Yakuza 0 Review – One of the Best Games Around (PS4)
Kazuma Kiryu is back, baby! The series’ leading star goes back to his roots with Yakuza 0, a story that shows how he became a Yakuza, how he got the Kiryu name and how he met the wild Goro Majima. Yakuza’s first foray onto PS4 is nothing short of great and the future is shining bright for the series.
Set in the 80s, Yakuza 0 has you play as both Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, the former of which wants to take down the Yakuza gangs whilst the latter wants to work his way back into their ranks after being expelled. When a simple debt collection job goes wrong with the victim ending up murdered, Kiryu leaves the Dojima Clan as to avoid bringing any further attention to them. It isn’t long until he finds himself in the centre of an internal conflict amongst several clans regarding a plot of land that they all want, and so Kiryu fights to clear his name of murder as well as to protect the boss of the Kazuma clan, a man Kiryu deeply respects.
Yakuza’s first foray onto PS4 is nothing short of great and the future is shining bright for the series.
Goro Majima is on the opposite end of the spectrum, having defied his bosses orders leading to his expulsion from the clan, Goro is working as a popular cabaret owner so that he can earn enough money to get back into the Yakuza business. Despite Goro’s hard work, the terms of his re-acceptance keep being raised and he finds himself never growing closer to his goal. Despite what you know of Kiryu and Goro from the other 5 mainline games, Yakuza 0 sheds new light on them and is consistently an exciting, thrilling story about the pair’s origins. Yakuza 0 greatly expands the series’ world, and is a perfect place for newcomers. It’s also undeniably one of the best games released on PS4.
There are an insane amount of mini-games in Yakuza 0 ranging from dancing and karaoke rhythm games, various sports activities such as bowling and the batting cage, watching gravure models (real ones!) at a video club, gambling via betting on girls wrestling and going to a telephone club to get dates with women — you can even play SEGA’s classic OutRun and crane games with some of their characters as prizes! Many of the mini-games are hilarious and I’m not sure I’ve laughed so hard and so often at a game in a while — Yakuza 0’s side-content is enough to help you lose several hours without even touching the main plot.
Many of the mini-games are hilarious and I’m not sure I’ve laughed so hard and so often at a game in a while.
Yakuza 0 is a gripping story with more than a few shocks and emotional moments, making it difficult to put down at any point during its 40 or so hour journey. You can run a real estate business and a cabaret club too, both of which are great for making money and it’s easy to sink in a good few hours here too — you would have to physically tear me away from spending all of my time managing the Sunshine Club!
The combat is at the series’ best in Yakuza 0 with several unique fighting styles that keep battles fast-paced and brutal, with both playable characters feeling vastly different to each other. Boasting three different fighting styles each and the ability to equip an array of weapons, Kiryu and Goro are forces to be reckoned with — the Yakuza clans learn this the hard way! You’re usually fighting off multiple enemies at once with it’s arcade-inspired mechanics, and it keeps ramping up the odds which keeps them exciting. You can tone the blood down if you’re squeamish as there are violent, bombastic special moves which quickly weaken your opponents and whittle down their numbers.
The cities are alive and have plenty to offer.
Yakuza 0 continues to impress in its visuals too with a lively atmosphere, expressive character models and details in every corner of the cities. The cities of Sotenbori and Kamurocho are bright and colourful, and they’re densely populated with people no matter where you go — bumping into some people might cause them to pick a fight with you, and there are various Yakuza, gang members, bikers, etc, who’ll chase you down for a fight if you don’t run away. The cities are alive, have plenty to offer and despite being two cities to explore rather than a fully open-world, Yakuza 0 offers so much that it refuses to let these cities become dull and boring. The cutscenes look amazing and I found myself re-adjusting as they came on, as they were always a delight to watch.
As per, there’s no English Dub but Yakuza doesn’t need one — while there’s a lot of dialogue and it would be appreciated for those who want it, the Japanese voice-over enhances the games atmosphere and its authenticity. If the fabulous voice-acting isn’t enough, and it’s some of the best around, then maybe the games brilliant soundtrack will amaze you even further! There are plenty of catchy tunes to be found here, many of which you’ll be jamming along to at the disco and karaoke bars — being set in the 80s, everything is 80s theme and has a lot of charm!
It’s with great pleasure and ease that I say that Yakuza 0 is among the best games I’ve played.
Yakuza 0 is an outstanding game with an excellent plot, engaging action, wonderful music and an incredible amount of high-quality content that’ll keep you busy for dozens of hours. It’s lengthy, never loses momentum and the mini-games are phenomenal. The love and care that has gone into Yakuza 0 is obvious and it’s with great pleasure that I say that Yakuza 0 is among the best games I’ve played, and one of the best games that you can buy right now. Hilarious, moving and memorable, Yakuza 0 is an experience that’ll stay with you once you’ve finished — good luck getting free of its grasp, though!
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