Yakuza 6 brought yet another major visual upgrade to the franchise. Yakuza 3 also marked the first time DLC was made available, making an already feature-rich game even bigger. Other new features such as seamless in-game transitions into battles, the hilarious photography-focused Revelations side-activities, and a first-person view mode made this “next-gen” experience feel fresh. Along with debuting as the most graphically impressive game in the series to date, it also cemented the sandbox structure that the series utilizes to this day. Yakuza 3 expectedly received a significant visual upgrade, not only due to the more powerful PS3 hardware it released on but because of Cyberware head and face scanning. These changes garnered mixed reception from fans, but the game is still well regarded overall. It both adds and removes story content from Yakuza 2, completely changes Kiryu’s moveset, and is built from the ground up in the series’ modern Dragon Engine. Like its predecessor, Yakuza 2 also received a remake in the form of Yakuza Kiwami 2 in 2018. Fights are more engaging, thanks to AI partners, NPCs sharing weapons, more combo variety, off-the-ground grabs, and more powerful attacks. Brawling is the star of the show here, with greater combat depth compared to the first. Kazuma Kiryu returns as the protagonist and has some new tricks up his sleeve. There are higher stakes in the story with a yakuza clan war on the horizon and two cities to explore.
The sequel sought to address its predecessor’s negative qualities while advancing the well-received parts. Release: 2018 | PlayStation 4Īfter two years, the Yakuza series would return exclusively to PlayStation 2 with Yakuza 2. It not only modernized the visuals and added more story but fixed the original’s clunkier combat system, bringing it more in line with that of Yakuza 0 (more on that game later). The game left enough of a lasting legacy to receive a full-fledged PS4 remake called Yakuza Kiwami in 2016. Yakuza marked an exciting beginning for the then-fledgling series, undoubtedly leaving a mark on those fortunate to play it. Everything in the world feeds into the growth of Kazuma Kiryu, allowing you to unlock more perks for the hero. While Kamurocho is a relatively small space to explore, it’s densely packed with side quests and activities that offer experience points upon completion, tying into the game’s role-playing mechanics.
At the time, critics praised Yakuza for its authentic depiction of Japanese culture within its setting. It takes place in a fictionalized version of Tokyo’s Kabukicho district, known in-game as Kamurocho. The story that unfolds is gripping, emotional, and exciting, setting the stage for the franchise’s decades-spanning crime saga.Īs expected, the first game laid the early groundwork for what makes the series’s gameplay so memorable and iconic now. Yakuza debuted on the PlayStation 2 and introduced us to the longest-running protagonist of the series, Kazuma Kiryu, a yakuza lieutenant that makes it his mission to protect an orphan targeted by a criminal organization called the Tojo Clan. Join us as we highlight each game and how it evolved the series. With multiple games in the series coming to PlayStation Plus*, now is the best time to become a Yakuza fan. Years later, thanks to continued localization from Sega, the help of memes, and the love of its established cult audience, Yakuza has earned popularity and become one of Sega’s most successful IPs. While the series has long garnered a cult following, it achieved Western success in 2017 with Yakuza 0, an inviting new prequel set at the beginning of the series’ timeline. While the project struggled to be greenlit due to a perceived limited appeal, it eventually got a 2005 release on the PlayStation 2 with its debut entry. Yakuza comes from the mind of Toshihiro Nagoshi, who wanted to create a game telling a story based on Japanese crime syndicates. However, each game betrays this first impression, weaving a masterful blend of beat ‘em up combat, intriguing stories full of twists, memorable characters, absurdist humor, and a living world to explore. The series is unassuming at first, mostly seeming like a straightforward action-crime drama. Sega’s Yakuza is one of the most distinct and charming story-driven action-adventure franchises out there.
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