Game Cover

Kazuma Kiryu... You don't waste any time, right outta the pen and straight into a ruckus.

Platform played on: PS2

# Review

Yakuza takes place in the fictional city of Kamurocho. You play as Kazuma Kiryu, a veteran yakuza member who takes the fall for a crime he did not commit in order to protect his friend. After Kiryu is released from prison, he immediately gets embroiled in a complex plot by his former compatriots and has to protect a mysterious young girl while unraveling the story’s many layers.

Kazuma Kiryu

The core gameplay is that of a third-person brawler where the player fights through groups of opponents, using weapons and combos. The fighting feels well-polished and is satisfying but can get extremely repetitive as the enemies spawn infinitely and are all very similar to one another. This, of course, is to be expected from a JRPG but can be unpalatable for Western audiences who aren’t used to grinding.

Brawling with weapon

The setting of the game, Kamurocho, feels very detailed and immersive. The seedy and gritty streets are filled with numerous graphical details such as neon lights and NPCs that interact with you. The graphics are definitely dated but the amount of detail paid to creating different atmospheres partially masks it.

Kamurocho in the afternoon

The highlight for me is definitely the story, which was overseen by popular crime novelist Hase Seishū. The story is filled with unpredictable twists and turns and features well-developed characters. My favourite aspect of the game is its depiction of the almost bushidō-like culture of the yakuza underworld where honor and crime are intertwined. I also greatly enjoyed the Japanese humour sprinkled throughout the game; while the story gets crazy later on in the story, the humour helps the game stay on the right side of the tasteful/outrageous line.

This game is fully dubbed in English and the voice acting is a hit-or-miss; notable highlights included an unhinged portrayal of Goro Majima by Mark Hamill and lowlights include a corny portrayal of Detective Date by Bill Farmer. Although some dialogue seemed out of place, even those dialogues are charming in their own right; the almost cartoonish voice acting of Detective Date can be entertaining and funny (I later found out that Farmer also voices Goofy from Disney). I would have preferred the original Japanese voice acting, though.

Detective Date

# Conclusion

While the gameplay is a bit repetitive, the story and atmosphere make up for it.

# Overall rating: 8.5

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