Yakuza 4 is probably my second favorite Yakuza game. So far, the series has treated me quite well, with each entry doing something unique and interesting to the formula. Yakuza 4 brings about 4 playable protagonists, all of whom has different and distinct gameplay styles. Akiyama, my beloved, Saejima, Tanimura, and of course, Kiryu. All these characters offer a unique gameplay and story addition, and I ended up loving each of them. Having all these different stories converge into one towards the end was very satisfying to see, even if I do have some minor gripes in how it's executed.

A lot of what 3 and 4 did has been what the series been trying to do doing moving forward, and a lot of the weaker elements from 3 get refined and expanded upon. It is ultimately another Yakuza game though, so a lot of the gameplay elements are similar, but also more refined. It's still very nice to journey around Kamurocho and to soak it all in.

Overall, one of my favorite Yakuza games. At some point, I'm going to have to replay all these games to really have a second look at all of them, but for now, just below Yakuza 0 and slightly above Yakuza Kiwami is a fitting placement.