REVIEW : Yakuza Kiwami ( PS4 / PS4 Pro)
Yakuza launched on PS2 in 2005 as an action adventure series. Yakuza is famous for its over the top combat and excellent storytelling.
Yakuza Kiwami is a complete remake of Yakuza 1 which released in 2005 and it is kind of a sequel to Yakuza 0. You take the role of Kazuma Kiryu, who is an absolute badass, a gangster and a family man. Kiryu has just been released from the prison after being framed for killing his clan leader.
The game attention to detail is outstanding. Walking through Kamurocho feels almost real. The streets are bustling with variety of people and the world feels alive. The game combines realism, humor and action perfectly.
The story can be tear jerking at times and hilarious in other scenes. Voice acting is just brilliant and localization for western audience does justice to original content.
The story depicts Kazuma Kiryu as killer with heart of gold. He will do anything to protect the people close to him. A young girl named Haruka falls into Kiryu’s care after being hunted by local mafia. The narrative is among the best which can be found in games.
The world is similar to Yakuza 0 and the densely packed location with bustling streets is the key stand out of Yakuza series.
Majority of the time you would be beating the shit out of street thugs or anyone who challenges Kiryu. Kiryu offers 4 different fighting styles all of which can be upgraded as the game progresses with the experience gained from numerous ass kicking of thugs.
The progression is brilliantly paced along with the story as you will rarely fell overpowered against the enemies.
Combat is the same over the top action which are bloody and satisfying to execute a combo. Each fighting style has different take on a battle, so be sure to experiment with it.
One of the fighting style can be upgraded by fighting Goro Majima, who was a playable character in Yakuza 0. In Yakuza Kiwami he is obsessed in fighting with Kiryu to bring him back to his former glory. Majima keeps each encounter fresh by dressing up as zombie, police officer, cabaret girl, taxi driver and what not. All the encounters are well spaced out as well. Plus, the dialogue exchange are extremely hilarious.
The game is filled with variety of mini-games like rock paper scissor or you can catch some plush toys. There is always Karaoke which is amazingly detailed just like all other mini games. Many of these activities will lead to optional quests. These side quests have a brilliant story as well, with some of them being extremely memorable due to their weirdness.
Yakzua 0 and Yakuza Kiwami are built on the same engine which powered PS3 games, so the show their age on PS4. The cut scenes are brilliant but the environment textures are still muddy for this generation.
REVIEW : Yakuza 6: The Song of Life ( PS4 / PS4 Pro)
