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Yakuza 5 Review

by Omar (@siegarettes)

• Yakuza 5
• Developer - SEGA
• Publisher - SEGA
• PS3
• Rating - M

Yakuza is probably the only series that can remain tonally coherent while moving between taxi driving, prison brawls, idol performances and detailed hunting games. Soaked in absolute melodrama, Yakuza 5 is just as much a soap opera as every game before it. And like those it has cities full of miniature stories, distractions and a sheer sense of density that makes it stand out in a year overrun with open world games. 

This time we’ve got five separate characters and cities, each detailed enough to support their own game. There’s a conspiracy threading the stories together, with backstories and relationships so complex that you’ll be thankful for the in-game glossary of characters. It remains remarkably coherent (if entirely absurd) given the amount of characters at play, and even with only passing familiarity from Yakuza 4, I was able to keep pace. 

What’s most remarkable, however, is the small details that lend themselves to the characterization of the people and places of Yakuza 5. Yakuza 5 eschews the massive land masses and clustered icons of typical open worlds to present something more dense and metered. Yakuza works to create a believable world not by attempting to makes limits invisible, but openly embracing them. Accessible areas are strictly defined, and combat and even exploration are kept within the bounds of the narrative. 

It works to give a sense of each character’s daily routines, and the continued juxtaposition of circumstances provides effective contrast. Chapter 1 ends with a spectacular brawl that establishes protagonist Kiryu’s incredible skill. When Saejima takes over in the next chapter and almost effortlessly performs similar feats it establishes his overwhelming power. That sequence is then followed by throwing you into prison, where your movement is limited and fighting off limits. Coming after 10 hours of free exploration and colorful activities it emphasizes the sense of restriction your character feels. 

Moments like that are the key to what makes Yakuza 5′s structure feel satisfying. It’s a massive game, but it rarely felt as if I was simply doing busy work. Its pace also encourages you to slow down and actually take in the city. Hurrying often means stumbling into crowds or attracting the attention of punks in the street, involving you in unnecessary brawls. Those brawls are something to witness, for sure, but I found myself more often excited to find a new restaurant with dishes I hadn’t seen yet, or getting lost in shopping areas. 

That’s the triumph of Yakuza 5. Where other worlds often feel like conduits for variations of the same five activities, each activity here feels intrinsic to the places they’re set in. They expand your ideas of each place, to give you a new way to look at it. Serve that up with a dose of gangster soap opera and you’ve got a trip across five cities that’s definitely worth taking.