Yakuza 0 Review
by Omar (@siegarettes)
- Yakuza 0
- Developer- SEGA
- Publisher- SEGA
- PS4
For all its distractions, Yakuza is a romantic series. There’s a certain nostalgic feeling towards its city, its characters, and its ideas of masculinity. So there’s no better time to set one of its games than in the 80’s, when Japan’s boom economy created in atmosphere of prosperity and excess. Of course, within excess breeds corruption, and so in the midst of this new prosperity rise the machinations of ambitious men. Enter Kiryu and Majima, two inexperienced yakuza caught in the web of a conspiracy. A conspiracy they’ll have to untangle by punching a lot of other men until they give up the truth.
In practical terms, this means roaming the cities of Kamurocho and Sotenbori, hitting up bars and brawls on your way to the next story beat. Yakuza’s dense cities often get it compared to open world games, but its rhythms and pacing are distinctly JRPG. Cutscenes are lengthy and frequent, often accompanied by excellent voice acting and theatrical facial expressions. Naturally, plenty of these escalate into violence.
Yakuza’s combat has generally been content to build on the efforts of previous games, and that’s still true for Yakuza 0. There’s a distinct Playstation 2 era flavor to it, with an inflexible combos intended for particular situations. It’s stiff compared to cancel heavy style of modern brawlers, but it gives weight to each hit and gives distinct movesets that complement the characters’ personalities. Yakuza 0 also adds a style system to the mix, with three total styles for each character that can be switched up as the situation calls for. Kiryu can focus on counterattacks, speed, or pure brute strength. Meanwhile, Majima uses dirty tricks, breakdancing, and a baseball bat. These are complemented by Heat Moves, a set of real rough looking situational moves that kept me grimacing and laughing the entire time through. Even better is how cash literally flies out of enemies as you fight them, fluttering around you as you brawl. Play with style and you’ll also increase the amount of money you’re rewarded with. It’s a small detail that both gives a touch of comedy and complements the themes of fortune and excess.
That sense of slapstick is also part of what keeps the drama that unfolds from being exhausting. While the main story is full of betrayals, conspiracy and tragedy, it’s counterbalanced by plenty of humorous side stories that play in the absurd. Maybe you hit up one of the telephone clubs in the red light district, then play a minigame where you need to charge a shot by dialing in, then find the right response to conversation and shoot it. Or maybe you teach a timid woman to be a better dominatrix. There’s plenty of these side stories to indulge in, and plenty of them have their own heartfelt plots. Both the writing and the localization shine here, with concise dialogue that’s immediately effective and easily communicates sentiments from a different period and culture.
It’s an interesting period as well. Everything communicates the overwhelming wealth of the country. Streets are washed with color, NPCs dress in flashy suits, and “Dream Machines” that sell expensive lottery tickets that win you designer clothing or sports cars. It’s also a period of tension with new Chinese immigrants. Chinese businesses and the Chinese underworld have begun flourishing, though the people themselves are relegated to slums tucked into the alleys of Kamurocho. There’s a real sense of animosity between Japan and China, and it frequently creates a distrust of outsiders from both sides. It plays into a significant part of the plot and provides an interesting exploration of the material effects of national origin. There’s definitely more than a few characters who fall into Chinese caricature, but equally as many interesting and well rounded characters caught in the crossfire. It’s not something I expected, but it does a lot to elevate its use of the period.
These interesting intersections make it more disheartening when Yakuza 0 does falter. While it did a good job of pacing the story during the 35 hours I spent with it, it felt a few chapters too long. The last third in particular spins its wheels while building up to revelations that you’ve figured out three hours before the characters have. It has you running around in confusion while key players withhold critical information without any real justification. There’s a few scenes that make it clear that in its romance of masculinity it’s trampled over the women involved. Yakuza’s attitude towards women has always been hit or miss, but it’s usually easy enough to take in good humor. That’s still true here, but key scenes use the death and implied sexual assault of women for emotional gut punches. It’s both ineffective and jarring, and left a sour taste even after the credits. It’s a shame, because after it breaks its slump Yakuza 0 works up to a strong finale. It admittedly feels restricted by being a prequel, but it delivers a strong emotional payoff that sets the characters up for the debut in the first game.
Beyond the end, there’s plenty to do in Kamurocho and Sotenbori, and a post game mode allows you to both continue to complete side stories and minigames, or to roll over your character progress towards a new game. It’s a worthwhile endeavor, and even after the long time I spent with it I’m eager to return and see what else Yakuza 0 has to offer. I’ve yet to take over the entertainment districts of Kamurocho, or to build the best cabaret club in Sotenbori. And I’ve definitely got to beat Mr. Shakedown, a hulking monster of man who ambuses you and steals all the cash on you. Yakuza 0 continues to be a game of vignettes that you’ll want to tell friends about long after the game has ended. It’s a great place to start, and hopefully it means that they’ll be more people coming in to enjoy it’s unique brand of humor and drama.