The Yakuza 0 Experience

Yakuza is a wonderful series, Yakuza 3 being the only exception, and Yakuza 0 being the best of the best. 0 contains such a captivating story, a brilliant soundtrack, innovative gameplay and an atmospheric setting. Yakuza 0 is a game that is hard to dislike.

I’ll start off with the plot. It follows series mainstay Kazuma Kiryu and, second time playable character, Goro Majima as rookies in the Yakuza. Yakuza 0 has a dual protagonist system so every two chapters you switch characters. This switching may be slightly disruptive but is often not a problem. The story itself is nothing short of amazing. Both Characters have seemingly unrelated stories but slowly they start connecting and everything just starts to click. It’s a story you just have to experience.

The dual protagonist system comes with different fighting styles for both characters. The characters themselves also have 3 distinct fighting styles (and one secret fighting style) each. One balanced fighting style, One Tanky fighting style and one agile fighting style. Needless to say this style switching mechanic makes for interesting gameplay.

The Yakuza games have always been mid-budget games, never having the best graphics. Yakuza 0 while still being in the same vein looks amazing. The graphics are not the best but night time Kamurocho is just breathtaking. It portrays the glamor of 80’s Tokyo wonderfully. Yakuza 0 builds an atmosphere that many games can not even come close to. A big part of this is also the soundtrack. From boss fights to Karaoke. From Street fights to Disco. It all just sounds great.

Last but not least we come to the side content. This game has a hundred substories, a casino, a karaoke minigame, a toy car racing game, a disco minigame, a real estate minigame and a club management minigame. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This game just has so much to do.

One more small thing. Yakuza 0 is a prequel so spotting references to other games is always fun to do.

All in all, Yakuza 0 is not just a crime, action, beat ‘em up game. Yakuza 0 is an experience. You just get immersed in the hustle and bustle of Kamurocho and Sotenbori. 9/10 must play.