Right– I am the furthest thing from a longtime Yakuza fan. Yes, the first game I played in the series was Yakuza 0 in 2017. For some inexplicable reason, I decided to attempt the game in the hard difficulty. Tempers were lost, and a controller was broken. From then on, I sort of had no time for the series. There were certain things I "got" about it, but Kiryu and Majima (sorry!) had no appeal. Contrary to what many fans, new and old, have said about Y0, I felt like I was left in the lurch about the overriding appeal.

Then, Yakuza Kiwami became available via PS Plus. After absorbing so much love for the series in the near two years since my initial experience, I thought I'd give it another shot. Everything about the plot and characters of the game clicked with me– Kiryu's stolid acceptance of everything put in front of him whether challenging or absurd; Nishikiyama's guilt, bitterness, and jealousy driving his tragic arc; Majima's balancing act of menace and loyalty. It all made sense.

Throughout the quarantine, I got the chance to play games at a much greater frequency than my age and other personal commitments usually allowed. This freed up some time for me to intermittently play Yak 2 (Kiwami)-5.

If I feel so inclined, I will do write ups for the rest of the series (with comparatively less fresh memories of them, mind). Otherwise, Yakuza 5 has one major thing going against it, and anyone familiar with it should know what that is.

Yes, the game is bloated, yet I appreciate the series greatly enough to have spent almost 65 hours on it. I am not the type to try for 100% completion for the Yak series because I could spend time playing a new game. Whatever the case, one of the playable characters in the game feels pointless except for their connection to a series regular that has not ever been playable themselves.

I enjoyed the gameplay change with Haruka. It is refreshing to have a rhythm game as a break from the fairly standard almost above average combat system. I am baffled that there's no playable rhythm sequence for her endgame sequence.

Saejima's questline was so drawn out that it seemed to meander, which is a shame because his relationship to another important character (as established in Yak 4) underpins one of the big mysteries of the game. That same character is also revealed to have been in a relationship with a NEW side character, a fact which is not paid off nearly as much as other characters who mean little in the grand scheme of things. That new side character has an arc that is, let's just say fridgey.

Furthermore– and this is often an issue with the storytelling of the series as a whole– the plot has an issue of too much exposition to justify twists that mean little by the endgame. I don't care about a character from hour 10 or so returning at hour 62. They mean so little by that point.

Is it fun? Hell yeah, it's Yakuza. However, my attention strayed at too many moments that should have had an impact. It is clear that with Yakuza 6, they stuck to Kiryu, and I look forward to that.

Notes:
-There are wrestling moves, which is always fun. I have done a front facelock to an Orange Crush, a back body drop, a giant swing (series staple!), and a Boston Crab.
-Whatever happened to the series's disdain for cops and prisons as in Yak 4? I miss that.
-Shun Akiyama has gotten better in my opinion, mainly because he isn't a complete misogynist to Hana-chan.