Platform: PC

Developer: SEGA

Publisher: SEGA

Release Date: August 2, 2018

Genre: Action / Adventure / Role-playing

Nerd Rating: 8 out of 10

Reviewed by Kikopaff

It’s easy to look at Yakuza 0 on the surface and compare it to the likes of Grand Theft Auto. It’s a natural assumption, but Yakuza 0 is far more than its western counterparts. It’s a gripping tale of the realities that Yakuza face – Japanese mafias who must balance crime, honour and chopped pinkies on a dark road.

The prequel to the Yakuza plot begins in 1988’s Japan with two young Yakuza, Kazuma Kiryu and Majima Goro. Both find themselves involved in a criminal dispute following the events that occur at the Empty Lot, the centrepiece of a power struggle for all the Yakuza organisations in Japan. In Kamurocho, Tokyo, Kiryu is suspected for murder after the man he collects money from winds up dead in the Empty Lot. Kiryu’s boss and family patriarch, Sohei Dojima, offers a promotion to second-in-command of the Dojima Family to whoever finds the deed to the land. Choosing to leave the family, Kiryu meets a man named Tetsu Tachibana, who promises to help Kiryu clear his name.

Meanwhile, in Sōtenbori, Osaka, Majima runs a successful cabaret club after being exiled from the Tojo Clan due to the botched Ueno-Seiwa hit years earlier, involving his oath brother. Despite the success of his club, Majima is under constant surveillance, and the city serves as his prison. One day, Majima’s supervisor, Tsukasa Sagawa of the Omi Alliance, offers him a chance to rejoin the clan by assassinating a target named Makoto Makimura. Both Kiryu and Majima set out to find the truth behind such a power struggle, as well as maintain their innocence and safety.

Yakuza 0 is the perfect start to the Yakuza franchise. As it’s a prequel, it’s easy to follow the main protagonists without the complicated timelines from later games. What follows is a harrowing tale of dirty politics, real estate power struggles and the cost of loyalty. Alternating between the two protagonists puts you on edge as you wait to see how their lives interlock. You’re not able to manually switch between the characters, such as in Grand Theft Auto V, but its emphasis on deep, vivid storytelling allows you to follow each character’s journey thoroughly.

Yakuza 0 is packed with cinematics and cutscenes, so if you usually skip them, Yakuza 0 will frustrate you. There’s also no English dub, so reading subtitles will serve either as a barrier or a familiar experience. But, as the exposition builds and you unravel the political dynamics, the story will genuinely surprise you. The plot is also complemented with excellent voice acting. Despite the language barrier, emotion translates so clearly and is deeply felt. The main storyline took me about 25 hours to complete, but it’s easily double that if you follow the substories, and you’re guaranteed to stumble into a handful of odd moments.

Substories are a dramatic shift in tone, and this is where Yakuza 0‘s comic absurdity shines through. From pretending to be a flamboyant producer or avoiding an 8-foot man known as Mr Shakedown who steals your money with a single king punch, Yakuza 0 is aware of its medium. Underneath all the melodrama, Yakuza 0 is packed with quirky humour, cultural fetishes and over-the-top politeness. The dichotomy may sound like a misstep, but it’s what makes Yakuza 0 so uncommon.

Kamurocho and Sōtenbori are also filled with mini-games. If the substories aren’t entertaining enough, you can take a spin at the SEGA arcade or throw some darts. Release some steam from the clan’s latest dilemma by belting out some ’80s ballads on karaoke or dance it off on the dancefloor. Take a break by fishing down at the river, if that’s your style. There is such an impressive assortment of errands and activities to do in Yakuza 0.

Kamurocho and Sōtenbori are tiny, but don’t let their size fool you. Satisfy your appetite with various food outlets, visit the convenience store for last-minute inventory items or take a break at the nearest bar. The cities are decorated with bright, neon lights and colourful storefronts, making Kamurocho and Sōtenbori an authentic red light district. Citizens are often in their little world, and their ecosystems serve as an homage to Japan’s economic success in the late ’80s.

As you stroll through the nightlife, you’ll encounter thugs who are in the mood for a good punch. Yakuza 0 is still a very violent game, so combat is inevitable. Between Kiryu and Majima, there are three variations of combat; a typical brawler style, a quicker style that utilises rush combos, and a beast/slugger style that incorporates the environment around you, such as throwing bicycles or chairs at your opponents. In Majima’s case, it’s swinging a baseball bat fluidly and with precision.

Combat often feels like you’re bashing human piñatas endlessly until millions of cash fall from their holes. Button-mashing can get you through most brawls, but it’s worthwhile to master dodges, blocks and switching between the three fighting styles to adapt to the situation. Manoeuvering through opponents can feel clunky, and the camera isn’t always optimised to your favour, but it’s richly satisfying to beat your enemies down with a single fist. Combat also incorporates a Heat system, three bars that charge up every time you pack a hit, giving you more outrageous finishers and powerful combos.

But after a while, combat gets tiresome. Towards the latter half of the storyline, I chose to avoid these delinquents if possible. Fighting with random opponents becomes repetitive and predictable. The ability tree can give you upgrades, such as increasing your health pool and maximising your Heat range or adding new combos, but much of it seems confusing. Sure, there’s the occasional challenge, such as those who wield guns and fire from a distance, annoyingly inhibiting your ability to fight. There’s also the fat Yakuza who are relentlessly swinging a large sofa on your head or have a more significant health pool. But combat becomes a means to an end and loses its charm in the long run.

Yakuza 0‘s PC graphics are great, supporting 4K graphics and 60 frames per second. But its character models are a little outdated. Interacting with NPCs conversationally is fine, but they often share the same animations and facial expressions. Kiryu and Majima look fantastic with their classy Yakuza outfits, but their pores are so prominent and clogged, I wish I could teach them how to exfoliate. There are occasional glitches such as hands magically going through someone’s chest, but it’s not a dealbreaker. The cinematics are excellent, presenting themselves as not only the core entertainment value of the series but also like short-films in their own right.

Yakuza 0‘s story is captivating and the characters are well-written. There’s even a touching moment after the credits have rolled that moved me to tears. Yakuza 0 is hard to categorise. It’s a blend of adventure, brawler, soap opera, crime thriller and even a dash of role-playing is added into the mix. The world it inhabits is a fictional red light district, not quite as open of a world as Grand Theft Auto V, but just as immersive. Its tone is continually shifting from stoic and serious to bizarre and humorous. Despite the repetitive nature of combat and outdated character models, Yakuza 0 is unafraid to push boundaries. You’ll catch me cracking my knuckles in the next title, Yakuza Kiwami.