Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Format: PS4
Released: January 24, 2017
Copy provided by publisher
Yakuza 0 is my first foray into the
Yakuza series, believe it or not, and I can safely say it’s been a trip.
My first impressions were not completely positive. A graphically basic game, full of restricted pathways and a slow moving story, I honestly wondered what the big deal was about the beloved
Yakuza games. Once things started opening up, however, the game revealed its allure to me. With every ridiculously overblown fight sequence, every bizarre side quest, I fell in love with
Yakuza 0 more and more.
Now I’m angry nobody told me to jump on this train sooner.
Set in 1988,
Yakuza 0 takes us to the early days of series protagonists Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, telling two stories in a pair of distinct – but equally crime-riddled – cities in Japan.
As Kiryu, players will attempt to clear their names of murder and enter the cutthroat world of property development in a fight over Kamurocho’s notorious Empty Lot – a patch of land owned by an unknown entity and fought for relentlessly by the Dojima Clan and Tachibana Real Estate.
In Sotenbori, Majima is attempting to earn his way back into the Yakuza by working as manager of The Grand Cabaret. His story details the lengths he’ll go to in order to regain status, as well as the lengths he won’t.
Both story paths are distinct and offer engrossing plots with surprisingly grounded premises. While younger and more naive versions of the characters they’re due to become, Kiryu and Majima are thoroughly likeable protagonists who consistently have to act as straight men in a variety of weird situations.
The antagonists set before them are given tons of personality and plenty of reasons to have their heads smashed in –
0‘s ability to present a villain worth hating is exceptional.
Side quests, however, steal the show. Those aiming to experience everything in
Yakuza 0 can expect to teach a dominatrix to berate her clients effectively, get sexually imposed upon by an old woman with purple hair, employ a man in underpants known only as Masochistic Man, and get involved in tons more equally unusual situations.
As a newcomer to the series, I’m reminded of cult classic
Deadly Premonition and its relentless eccentricity – a comparison that speaks highly of
Yakuza 0 if you know anything about my love for Swery 65’s farcical murder mystery.
Yakuza 0 is unapologetic in its oddball nature, though sometimes it gets weird to the point of discomfort – the mission where you hand pornography to a child rather than risk breaking your word to him is one particularly questionable event.
Sega’s criminal caper strikes far more often than it misses, however, regularly surprising its players with strange storylines and funny scenarios.
Part adventure game, part brawler,
Yakuza balances weighty combat against dialog-heavy scenes and tons of additional content to sidetrack the player. As well as
Deadly Premonition, it’s hard not to bring up
Shenmue when describing the overall atmosphere and wealth of activities on offer.
Yakuza 0‘s combat system is one of the most brutal I’ve experienced in a long time. Every single punch and kick connects with bone crunching impact, the sound and visual design dedicated to making opponents look as if they’re being put through physical hell. Heat actions – special contextual moves that can be used by maintaining a steady offense – bring the camera close to the action with vicious sequences that routinely see heads slammed into concrete or bicycle frames wrapped around ribcages.
Rest -
http://www.thejimquisition.com/yakuza-0-review/
Most complaints I could have are negligible and mostly revolve around a few of the chance-based minigames being frustrating and occasionally disheartening – almost all optional stuff, and even then it’s made up for by those optional activities that really nail it. Oh, and some of that questionable content can be a little offputting, even if temporarily.
If
Yakuza‘s always been this magnificent, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do and a lot of “friends” to chew out for not recommending it to me sooner.
9.5/10
Superb
Regretting I went with the X1 now!