Yakuza 0 (Xbox One)
A prequel is often a chance for a series to go back and explore the roots of its established characters, and with the knowledge built up over the forward progressing installments of a franchise, the story that takes place prior to them can incorporate all of the successful elements and innovations the series made along the way. Released after 5 main game installments and quite a few spinoffs, Yakuza 0 would benefit from the refined systems, humor, and characters the Yakuza series had built up while also telling a pair of stories that didn’t require series knowledge to understand or appreciate. This prequel’s ease of entry for new players and well honed systems proved to be a perfect storm for Sega’s action adventure series to finally take flight and become one of their flagship franchises, and it’s little wonder this was the game to propel the series so high once you look at the wealth of exceptional content on offer.
Taking place in Japan during the 1980s, an economic boom has benefited both the common salaryman and the crime bosses of the Yakuza, and in a small neon-soaked district of Tokyo known as Kamurocho, the Dojima Family aims to make use of all of the plentiful income to restructure the seedy part of town into something even more profitable. However, the plans of this crime family hit a snag due to a single empty lot in the middle of their territory with no known owner, and while they’re searching for the means to buy this land, the Dojima Family is surprised to hear one of their own men has murdered someone in this contested lot. Kazuma Kiryu is a morally sound and extremely effective enforcer in the group, willing to throw his might around when the situation calls for it and being quite brutal with his fighting methods, but despite the seemingly lethal attacks you’ll execute while he’s under your control, he’s not a man who ever aims to kill, the empty lot murder being a frame job he aims to set right. However, doing so will involve him severing ties, making enemies of the Dojima Family, and collaborating with real estate moguls all as he searches for the true killer that ties into this battle for an unassuming but important piece of land.
Kiryu’s story is not as formative as the game’s other playable character, but this crime drama has some excellent twists and more importantly, many memorable foes and allies. Kiryu’s stoic facade contrasts well with his passionate blood brother Nisihikiyama, and while their bond seemed informed rather than shown in the original Yakuza game, here we get to see them hanging out and struggling as Kiryu must go against the Yakuza in his bid to clear his name. Real estate mogul Tachibana on the other hand is a totally new character to the series and uses his time well, the player always left guessing if he is a kind benefactor or someone with darker plans for how he aims to utilize Kiryu. The Dojima Family is your main source of antagonism though with three lieutenants of the family all aiming to earn a promotion to captain by finally securing the empty lot, and since Kiryu is making more progress in unraveling that land’s mysteries, he routinely runs into the lieutenants as they try to scuttle or steal his progress. Kuze is the one who goes for raw power, repeatedly challenging Kiryu to hand to hand combat in the hopes of finally tearing him down, and the lieutenant’s respect for traditional ways and the importance of force comes through in being both the most extreme when angered and the one who won’t resort to anything untoward in order to prove his own value. Awano is a more charismatic sort who carries himself more like a businessman, favoring money and high living over the rough Yakuza work he left behind once he came into means. The final lieutenant, Shibusawa, starts making his moves late in the story but serves as a fitting foe for Kiryu’s climactic moments primarily because he’s been portrayed as the cool and calculating type the whole game, machinations that have influenced the adventure to that point revealed and making this final member of the three truly worthy of being Kiryu’s most important foe.
Each chapter’s end seems tailor made to keep you playing as some new wrinkle to the plot is added by a cliffhanger you might not get resolved until after you’ve played as the other main character for some time. That other character you will play as is none other than Goro Majima, the hyper violent man with a few screws loose entering this game as a surprisingly reserved individual. During his half of the story, Majima finds himself working at a ritzy cabaret club as its night manager, but Majima reviles this job as he has been locked into the Sotenbori district of Osaka as punishment for going against the wishes of his Yakuza superiors. Longing to be back into the criminal world once more, Majima accepts the offer from his superior Sagawa to reenter the clan by killing someone named Makoto Makimura. However, after working himself up to be prepared to commit his first murder, he finds that the target is an innocent blind woman who has no obvious ties to anything illicit, and Majima switches from hitman to protector as he tries to marry his desire to rejoin the Yakuza with his moral scruples preventing him from killing this lady.
If Kiryu’s story is the crime drama of Yakuza 0, Goro’s side of the story is definitely the heart. While Kiryu doesn’t have a particularly layered character arc save struggling to stick to his own moral standards as he’s pushed further and further by his own clan and allies turning against him, Majima’s efforts to balance his desired life with the need to help Makoto escape an unfortunate and undeserved fate lead to plenty of tense and heartbreaking scenes and scenarios. Sagawa is constantly flipping from friendly to cold as he tries to manage Majima during the twists and turns of the Makoto situation, and Makoto has her own protector in the form of a chinese man named Wen Hai Lee who also tests how low Majima might sink if one dark deed might potentially help perform a good deed. It is almost like Kiryu has the plot focus and Majima has the character focus, with their stories intersecting at points since they’re all under one umbrella when it comes to the Yakuza organization. It’s a riveting ride whether you’re more interested in the temptations of Majima or the struggles of Kiryu, a roller coaster of twists, attempted murders, betrayals, and tests of character all rolled into one exciting adventure that keeps a tight focus so long as you stick to the story missions.
The presentation can take some interesting directions as well, some vividly detailed cutscenes going through the effort of animating even small actions like drinking from a glass or a jazz band performing where their fingering, motions, and breathing actually match with the noise of their instruments. Character faces are detailed down to the pores and expressive both in subtle ways and in extreme ways that favor artistic expression over raw realism to show the strength of such emotions. These incredibly detailed scenes aren’t always present, the game almost having a ladder of options where it moves down to lower and lower levels of detail. The next step below the impressive scenes feature in-game models where characters still animate and have voice acting like the more detailed scenes but without the incredible effort put into it, and below that are characters standing and having text box conversations with no voice over as these fill out less important scenes or allow for more basic information relay. The strangest inclusion though are almost monochrome scenes with posed shots where characters speak but without moving their mouths and it’s more a sequence of stylized frames than true visuals, the game sometimes going multiple chapters before it falls back on this unusual style. Still, the game knows when to whip out its best cutscene style to wow the player and manages its resources with the other methods of scene construction, so Yakuza 0 can hit hard with the important story moments while handling the more basic stuff in more cost effective manners that usually don’t break from the game’s style too much. Couple that with some incredible rock music at key story moments too, and the incidental details help the story come to life with even more flair, the music direction pumping you up for big meaningful battles and adding texture even to the smaller moments of play and plot.
There are some parts of the plot that could use with tidying up, mainly with this game’s nature as a prequel. Majima is seen in the original Yakuza game as an over the top individual who engages in brutal violence at the drop of a hat, and while the game does do a good job of plotting the course for how he picks up such character traits and transitions into that form, it does feel like it’s one pivotal moment short of truly connecting where Majima leaves off at the end and where he starts in first Yakuza game. The game does make sure to show early on that he even has the potential down this path, the public persona of Majima more carefully crafted and his private work or self reflection often showing a more casual character willing to curse and chide unusual situations and people, but one more bit of connective tissue between his starting spot and ending would do a lot to make him feel complete as a character. Kiryu gets off more easily since his story is about maintaining his conviction even as its tested, but interesting groundwork is placed for events that now pack more punch in the sequels especially when it comes to characters like the Dojima family head and Sagawa’s sworn brother Shimano who play a bigger role in the original Yakuza but are made more fleshed out characters here. Generally, the game does an excellent job setting up for the events of the future in a seamless manner where it never feels like it’s expecting you to recognize everyone while also telling a deep original story that hooks you with its self-contained narrative elements. I honestly can’t say that I expected to the Goro Majima I met in Yakuza Kiwami to bring me to tears in the prequel title, but the story is that tightly structured and written that it deserved that emotional response even for a character best known for his humorous future.
As you are traveling the streets of Kamurocho and Sotenbori and unraveling the associated mysteries Kiryu and Majima are grappling with, the main crux of the action sequences are brawler battles where you need to beat down anyone who raises their fists to challenge you. These can be basic thugs on the street, Yakuza members, boss characters like Kuze, or a host of other combatant types that usually crop up based on the part of town you’re in or their story significance. Kiryu and Majima both have a different set of fighting styles they swap between to fight foes with, Kiryu’s three options focusing on swapping the general approach while Majima’s set leans more into extremes. Kiryu’s Brawler stance lets him deliver strong hits and swing items around, but when you activate Rush you instead can dodge with lightning speed and focus on quick rapid hits that don’t pack as much of a punch. Beast style is the extreme opposite of Rush with its focus on heavy hits, tanking damage from foes rather than avoiding it, and picking up huge objects like motorcycles and furniture to smash over foes’ heads.
Different enemy types might be better handled by Beast’s ability to clear crowds or Rush’s options to strike and escape easily while Brawler has broader applicability, but Majima’s battle styles are far less clear cut. Thug will let Majima fight in a fairly normal mode similar to Kiryu’s Brawler so you always have something reliable and straightforward to rely on, but Breaker and Slugger feel very different from Beast and Rush. Breaker will have Goro dancing around the battlefield, it being difficult to control if you don’t know the moves but incredibly rewarding as his breakdance moves can sometimes prove almost too good at breaking through tougher enemies’ guards. Slugger is a hard hitting style that relies on bats and other weapons, Majima’s move sequences important to plan to avoid leaving yourself vulnerable or smacking a wall by mistake while also being great for breaking apart crowds or delivering constant strong damage to a boss. Majima is the trickier beast to handle while Kiryu’s reliability makes it easier to learn battle basics like timing dodges, and while both have a hard to unlock final style and can utilize weapons they bring to the battle, these three default styles will probably make up almost all of the combat you experience during the story due to the difficulty in unlocking those final styles and the weapons having durability concerns.
Heat moves are definitely an important addition to the battle repertoire though, both protagonists building up energy by dealing and avoiding damage until they can unleash an incredibly damaging and flashy move. These moves are where the whole “no kill” mindset of the playable protagonists becomes a little strange as you see them jab swords through people or force feed them nails as part of flashy attacks, but technically the enemy can sometimes get up and keep fighting after these so it’s clear the animations are for dramatic impact rather than realistic consideration. These important finishers do much to shave chunks off boss health bars or make groups of foes more manageable, and as you unlock upgrades you can even unlock more options for Heat finishers that can add more depth to your combat options. The unlocking process is done by way of a pricey grid where you pay cash for stat upgrades and new moves, but some require finding certain trainers to unlock instead and generally the upgrade rate can feel rather slow even if you funnel most of the money you earn into this process. Thankfully, combat often pays off with plenty of money, especially during story scenes where a boss character can drop exorbitant amounts and the Mr. Shakedown characters roaming the cities serve as high risk fights where you can try to take down a tough foe for a big cash influx at the risk of him robbing you instead if you fail.
Slow upgrades don’t prevent Yakuza 0’s combat from being fun, especially as you swap between styles to try and overcome the tougher foes, but while the simpler moments of combat aren’t too exciting or difficult and can almost feel like interruptions, the occasional dips in combat quality are more than made up for in the wealth of extra content you can engage with in either of the game’s two districts. Kamurocho and Sotenbori are both packed with plenty of optional extras to engage with. Kiryu can actually get involved in the real estate business himself and try to create a small empire within his district, this even having its own storyline as he finds the other moguls in the area colorful characters who might resort to violence when things stop going their way. Buying up businesses to manage is an oddly satisfying process even if collecting rent is a bit basic, but Majima’s own district-conquering minigame is a bit more hands-on in managing Club Sunshine, an ailing cabaret club where female hosts chat with male customers to get them to spend more on drinks. Not only does Majima need to pop in and sometimes assist the girls, but you also buy local business support in a similar manner to the real estate game with a group of eccentric cabaret club owners in the area also rubbing up against you at points in this optional subplot. While these two modes might have been better on a portable system where you could dabble in them for a bit when you had downtime, they’re still an enjoyable side activity to check out and one with more depth than you might expect if it gets its hooks into you.
The game is packed with many other little activities that sometimes have their own associated stories as well. You can manage a global weapons acquisition racket that would be a bit more interesting if weapons were better, but this mode still packs in plenty of detail for what could be easily ignored for its unexciting rewards. The towns have various places to visit where you can do things like take swings at a batting cage, go bowling, play darts, or even boot up classic Sega arcade games like Outrun and Space Harrier. Some minigames like karaoke are a bit weak since the rhythm gameplay has odd tempo shifts and displays button presses too soon to press them, but it makes up for it with some marvelously dramatic performances accompanied by insane fanciful animations of Kiryu and Majima. The dancing is an interesting minigame where you perform moves by guiding a little character around a dance floor display and earn extra points for taking longer routes to the intended destination, and an underground women’s wrestling tournament has you assisting your chosen lady by picking which move in a format similar to rock-paper-scissors. None of these are as deep as the real estate work or cabaret club management but they still serve as fun diversions that play into earning special rewards for doing things around town.
One of the best aspects of Yakuza 0 though is the plethora of substories that crop up as Kiryu or Majima run into situations and characters across town. While many of these might prove to be the setup for a simple fistfight once you’ve worked your way through the surrounding story, the game also packs in plenty of bonkers story concepts and neat little shakeups to how you play to make these always worth investigating. Kiryu might find himself having to train a dominatrix to be more assertive or protecting a Michael Jackson stand-in named Miracle Johnson from zombies on the set of a music video. Majima, on the other hand, can infiltrate a cult to try and help a girl escape, help influence future tax code, and distract a crowd of people so a living statue performer can escape and use the restroom before it’s too late. These off the wall substories are interesting to engage with just from a conceptual angle, and many do involve breaking away from the set up for fist fights as thye pursue other forms of succeeding. Kiryu has to pick the right dialogue options for the dominatrix for example so she can properly scold her customers in the way they like, and Majima has to learn and repeat the cult’s rituals and jargon so he can get close to the leader. You might find a substory engaging with a minigame like dancing or providing a somewhat unique opponent to fight, so even though the main story is riveting with its twists and turns, it’s still very easy to get distracted in seeing the new wild angle a substory is going for, even if its one of the more grounded ones like helping a girl get the plushes she wants from a claw machine. In fact, some characters crop up in multiple little stories, so a basic setup at one point may pay off once you’ve developed a closer friendship with them, some substory characters even coming to work for you in the real estate business or cabaret club to further connect the game’s many aspects into one intricate web of engaging content.
THE VERDICT: Yakuza 0’s exceptionally crafted pair of stories allow the player to experience the dramatic plot twists of Kiryu’s crime drama while Goro Majima’s character is tested in the more personal and formative story of this prequel, and with both characters having plenty of hilarious substories to pursue and unique fighting styles to spice up their combat, it’s easy to get hooked on plumbing the depths of everything Yakuza 0 has to offer. Not every minigame is perfectly constructed and some fights are a bit basic, but Yakuza 0 is full of successful story moments, unique side stories with their own methods of success, and battles where your foe tests your ability to make the most of your fighting styles and Heat meter. Yakuza 0 is packed to the brim with many great and memorable things to do, Kamurocho and Sotenbori almost as captivating as the excellently written and realized story.
And so, I give Yakuza 0 for Xbox One…
A FANTASTIC rating. While the individual parts of Yakuza 0 might not all be phenomenal, the combat in particular good but certainly deserving of more depth to make it more thrilling, the complete package of Yakuza 0 is definitely a game worthy of exceptional praise. The story in particular does a lot with its characters, construction, and balance between the two halves of the experience that you can’t begrudge the game its cliffhangers when it swaps from Kiryu’s portion to Majima’s or back again since both are captivating tales. Dividing the stories based on whether they’re more focused on plot or personal stakes is an effective angle, especially since neither outright forgoes the other as characters and situations continue to engross the player in the unraveling dramas, but the fact the substories can still steal the spotlight away just shows how much love was put into the extra content. While not a vital part of the experience, having silly sidequests that introduce new ways to play or develop small characters for brief little diversions give you something lighter to engage with between the bombshells and heavy stakes of the main story, and dropping into a karaoke bar to relax as the normally stoic Kiryu or playing games as Majima are fun ways to unwind. In the same way the game put an unnecessary degree of focus and detail into small aspects of its cutscenes, Yakuza 0 also built up its two districts to be locations that are great to explore because of the care put into fleshing things out, and while they won’t carry the same weight as the main content, it helps the game overcome some of its rough spots like the slow upgrade tree and how some attack methods can trivialize certain bosses or battles.
It’s little surprise that Yakuza 0 propelled the series into the mainstream, because even though it was then considered a niche title, it did not hold back in realizing its story and world exactly how it desired. Because of this we get a story that can manage emotional moments and compelling mysteries, substories that hold your intention with their diverse methods of engagement and silly scenarios, and a game that can keep you hooked no matter how you choose to spend your time with it.