very conspicuously rushed; steals a lot of beats from the first game’s narrative in what locales we entangle ourselves into. kamurocho is largely the same, but variety shows itself in the new kansai, featuring more crisp camera angles to gaze upon. especially love walking along the boardwalk behind the buildings on the river - framed skyscrapers emerge from the background as the damp and clouded sky tries to push its way through.

i can forgive the ‘rushed-ness’ though, partly because it wasn’t exactly the dev’s fault and the game’s ambitions do end up paying off in a positive way. retreading upon previous areas does feel fresh with how different they are now, highlighting the changes over a year’s time that catch kiryu off guard.

there’s a thicker high stakes (yet semi-chaotic) narrative compared to the first’s, and i prefer it despite how messy it can seem. a long thread frequently paced with knots of “what the fuck just happened”s that eventually tie up at a later point. imagining the writers at their desks cursorily adding in whatever details and events that initially strike them with “wouldnt that be crazy?!” where i would normally criticize the story for this, i can’t bring myself to it - the scattered mysteries had me genuinely intrigued. everything is so interconnected with inceptively flabbergasting cliches and coincidences that eventually seem to impress in the end. the character writing in general is also a major step up and actively connects with its audience’s emotions. sayama is a great contrast to kiryu in how she’s basically the opposite of him in her work ethic. in the first game, the police were presented as this outside force who couldn’t do much in yakuza affairs aside from date’s involvement. here we see more active pursuit from them with sayama keeping kiryu’s reality in check, always making sure to let him know he’s not above the law. kawara, bessho, and date act as key players as well into revealing the police’s flaws in its ever-mingling fate alongside the inflammatory yakuza world.

and that’s an interesting subject, ‘fate.’ it’s mentioned only a few times throughout the game, sometimes offhandedly at that, but i’m willing to stretch at it and say its handling here makes sense and proves to be an underlying theme as a makeshift excuse for all the bullshit that happens along the plot’s rocky path. it’s tackled with acceptance rather than the common display of it being something to triumph over and take control of. in the criminal underworld, shit happens. what’s done is done and all people can do is adapt and move forward. kiryu willingly accepts his place as a soldier of fate, destined to be the one cleaning up the relentless warmongering that never ceases its chase on kamurocho.

anyway, i’ll try not to divert from the gameplay for much longer. i put a focus on the story because i think that’s what the game very clearly did too lol. cinematically, a ton of care and consideration was put into the construction of every scene too. the smug camera work that romanticizes the cityscapes transitions over into the cutscenes with dynamic framing and tracking, feeling like a japanese film of its time. the accompanying score follows suit and indulges into uniquely moody territory. different sounds and beats coalesce to enhance the spirit of every moment, even some that last just for a brief time.

now jumping into the game side of things, the combat system finally has spacial awareness! our fists recognize the enemies around us and always try their best to connect. stringing together attacks between multiple enemies is now fluid, feeling less robotic than before and more naturally interwoven. you have a whole arsenal of moves at your disposal as well, slowly evolving battles into the archaic brawls the series is now known for. some suspenseful QTEs also shove their way in, having some really hype clashes but ultimately faltering in how strict the timing for button presses can be. the soundtrack yet again acts as motivation to push forward. noticeably more aggressive and wild in many aspects, utilizing some heavy hitting guitar riffs that can sting just as much as your aggressors.

wanted to write something a bit longer than usual because i think yakuza 2 deserves it. desperately and honestly tries to be everything the original game was and more. yet it sadly remains largely unrecognized by the community it seems. cool ass game and is deemed worthy of its yakuza lineage. at any rate, to all the men reading this, you oughta be a little stupid.