I’m quickly becoming the go-to Yakuza guy around these parts, and as long as the titles remain consistently excellent, I’m just fine with that. With a new year comes a new entry into the long-running series. This time around, we’re faced with a conclusion and a new beginning of sorts. Kiryu, the main protagonist for the entire length of the series, has had a long journey, and it seems that this is his last time up to bat.
Pushing 50, it’s far past time he took a knee and stepped out of the spotlight once and for all. If any protagonist in a game series deserves a rest, it’s him. Kiryu has survived multiple stints in prison, gang wars, running businesses, managing hostess clubs, and taking down corrupt gangsters for decades now. Yakuza 6 serves as both an amazing final outing, as well as a touching goodbye for one of the best characters to emerge in gaming for a good long time now.
The series retains many of its common tropes and mechanics, but also isn’t afraid to bring the game into the modern era. I, for one, welcomed finally being able to save anywhere at any time, as well as the shift to a new game engine. The city of Kamurocho returns once again, along with a ridiculous amount of side quests, activities, distractions, arcade games, and sights to see over more than 30 hours of gameplay.
Yakuza 6 stands in stark contrast to the over-the-top (and personal favorite) entry from last year, Yakuza 0, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Where Yakuza 0 felt at times like there was too much in the world to choose from, Yakuza 6 feels restrained, despite the plethora of activities.
Gone are the multiple protagonists from previous titles. Gone are the multiple fighting stances. Gone are the Majima mini-game encounters from Kiwami. Yakuza 6 presents a streamlined world and system reminiscent of the very first title in the series (re-released last year as Kiwami). Whereas the first game told a simple story about a single character, this final entry says goodbye to that same character.
It may take a while to calm your brain and reset your expectations if you’re coming to this fresh off of Yakuza 0, but trust me when I say that when you figure out why the game is as restrained and somber as it is, your appreciation for the series as a whole will dramatically increase.
This is Kiryu’s story and the developers never want you to lose sight of that or become too distracted with gameplay and story beats that take away from the main narrative. There’s a bit of levity every now and again, from dressing up as a mascot to helping a cat café become successful, but those moments never reach the high levels of outlandishness of 0.
If there are any complaints I have, they’re purely on a technical level. While the new engine and physic system brings with it a better-realized world, it also comes at the price of feeling like you have a solid grip on Kiryu’s movement. Similar to the early days of The Witcher 3, before the massive game-altering patch that was released, Kiryu can sometimes feel floaty, like he’s not strictly moving in the direction you want at the pace you expect. It can be a hard adjustment if you’re a long-time fan of the series.
Second, and perhaps most importantly, the visuals suffer at times. The frame rate can be inconsistent at times, dipping dramatically indoors. What’s worse is I noticed several instances of screen-tearing while walking around indoors; a phenomenon I rarely experience in console titles.
Despite those unfortunate setbacks, Yakuza 6 is a great game, and a fitting conclusion to Kiryu’s epic tale. This is a world that you’ll lose yourself in for entire days at a time, and if you’ve played any of the previous releases, you owe it to yourself to see this epic conclusion. I’m not quite sure where the series goes from here, but I’m still along for the ride. When it comes to open-world action games, Yakuza still remains one of the best of the best. Don’t miss it!
