Yakuza 0

Yakuza 0 takes place in 1988 and this prequel tells us about the origins of two of the most emblematic characters of the saga: Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, who find themselves caught in a bloody war between rival clans. While Yakuza 5 (a game released chronologically just before Yakuza 0) was sometimes convoluted in having to juggle five different plots, Yakuza 0 gains greatly from focusing only on the problems encountered by Kiryu and Majima, both of whom are despised by their respective families and whose paths end up converging in the final outcome.

It is generally a mafia story that adopts the majority of clichés specific to the genre. So we find threatening yakuza leaders, car bombs, blackmail and all that follows, but this mafia fable narrated with a certain talent is above all perfectly exhaustive. Like a part of the Metal Gear Solid series, Yakuza 0 does not hesitate to relieve you of your controller during long passages by resorting to worked cutscenes which advance the plot and allow it to develop its different characters, and I always felt involved thanks to the remarkable performances the actors put in, and the writing that was effective in all circumstances.

Although the rather rigid character animations remind us that it was originally a cross-platform game (the Japanese version being released simultaneously on PS3 and PS4), Yakuza 0 perfectly captures the atmosphere and the architecture of the cities from which it is inspired (in this opus, you walk the streets of Tokyo and Osaka). If the open worlds of Watch Dogs 2 and Mafia 3 surpass the map of Yakuza 0 in terms of scale, the two aforementioned games however have all the trouble in the world to compete with it in terms of the sense of detail. proof the latest offspring of Sega when it comes to making every inch of its virtual world believable.

Its streets bathed in the harsh neon light take on a look that is sometimes flashy, sometimes enchanting, Don Quijote discount stores prove to be oppressive dens dedicated to consumerism, and street vendors continue to offer you tissue handkerchiefs for no apparent reason. . If the retro setting of Yakuza 0 definitely does not play in the same category as a certain Grand Theft Auto: Vice City when it comes to reveling in the nostalgia of the 80s, the title does however offer enough nods to eye to the era chosen to reinforce this notion of time and place - from the pagers (devices used to capture radio messages that were at their peak during the 1980s) used by the characters, to the authentic advertising panels dedicated to the famous reader - Walkman cassette, to OutRun and Space Harrier games playable in local arcades.

Diversion tactics

These arcade games are only the tip of this “time iceberg”. It is now a constant for the saga, and Yakuza 0 is no exception to the rule by always offering you a bunch of side activities to discover on the way leading you from point A to point B. You are the parties. fishing and bowling, Baseball practices allowing you to improve your strike and your reflexes, the many games of chance, billiards, karaoke, dancing, clandestine club fights ... better.

Most of these optional activities are done well and complemented with fun challenges to complete, ranging from genuinely addicting baseball hitting straining your reflexes, to (relatively deep) property management run by Kiryu in Tokyo to l hostess bar empire controlled by Majima in Osaka. These two management simulations also require a substantial investment in terms of time, but allow you to earn a maximum of yen. If I only scratched the surface of their possibilities during my first 30-hour session that allowed me to close the story, I intend to remedy that by discovering how lucrative these businesses can be as soon as I am done. the post-credits end mode named "Premium Adventure".

Streets of Rage

Of course, the most "direct" way to fill your bank account remains to kick off the almost uninterrupted line of thugs coming to mess you up with your fists (and kicks). Kiryu and Majima each have 3 different fighting styles that can be changed on the fly, and I greatly appreciated the possibility of being able to adapt my fighting technique according to the situation encountered. For example, I found Majima's breakdancing style (inviting you to hammer the buttons on your controller and turning him into a real human tornado) particularly effective against groups of enemies, while his baseball batsman-style approach was particularly effective against groups of enemies. is shown to be much more useful during 1v1 boss fights (requiring more powerful and direct attacks to be won).

Yakuza 0's combat system is wonderfully brutal, and the environmental finish-moves give you a particularly tasty way to end the fight with heavy pumping in the face. Despite the wide range of rowdy movements available, its counter system remains chaotic, and battles between groups of enemies are never as fluid as their counterparts escaped from the Batman: Arkham saga in terms of transitions. All this gives us the feeling that Yakuza 0 is lagging behind the competition, which is quite disappointing when you consider that the saga to which it is attached already has half a dozen opus.

Yakuza 0 cultivates a striking resemblance to the Dark Knight, however, as neither of its two main protagonists go so far as to kill. Every enemy demolished by Kiryu and Majima will be kindly asked to go and pick their teeth up in the gutter, which turns out to be a real breath of fresh air in an open-world crime-driven genre far more accustomed to mass killings. (not that I am loath to murder, but it is still quite pleasant to play a title that takes a different approach to it). Moreover, this lack of murders in Yakuza 0 makes the deaths of certain characters in the course of the story - whether good, bad or both at the same time - much more striking.

Off the beaten track

The side quests offered by Yakuza 0 contrast greatly with the heavy themes addressed by the main plot. Almost a hundred of these mini-missions can be found on the streets of Tokyo and Osaka, and these usually turn out to be light, if not absolutely wacky. I loved teaching a group of punk rocker apprentices how to speak insolently on the sidelines of a meeting with their fans (while deliberately picking the wrong lines of dialogue in order to get hilarious results), and to win a job as a producer in charge of a television commercial by going to the nerve.

Even if a number of these side missions are akin to simple "Fedex" quests, they are almost always worth the detour, as the fact of interacting with the quest givers can be hilarious. Almost half of them seem to have escaped a Japanese game show, and I was particularly fond of the recurring sexual allusions of the very lewd Mr. Libido. Overall, I loved meeting the definitely eccentric Yakuza 0 secondary cast, and often left my main mission goals behind in search of these surprisingly surprising characters.

Waiting to find out when we will be able to see Yakuza 6 on our shores, Sega is preparing to bring Yakuza 0 to the European PlayStation 4 with the day one set for January 24th. Of course, it's always been almost two years since the Japanese release in March 2015, but with Yakuza in the middle there is no complain and there is already so much the fact that Sega has not forgotten about us Westerners.

Yakuza 0 is the prequel of the first chapter of the saga and in Japan it was received very well (Famitsu's 36/40 clearly testify it) and also in terms of sales it went very well. It is in fact, even without having played Yakuza 6, one of the largest, most complete and appreciated chapters of the entire series and it makes you understand even a simple fact.

I finished the game in about 28 hours completing however only 19% of what Yakuza 0 has to offer. In short, we are talking about a title that can comfortably reach even 100 hours of longevity between secondary missions and all mini-games, but I assure you that these 28 hours have already been very intense and above all beautiful.

It will be for a phenomenal Japanese dubbing, for the violence of the fighting, for the reconstruction of some areas of Japan in the late 1980s, for the charm given by these hard gangsters like marble, or for the many references to the series. The fact is that I haven't played a Yakuza like that for a long time (exactly from Yakuza 3) and the fact of enjoying it on PlayStation 4 Pro at 60 fps (no HDR though) is the classic icing on the cake.

There are many points in favor of Yakuza 0. Not only the two playing characters (Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima) with their plots, subplots and settings, but also the very high level of writing, the amount of mini-games, the new upgrade system and the three fighting styles that distinguish Kiryu and Majima. A mix of elements that, perhaps for the first time in the series, has never tired me or made me live moments of boredom and slowness in the narration.

Of course, the dialogues to be read are always an enormity and the cut-scenes are no less, but the two protagonists, who better circumscribe the game than the four and five playing characters of the two previous chapters, and the new combat system represent a mouthful of remarkable oxygen. In fact, Kiryu and Majima operate in two different cities, they deal with different plots, joints and characters and, above all, they fight with different styles.

Or rather, the three available modes to choose from on the fly during a fight are good or bad the same (a slow "tank", a more balanced and a more snappy / fast), but the individual moves and the fact that for example that Majima use a baseball bat in one of three styles make the clashes with enemies always different, exciting and fun.

The combat-system is still entrusted to dodges, button-smashing, timing, Quick Time Event and special shots, with the inevitable Heat Bar to be filled to perform the most devastating attacks and really powerful finishers. The beauty is that at any moment (even during a fight) we can pause and spend the money earned to acquire a new skill in one of the three styles, increase the health bar or improve an attack that we are already able to do .

The Yakuza series is strange. On the one hand, the action adventures tell the rather serious life story around small-scale Kazuma Kiryu, a calm man with a pronounced conscience. It is true that he repeatedly gets caught between the lines of gang wars or conspiracies with the local police.

Created in the 80s, it tells of Kazuma's young years and his discreetly insane rival Goro Majima - and is therefore the perfect introduction for series newcomers and PC gamers who have long been curious about the console Yakuzas. Both characters have their own storyline that continues alternately. In the last chapters both flow together.

opposites attract

On the other hand, Yakuza Zero is also this completely crazy game with tons of cool ideas that are in total contrast to the serious plot. The main locations are the fictional districts of Kamurocho and Sotenbori, through which you move like in a classic action adventure. You fulfill fetch quests, talk to various NPCs and fight with other small crooks on the open street.

Or in buildings, because many of the shops and offices in the districts are accessible. Leisure activities such as karaoke or dance games are also hidden there. Goro can even set up a cabaret club, while Kazuma can run a brokerage office - small business simulations within the game. And that's just scratched the surface: fishing, slot car races, women's wrestling, baseball, phone sex - these are all little mini-games that are sometimes surprisingly complex.

Even completely emulated Sega classics such as Outrun or Space Harrier are in the arcades. There's a lot to do in the neighborhoods, and all of these activities are portrayed in a wonderfully exaggerated "video game" way: eccentric sound effects, epic camera angles, sometimes even grotesque humor.

Fighting as permanent employment

This also applies to the numerous fights. Many of these are optional and the player can avoid them. But why should you? The brawling action is so to the point, even on consoles you hardly know it better. Kazuma and Goro can choose between different styles during the fight, there are countless combos for free spins and most importantly: everything has the right oomph!

The normal attacks are heavy, but once you trigger a special attack (heat action), it hurts to watch. The hero includes the environment and a bicycle is rammed into the crotch, heads are smashed against windows or teeth are knocked out with billboards.

Crazy: Although this violence is celebrated in slow motion, not a single person dies. At the end of the beating, the opponents just crouch on the floor, moaning and regret getting out of bed today. But thanks to video game logic, they get away with one, well, two blue eyes.

time is money

That quirky mix of fighting, long cutscenes, and mini-games has worked with the Yakuza franchise for ages, and Zero is no exception. The game takes its characters seriously and tells heartwarming, engaging, human stories, but still doesn't forget to be an entertaining video game.

But although there are many phases with a lot of free space later in the game, PC gamers will have to bite through the long introduction at the beginning. Japanese console games often have long prologues that can last up to two hours. That's how long it takes before Yakuza Zero finally unfolds. At the beginning there is a lot of action, lots of tutorials, and lots of holding hands. This is a good thing, especially for beginners, but you should know that you can't just "look inside for ten minutes".

In general, the game takes time if you want to get the most out of all the activities and skills of the two yakuzas. The currency here is simply money. You get this for almost everything you do in the game. These can then be used to buy new fighting moves for Kazuma and Goro, or healing food in the numerous supermarkets and restaurants.

The side activities can be played and expanded until they become a lucrative source of income. Suddenly Yakuza Zero feels like an RPG. Of course you can also roam the streets endlessly and beat up gangsters all the time, that also brings money.

Clean PC porting

The PC port does its job well. A major weakness of the console versions is the lack of anti-aliasing. That makes the neon billboards very restless from a distance and some textures like those of a brick wall blur after a few meters. This problem does not exist on the PC, as up to 8x SSAA can be switched on. A mid-range PC can stumble a bit with maximum graphic details, but the picture is pleasantly calm even with 4x SSAA.

As such, the polygon objects are not particularly detailed. The geometry is deliberately kept clearer to give preference to textures and that works quite well. You can see this in places like supermarkets, where every object looks detailed on the shelf. Sure, there are some scenes that seem rather simple by PC standards.

For example in some dialogues in which the characters only sit in front of a flat wall, but the overall picture is convincing. The lighting is extremely atmospheric during the day, but especially at night, in order to wander through the lively Kamurocho or Sotenbori at this time. In short: we are surprised at how good the game originally developed for Playstation 3 (yes, PS3!) Can still look.

In addition to a number of graphics settings that allow the game to run on weak computers, there is support for all possible screen resolutions. For the brute brawling action, the control options are also pleasing: We tried out the Steam controllers from Valve, the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One and the Pro controller of the Nintendo Switch and it was all great to play with.

You can configure the key assignment yourself, and the game can even be operated with a mouse and keyboard. These are ideal prerequisites for entering the Yakuza series on the PC.

Ryu ga Gotoku or - if you prefer - Yakuza is a series that has had seven installments of the main series and numerous spin-offs in Japan, where it is quite popular. Sega's gangster play, however, never convinced a wider audience in the West and was of interest only to the greatest fans of strange Japanese works. In the prequel called Yakuza 0, Sega develops a pattern of gangster fun that has been polished over the years, offering an addictive mafia soap opera in an open world full of side quests and twisted characters. Will the successful new incarnation of the Yakuza be able to convince a mass audience and give the series a second chance in the West? Everything indicates that it is.

The origins of the Dragon and the Rabid Dog

Yakuza 0 begins in 1988 in Japan during the bubble economy period, when nightclubs were bursting at the seams from customers, nouveau riche people indulged in champagne fun every night, and criminal groups were thriving in the shadow of all this. The plot of Yakuza 0 consists of two intertwining stories set in fictional districts: Tokyo's Kamurocho and Sotenbori, located in Osaka. Initially, we lead Kiryu Kazuma, a member of the Tokyo-based Dojima family involved in the murder of a property that has long been pursued by two quarreling families.

After a fairly linear prologue, we quickly move to Osaka to meet the second protagonist, Majima Goro - the manager of a prestigious nightclub, desperately trying to get back into the favors of the mafia family from which he was once excluded. Such a narrative procedure works great in the new Yakuza and allows you to show different parts of the criminal underworld, and we, jumping alternately between the stories of Majima and Kiryu, discover a larger intrigue over time, which results in a spectacular finale , neatly combining the threads about both of these gangsters.

As befits the Yakuza series, the menacing Kiryu and the charismatic Majima are not the only characters worthy of attention - in the game we also come across a lot of supporting characters belonging to the title Yakuza, with their own motivations, dislikes and terrifying secrets. The story in Yakuza 0 is presented through long cutscenes that resemble the Metal Gear Solid series , as a result of which less vigilant players may get lost in a story that resembles a soap opera at times . However, I would not consider it a minus - Sega's writers reward us with patience over time, serving exciting dialogues and unexpected twists that do not allow us to tear ourselves away from the screen during the main plot lasting about 20 hours.

GTA: Tokyo?

Yakuza is often called "Japanese GTA " , which is not entirely true - yes, the series focuses on the world of gangsters, but the real genre mishmash it represents is hard to compare to any other production on the market. When we do not watch numerous cutscenes, we can freely visit these districts, engage in dozens of side quests and try quite absurd mini-games.

The core of the game in Yakuza is combat - like in classics like Double Dragon or slashers, where we encounter random clashes in which we must efficiently use the elements of the environment and three combat styles unique to each of the heroes. In the case of Kiryu, we have a standard style with quite balanced attacks, a quick style (my favorite), which allows you to dodge more massive opponents, and a "beast" style, which - as the name suggests - gives powerful blows, but makes it much more difficult to dodge and move efficiently in the arena of street fights. I was much better playing with Majima, whose spectacular fast style contained elements of capoeira, while the strongest one, the so-called slugger, he relied on attacks with melee weapons.

Various fighting styles are closely related to character development, which allows the cash earned in the game, serving both as currency and as experience points for which we acquire new abilities. While it would be easy to pick one style and perfect it quickly, the game rightly encourages experimentation , as each combat style has its own strengths and weaknesses and works best against specific types of opponents.

The Witcher in Tokyo

While exploring the open world of Yakuza 0, we meet dozens of NPCs who entrust us with various missions. These are not extremely complex tasks - they often come down to a dialogue sequence or obtaining a specific item, but they are usually so funny and skillfully written that after completing them, we quickly look for more to see what the inventive scriptwriters came up with this time . In this respect, the sidequests in Yakuza resemble the carefully developed side quests in the third Witcher , where it was very easy to forget about the main plot and focus on additional missions, which were often humorous and unusual.

As for the title of Sega, I will not forget for a long time, for example, a task in which you have to deal with a mean grandmother shoving into the queue at the bazaar, or another, in which we help a boy recover a stolen pre-order of a long-awaited game, or a specific course of being a dominatrix, which I gave to a complex employee of the BDSM club . If you like imaginative side missions that play with convention and deviate significantly from the serious tone of the main plot, Yakuza 0 will have your hands full with over a hundred so-called sidestories.

The life of a gangster is difficult

Accustomed to a certain standard of AAA games, a Western player must be understanding when starting a new Yakuza . The production, which also debuted on PS3, looks poor at times, and many characters are creatures with such an appearance that they would lose in the beauty contest, competing alongside NPCs from Oblivion or Fallout: New Vegas . Of course, the same cannot be said of the refined models of more important characters, directed movies or many polished places. Despite the fact that the locations appearing in this production are quite small and the game looks like better PS3 titles, the attention to detail is sometimes so great that even after a dozen or so walks along the main promenade, I still couldn't take my eyes off the dozens of neon signs or signboards that illuminate crowded night streets.