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bearpillowmonster · 4 years

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Yakuza Kiwami Review

Welcome to a japanese 'The Game Plan', the video game adaptation. (Kind of) I wanted to start this review with a first impressions, so I'm writing this after playing the first few chapters of the game.

First off, I like the atmosphere, the town is nice, I like learning the street names and seeing all the people on the road and talking to them. There are even drunks running about (more like stumble about) which is such an odd little feature.

There are plenty of battles, including street fights and each one increases your experience, however if there's a person who wants to pick a fight, they will chase you down at times until they can get close enough to talk to you, you "can" outrun them and cheese it by walking in a nearby store or something then walking back out. I'm not going to complain because it's a remake of a game on the PS2 (which I try to take into account for this review) but some of the models are janky at times with the way the models jerk but again, no big deal. There's a sprint system but he'll get tired and stop to catch his breath but you can reuse it right after, no bar to refill or anything but I will say that the health bar doesn't refill itself unless you die or get something to eat, so be wary if you're going into a fight.

There's a pretty decent skill tree like stuff to increase your health, tech, etc. I'm sure you already know that you can pick up random items like chairs, motorcycles, traffic cones and such to fight with but it really is fun to mess around with, just adds to the world building. It also has a play-style system with Brawler, Beast, Rush, and Dragon to fit however you like to play (I like Brawler best). If you played FF7 Remake, it kind of reminds me of the Operator vs Punisher mode, I wonder if they were inspired by this game. I know I'm going to offend some people here but this is what the Arkham franchise's combat wishes it was (as far as Asylum and City go, I never played the other ones) I just like this more.

Now the story is pretty simple but pretty decent, I still can't believe this is the same guy who made Super Monkey Ball. I could see where it might build for the future games, I wanted to start with Yakuza 5 because I hear that's the best besides 0 and I don't normally care for continuity and do it with plenty of game series and don't have any trouble for the most part but the 5th entry in the saga seems a little more steep than say the 2nd or 3rd so I'm happy to settle on the first.

First impressions over, let's get into the thick of it.

The story is pretty cutscene heavy. Goofy at times but I still dig it, especially seeing Kiryu and Haruka interact.

How are the bosses? Well, the first proper boss is Shimano. There are some mini bosses before it but he's the big one. In the first Kingdom Hearts game, if a boss has a good amount of health, they'll stack the health bars into different colors, such as green, yellow, and orange, this is very similar to that. Shimano isn't what you should base the bosses on because he's a tough first boss, he's very strong and drawn out, but in a way kind of reflective because Kiryu is meant to be a bit rusty after all that time and this dude is huge on top of it so of course he's going to have a rough time with him. Narrative-wise, it makes sense but it's still a hard, kind of unforgiving and annoying boss battle. (also why didn't Kiryu just point out the hole in the window or have Kazama say otherwise??) Just know that they aren't normally like that.

I will say that the Akai break-dancing trash of the bloody eye were also super annoying though. You can't even approach the older brother, one is fine, but two? And a buncha goons?

My actual worst enemy is falling over though...

Majima is more of a rival but you fight him frequently. He reminds me of somebody I know, and that's what makes him funny but I don't like him, you're not really supposed to like him. He does have one of the best fights of the game though and if you’re dedicated then you can upgrade your dragon abilities through him.

One thing that I know may put people off from this game is the localization because for one, "Yakuza Kiwami" actually sounds kinda cool but it's very japanese which means, there is no dubbing, which is kind of rare for big games such as this, you just rely on subtitles. If it doesn't bother you with anime then it's fine. It's actually really fun. Now I have the PC edition but that's mainly because it was on sale (then it was on sale on the PS store a few weeks later which made me pretty salty) but I easily just plugged in my PS4 controller and it was all good, especially since "Real Yakuza use a gamepad". I personally wouldn't recommend the keyboard and mouse setup though as it can seem kind of tedious.

Random Section! Each dude has a name so I know who I'm trash talking. You ask Shinji for money early on but never pay him back and that really bothers me. I will say that the weapons and items you buy should have a stats chart so that you can tell if an item is stronger than one you have (how is an umbrella stronger than a revolver??) you kind of just have to take a shot in the dark based on price. Now once does Kiryu place the blame on anybody even after his 10 years and everything he's been through, it's really honorable, mad respect but it might've saved some hassle at certain points...

One thing that surprised me is just how easy it is to get a lot. I mean it makes sense because you're a yakuza, but I'm not used to getting so much CP after just a few fights and money out the wazooh (not always through fights, but sell a few things and see where you get). There are side missions but are they interesting? I mentioned the random people wanting to beat you up, but there are those that chase you and the ones that are beating on somebody else where you can choose to intervene, like how you would do basic stuff like taking someone to the hospital or stopping a robbery in Spider-Man. But then there are the ones with more context. A homeless man that needs a coat, a girl being harassed by men but then she takes you for a drink, none of them stand out a whole lot or lasts too long (because there are so many) but they're interesting little side things. There’s obviously lots to do, so I know I haven’t even experienced everything.

I mentioned atmosphere and how I liked exploring, you can take a cab, but I would say at least learn the area first, you find tons of little stuff like locker keys. Was it worth losing Super Monkey Ball over this? Not really but you can get an AiAi plush in the claw machine! Was it a good game though? Yeah, I'd have to say so, I'll be moving on to more in the series, Kiwami 2 seems like the next logical approach.

#yakuza #yakuza kiwami #review

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