Yakuza 0 was my first time playing the Yakuza series. I’d heard of the franchise before and always thought I’d enjoy it and I was absolutely right. Now I should preface this review by saying that I am a big fan of anime, so some of these types of Japanese shenanigans that I’ve come to appreciate may come off as more off putting to traditional western audiences. That being said, Yakuza 0 is one of the funniest games I’ve ever played while also managing to have a serious story that you really become invested in. The game is certainly lacking in some areas, but Yakuza 0 succeeds at what it’s trying to be: a whacky game chalk full of Japanese humor.
Combat in this game is far from perfect. Movement often feels clunky and character animations leave something to be desired, yet the combat system remains fun and satisfying. Executing heat moves, devastating attacks that can be unleashed after filling the heat bar, lead to some of the most brutal and hilarious mini cut scenes, keeping fights fun and fresh. Kiryu and Majima each have three different fighting styles to choose from, giving combat even more variety. Progression is earned through money. You can spend cash to get new combos, passives, and stat boosts for your different fighting styles. This is probably my biggest gripe with the game, as I don’t feel all that much more powerful by the end of the game than I was at the beginning.
Character progression is an important factor that keeps me coming back to games, so this is no minor flaw. However, Yakuza makes up for this with its off the wall humor you won’t find anywhere else in gaming. The sheer amount of minigames you can play is overwhelming and they each have that Japanese charm that makes me laugh. Karaoke is one of my favorites and has given me a newfound appreciation for Asian pop. You can bet on fights between two skimpily clad women. You can go dancing at the disco club. You can race remote control cars with children. Play baseball, go bowling, shoot pool, throw darts, watch porn, the list goes on. The side missions are usually ridiculous as well. One memorable example, I had to distract a crowd of people by loudly shouting and singing so that a street performer posing as a statue can sneak off to go pee. Even though these side missions are usually pretty simple affairs, the sheer ridiculousness of their premise makes them fun and memorable.
Although Yakuza is a series defined by its levity and hilarity, Yakuza 0’s main story could be an intense and emotional affair at times. You play as Kiryu, the main protagonist in the other games as well as Majima, Kiryu’s future rival in a prequel to the first Yakuza game. This being my first Yakuza game, I’m sure certain moments of significance were lost upon me, but watching Kiryu get his start was a compelling experience nonetheless. The cutscenes were great, usually pretty standard with Japanese games. I just wish there were more of them, as going from a cutscene to a still image with voice acting just felt wrong. It’s hard to speak on the voice acting since it’s not in english, but I generally find Japanese voice actors to be pretty enjoyable and this is no exception. If you’re a fan of anime you’ll likely hear some familiar voices throughout your playthrough, which I thought was nice.
Yakuza 0 is a fun game without a doubt. But it is held back from greatness by its clunky combat and poor progression systems. It is by no means a masterpiece but the game is full of charm and content. But for whatever feelings I have towards Yakuza 0’s gameplay, I will say that playing this game, it’ll be hard not to crack a smile at the screen.
FINAL SCORE: 7.5/10
