months ago