YAKUZA 0 REVIEW

 

INTRODUCTION

It is not this often that I'd end up falling head over heels for a game that its main priority is the story with its huge amounts of dialogue and cutscenes over the gameplay. However, this may be just me. Since this game felt different from what I'm used to: and that's games with focus on gameplay first, story second (or almost non-existent). Sure, I've played games that were the complete opposite of what I play nowadays, but none of those games come close to what this game had to offer. Action, drama, laughs, tears, feels... All in this one amazing 25 GB package. Man... This game is just too good. I'd say just go a nd buy it, but I need to explain what this game is and what contains, no? With this little introduction out of the way, it's time to talk about the game's little history, in other words, YAKUZA INTRODUCTION.

YAKUZA INTRODUCTION

The Yakuza series starts its journey in the distant 2005 (okay, now I feel old knowing 2005 was 16 years ago. Holy shit) when SEGA's video game producer and designer, Toshihiro Nagoshi ( 名越 稔洋,  Nagoshi Toshihiro) said "Fuck it!" and decided to make a game about the infamous Japanese organized group known as Yakuza. But besides the fact that he did not have that mindset, he still wanted to make the game, based somewhat on his life. And with this in mind, Nagoshi set out to make this game a reality. And in December 2005, the first game in the series was released. Yakuza, or its original name, Ryū ga Gotoku (龍が如く, Like a Dragon) became a smash hit in Japan. It'd take over a decade for the popularity of the franchise to catch up in the west. And the prime suspect for this HUGE rise in fame is none other than... Yakuza 0.

SHORT PLOT SYNOPISIS 

"1988", as is the tagline for the game, says it all. Game is set in the 1980s, during Japan's bubble era, in which inflation of real estate and stock markets were extremely high. Thus, leading into a stagnation. Prices of assets and markets were all over the place. And this is all present throughout the game. On the cover art, in the gameplay, in the story, in the stores. Literally, everything is MONEY. But despite the time period and the money business, the story doesn't focus on that. The story follows Kazuma Kiryu, one of the two protagonists playable in this game, and a member of the Dojima Family, a subsidiary of the biggest clan in Japan, the Tojo Clan. He ends up beating up some guy in a certain "Empty Lot", assuming he did the yakuza dirty. After the beatdown, he recruits with his sworn brother (兄弟, kyōdai) and go out to have some fun. Unfortunately, news break out next morning about an incident that happened last night in some "Empty Lot". A dead body was found, and that the murderer has been identified (the murderer being Kazuma Kiryu). Now, framed for a murder he did not commit, Kiryu-chan ends up in a hellhole in which he has to trust the right people and beat up (never kill, because he doesn't do that) those that stand in his way... On his path on becoming the Legendary Dragon of Dojima.

The second protagonist, and a fan favorite, is Goro Majima, member of the Shimano Family, another subsidiary of the Tojo Clan. Unlike Kiryu, Majima hasn't committed any serious beatdowns. In fact, he should have been kicked out of the yakuza long ago for disobeying orders. But, since there is some "hope" for Goro, he is released as a civilian and becomes a manager of a cabaret club, with a mission however: Bring back 100 million yen in profits, and his place back in the yakuza is assured. Supervised by a friend of the Family's captain, now his life is like a prison. It gets worse when later in the story, he is tasked with murdering a target related to the "Empty Lot". Since he is also a person like Kiryu, not having it in himself to kill another person, he decides to do a complete 180 and save his target. With that decision in mind, his troubles have just started. And his path on becoming a Legendary Mad Dog has begun. And you know what? These pricks are a huge pain in the ass. They want 2 innocent boys to do some shit for some dirty money. Well jokes on the Clan itself, since both Kiryu and Goro help each other indirectly. Their story in this game is like 2 semi parallel lines . Different people with different tasks, but both are connected and end up colliding and uniting in the end, to conclude the game's overall story.

Majima Goro, the charming owner of the cabaret club "Cabaret Grand"

Kazuma Kiryu, the stoic, yet righteous "Dragon" of the Dojima Family 

GAMEPLAY

The game's gameplay is very simple, yet addicting. It's a beat 'em up game, meaning that you are up against a group of foes, or a boss, that you have to take down. Unlike 3D fighting games, where you are always locked onto your opponent, here you can either have your sights on one target or just face yourself towards a group and let your fists and legs do the talking. On top of being a beat 'em up, the game is also open world. You can go to various stores, shops, shogi parlors, disco, karaoke, bowling, arcades, and much, much... MUCH MORE!!! THERE'S ALL SORTS OF SHIT TO DO IN THIS GAME THAT IT IS HARD TO PUT IT IN THIS ONE SHORT REVIEW!!! I'd have to write a book about them because of their quantity. Huge quantity, with an equal HUGE quality.
Back on the fighting, the protagonists have 3 different fighting styles/stances (with a 4th secret one). Each of their fighting styles have their ups and downs. Those being:
-Brawler/Thug - The basic and canonical stances for Kiryu and Majima. To avoid confusion, I'll be listing the styles as the following: Kiryu/Majima. In this case being that the first style is Kiryu's and the second's first style is Majima's. Kiryu's Brawler is based on delivering powerful punches with medium speed. Majima's Thug style takes a more acrobatic approach, with him using moves that are very gymastics-like. While not as strong as Kiryu's Brawler, it's a bit faster.
- Rush/Breaker - Rush is the second style unlocked for Kiryu. A super fast kickboxing hybrid fighting style that rewards the players with great joy knowing that they have avoided attacks with great speed, and then delivering back attacks with said speed. Majima's Breaker however is... Unorthodox. The dude is using freestyle to fight people... I don't need to explain further.
- Beast/Slugger - Beast is perhaps my personal favorite style, delivering huge Heruclan blows that deal a fuck ton of damage, at the cost of your speed. You become a tank basically with this fighting style. Slugger on the other hand, is Majima using a baseball bat to do his handjobs on the enemies. Using a Metal Bat as a nunchaku never gets old.

On top of the protagonists having different fighting styles, each style has it's own music theme. And they are FUCKING AWESOME (Slugger being my favorite out of them all). But with different styles, we also have various finishers. The Heat moves. The game has a so called "Heat meter" that fills by either medicine consumption or hitting opponents. And once it surpasses the 1st gauge, and if you find yourself in a good position with an enemy (whether they're on the ground, performing a counter, or are at a certain distance), you can do a special move that it's cinematic, but AMAZING to look at. And the special delivery blows would probably give you great satisfaction.

As I mentioned the medicine, you can buy various items that will either restore your health, heat, or maybe both; or items that will grant you certain abilities or resistance to some weapons or elements. Lots of traditional Japanese food can be consumed, alongside some burgers. Same goes for the drinks, from sake to milkshakes, this game has you covered. I get hungry just by thinking about the food.

Kazuma's fighting styles can also be upgraded too

Same goes for this crazy lovable bastard

SUB-STORIES

Normally, this portion of the review would fall under the gameplay aspect of the game, but it 's a different chapter, mostly because of 2 sub-stories that leave a great impact on the development of the characters. Those being the Real Estate Agency sub-story for Kiryu, and the Cabaret Sunshine sub-story for Majima. Both of these stories, once completed, will unlocked the previously mentioned secret 4th fighting style. But getting to the end is no easy task:
- Kiryu's Real Estate is a pain. His job is to go out and reach out certain facilities and buy them out. Once he is done humping every building he can find, then he will be challenged buy a "King". The story has 5 antagonists. 5 Kings named "The Five Billionaires". Those are: Leisure King, Electronics King, Pleasure King, Gambling King and Media King. Each King shares a land of properties that you must go out and acquire 100% of it. Once you do that, you'll be challenged to a fight. Win and you'll end up with COMPLETE DOMINATION. Once you defeat them all, alongside the secret Finance King, you'll acquire the "Dragon of Dojima" fighting style. On the bright side, you can assign managers and security in the areas you've conquered to get yourself money in the most charming and passive way possible.
- Majima's Cabaret side story is a JOY. You are in charge of a failing cabaret club, and it is your mission to make it #1 and blow everyone else out of the competition (The one Majima controls is just a decoy, so it doesn't count). Scout for girls and make them part of your hostess army. You can play dress up with the girls and up their stats: make them sexy or cute, or geeky and funny. Once you are done with the dress up, you are ready to open your club and treat your customers as kings. Give them the lady they want, help out if there is a need for that, and protect your girls if they're harassed. And just like Kiryu, this one also has antagonists. If you end up beating them in a duel, you can end up beating them with your fists and win their premium hostess as a reward. Grind and repeat that a couple of times, and you'll unlock "Mad Dog of Shimano".

Seeing Kiryu using money as a fan is pure awesomeness. He's so hot when doing that!

お客様は神様 (Okyakusama Wa Kamisama - The Customer is King)

FINAL NOTES AND TRIVIA

I don't know what else to write down for this game. There are so many things to write down and mention that, I unfortunately don't have it in me to do it right now. The game's story is one that made me excited to see what will happen next, and the side stories made me feel like I'm procrastinating from my main job. The music for this game is also God-Tier. Captures the Essence of the 80s perfectly. Graphics are also fantastic. And the game is well optimized to run on low computers too. And since now I ran out of stuff to write, get the game... NOW!!!!!!

TRIVIA:
- The districts in which the game's main plot takes place: Kamurocho (神室町, Kamuro-chō, Kamuro District), located in Tokyo, and Sotenbori (蒼天堀, Sōtenbori), located in Osaka, are based on the real life districts Kabukicho and Dōtonbori respectively.
- The game gathered its huge following thanks to a meme that circulated in mid 2020, with the infamous song "Baka Mitai".
- All establishments and stores are actually licensed. Don Quijote being one of the places where you can go shop for various items.
- Since this is a SEGA game, an arcade store with various SEGA games released during the 80s can be visited and played. Space Carrier is awesome. 
- The karaoke songs are stuck in my head. They are that good.


VARIOUS SCREENSHOTS AND VIDEOS

All of the videos belong to the people that made them and uploaded them onto Youtube. The Yakuza series belong to SEGA. 

Until next time...
Kiryu-chan 😚