Despite being known as one of the weaker games of the franchise and being actively warned by fans there’s a 50% chance I could be filtered by this I really enjoyed my time with this game. I will agree it’s probably the weakest of the yakuza games I’ve played so far but the story setting and characters really kept me coming back this time round. I particularly loved the setting of Okinawa which I feel may be influenced by growing up in seaside towns myself and while the chapters revolving around this area may feel a bit laid back compared to the other games but i really enjoyed getting to see Kiryu living a selfless quiet life outside of the Yakuza. The writers here really flex the ability to introduce new characters like the orphanages children and Rikiya immediately winning you over i don’t think I’ve seen a studio do this so effortlessly aside from games made by Hideo Kojima. Despite my praise I do agree the combat can be a little goofy and the biggest filter for fans in the early game but eventually managed to get the hang of it around chapter 5. Another issue I kinda have is how fast this story wraps up as soon as the main threat is established the game kinda ends which is a little shitty considering how good these villains are with their terrible engrish.