this is a weird game to me. it has some of the strongest and yet weakest parts of the series in terms of story. the orphanage bits and more slice of life stuff are some of my favorites in any yakuza game, but god the story doesnt make sense. the villains and their goals and just. every character makes no sense as to why they're doing any of the things they're doing.

in terms of combat, it is rough early on, but once you get double finishers and improved grab damage the game is waaaay easier. just mash double finishers and grab whenever possible, and also bring swords. the difficulty of combat is way way over exaggerated imo.

overall, i still loved it. it is very rough around the edges but it is still a special game to me because it explores the more parental relationship part of yakuza. i really like this aspect and i prefer it more to the focus on blood-brother styled stuff. kiryu is a dad through and through.