![]() Kiryu can purchase buildings and businesses across the Kamurocho area, something that isn’t needed to progress the narrative, but something that does add weight to it. Majoma and Kiryu both have their own unique side activities. There’s an impressive amount of these sub-stories available, all of which feel distinctive in their own right - Sega clearly spent a lot of time writing and creating them. This often makes them feel more incidental rather than the person simply being there to give you a quest, it feels like you’ve stumbled across them at just the right time. Rather than setting them out as map markers (like any of the recent Ubisoft titles), sub-stories are often found by accident as you wander around Tokyo. They are often incredibly whacky and can involve anything from pretending to be a ladies boyfriend so her dad doesn’t force her into an arranged marriage, or filling in for an AWOL TV producer. The two regions that are playable in Yakuza 0 are filled with characters looking for Mazama’s or Kiryu’s help. While the activities are fun, the real depth in Yakuza comes from sub-stories. There’s a lot more that I’ve missed and likely not discovered myself but the amount of content is staggering - something many other developers would have stuck behind a premium DLC pack. In the world of Yakuza 0 you can: sing karaoke, play darts, play pool, dance, gamble, go to hostess clubs, go bowling and even play classic Sega arcade games. There are countless buildings and shops to be explored, that have even more activities inside. The cities you play in are often large enough to feel like a city without making them overwhelming or confusing. The phrase “A mile wide but an inch deep” can be applied to a lot of titles, but I’ve found that Yakuza 0 is the rare example that manages to finds the perfect balance between size and depth, making it more akin to “a mile wide and a mile deep”. The dialogue can be a little cheesy in places, but that’s just Yakuza’s thing - it’s incredibly camp. The game’s facial animations also go a long way to creating believable and evocative characters that show an array of emotions during cutscenes - watching characters cry is especially cathartic. ![]() ![]() Each person has their own strengths and vulnerabilities, and the game isn’t afraid to portray that in the main characters. While the story is a bit clichéd, it’s the characters that really add depth and tangibility to it. This kept me constantly engaged, wanting to progress the narrative in order to find out what had happened. The inclusion of chapters means Sega were able to pace them game brilliantly, leaving a certain amount of suspense if there was a cliffhanger because you would have to wait a few chapters to come back. It is told in chapters, 17 of them to be precise, and each one is character specific and plays out like a TV series - each chapter starts with a “in the previous chapter” summary. The story flips between Majima and Kiryu, telling two separate sides of the same story that slowly intertwined as the narrative develops. The story revolves around a power struggle within the Yakuza ranks, with several clans all fighting for one plot of land that gives them majority control of Kamurocho. The lack of names before subtitles can become a little confusing for newcomers who, like myself, aren’t accustomed to the characters within the series, but the voice acting is often solid enough that you can still tell main characters apart from one another. There isn’t any English voice acting, so the majority of the game's dialogue is subtitled - something that adds a nice layer of authenticity. Right from the get go, Yakuza’s focus on narrative is clear due to the dialogue-heavy set of cutscenes that help introduce 1988 Japan. Yakuza 0 manages to dodge this issue by setting the game right at the very start of the two protagonists’ stories within the Yakuza universe. This was largely down to the fact that I found myself missing relevant and important plot points due to my previous lack of experience with the series. I briefly played Yakuza 4 on the PS3 and found it interesting enough, but I never really felt like going back to it. ![]() I’ve not boarded the Yakuza hype train before it’s a series that has a dedicated and passionate fan base, and despite its very eastern soaked setting and lore, has garnered a huge audience in the West. The original game was released in Japan during the first half of 2015, and like many other Yakuza titles, the West had a delayed release. Taking place in 1988, the title follows series regulars, Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima as their lives become embroiled in a nationwide Yakuza power struggle. Yakuza 0, developed and published by Sega, is a prequel set in the popular Yakuza series. Reviews // 21st Feb 2017 - 6 years ago // By Thomas Hughes Yakuza 0 Review
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |