(TLDR at the end)

So what is Yakuza 0?
Yakuza 0 is a 3rd person beat-em-up game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku studio (of SEGA) and published by SEGA. It is the 6th main entry in the long standing Yakuza franchise, and is the chronological prequel that is set before the events of the first game, Yakuza 1 and Yakuza Kiwami 1.

Story
The year is 1988. The height of Japan's prosperity, represented in game through the fictional-yet-very-much-modelled-of-real-life Kamurocho of Tokyo and Sotenbori of Osaka. Yakuza 0 follows the shoes of Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima as their fate slowly gets intertwined in a series of event that started with a debt collection gone wrong, and a seemingly worthless plot of land in the middle of Kamurocho.

Yakuza 0's plot is that of a linear type, where there is no multiple endings, with good reasons as that would canonically complicate things for other main entries taking place after events of Yakuza 0. Despite the linearity in a world where narrative freedom and multiple endings are embraced, Yakuza 0's plot is intricately woven with its complexities and small details that stands to make it more dramatic.

- The very, very good voice acting that is on par with cinematography grade acting
- The occasional plot twists that are truly unexpected sometimes (for me. However few are the times it was unexpected, it was truly impacting and surprising)
- The borderline over-the-top theatrics, and dramatic actions like deliberately missing gun shots by a millimetre.

By design, Yakuza 0...is not an experience capable of being replayed multiple times like Assassin's Creed Odyssey with regards to story. As I mentioned earlier, you as the player experiences both Kazuma's and Goro's journey as the game swaps between the 2 characters in between chapters (2 chapters per character before swap), instead of a system where you play a run once for Kazuma's story then a 2nd for Goro's. With that in mind, Yakuza 0 is an experience where you walk in and enjoy it best, once. While I won't spoil the story content any more than I have in this review, I found Yakuza 0's plot to be more engaging and truly captivates my attention, and even got me to feel certain feelings. That is an absolutely subjective opinion of mine, and one that I can vouch for owing to my enjoyment of the game.

Gameplay

Yakuza 0 is a 3rd person beat-em-up game, as I mentioned earlier. As Kiryu and Majima, you utilise 3 different fighting styles for each of them, all of them having a distinct shtick to it that allows the player to adapt to the fairly vast myriad of enemy types and situations.

At the very start, you notice that:
- The upgrade cost for skill trees are very expensive
- The gameplay initially is not much more than spamming LMB and RMB with some Q thrown in there

Perhaps it is a shortcoming where the weak initial impressions may put off people. But just like the story, everything balloons into a whole bigger world of activities, fighting moves to discover. Canonically, both Kazuma and Goro has a distinct fighting style, with them being a feature locked in Yakuza 0 under the guise of a side quest (yet majorly important). There is no stopping you from beating the game without the canonical styles, but the fact that you will be punished quite a bit in the battlefield and that you cannot get it through any other means leaves for some frustration. Some, because I would consider this to be a slightly bittersweet thing, more sweet and bitter.

I will temporarily end my review here for now as I struggle to think of good talking points about the game. It will be updated as I process the thoughts. But in the mean time, i can give my verdict.

TLDR; Yakuza 0 is absolutely worth it full price. If you happen to catch it on sale, that is the doings of the forces above telling you to buy it, although you shouldn't need a discount to convince you. Buy it, for yourself, for your friends, family and pets.

[h1]Yakuza 0: A rollercoaster ride and funbag full of emotions[/h1] (TLDR at the end) [b]So what is Yakuza 0?[/b] Yakuza 0 is a 3rd person beat-em-up game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku studio (of SEGA) and published by SEGA. It is the 6th main entry in the long standing Yakuza franchise, and is the chronological prequel that is set before the events of the first game, Yakuza 1 and Yakuza Kiwami 1. [b]Story[/b] The year is 1988. The height of Japan's prosperity, represented in game through the fictional-yet-very-much-modelled-of-real-life Kamurocho of Tokyo and Sotenbori of Osaka. Yakuza 0 follows the shoes of Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima as their fate slowly gets intertwined in a series of event that started with a debt collection gone wrong, and a seemingly worthless plot of land in the middle of Kamurocho. Yakuza 0's plot is that of a linear type, where there is no multiple endings, with good reasons as that would canonically complicate things for other main entries taking place after events of Yakuza 0. Despite the linearity in a world where narrative freedom and multiple endings are embraced, Yakuza 0's plot is intricately woven with its complexities and small details that stands to make it more dramatic. - The very, very good voice acting that is on par with cinematography grade acting - The occasional plot twists that are truly unexpected sometimes (for me. However few are the times it was unexpected, it was truly impacting and surprising) - The borderline over-the-top theatrics, and dramatic actions like deliberately missing gun shots by a millimetre. By design, Yakuza 0...is not an experience capable of being replayed multiple times like Assassin's Creed Odyssey with regards to story. As I mentioned earlier, you as the player experiences both Kazuma's and Goro's journey as the game swaps between the 2 characters in between chapters (2 chapters per character before swap), instead of a system where you play a run once for Kazuma's story then a 2nd for Goro's. With that in mind, Yakuza 0 is an experience where you walk in and enjoy it best, once. While I won't spoil the story content any more than I have in this review, I found Yakuza 0's plot to be more engaging and truly captivates my attention, and even got me to feel certain feelings. That is an absolutely subjective opinion of mine, and one that I can vouch for owing to my enjoyment of the game. [b]Gameplay[/b] Yakuza 0 is a 3rd person beat-em-up game, as I mentioned earlier. As Kiryu and Majima, you utilise 3 different fighting styles for each of them, all of them having a distinct shtick to it that allows the player to adapt to the fairly vast myriad of enemy types and situations. At the very start, you notice that: - The upgrade cost for skill trees are very expensive - The gameplay initially is not much more than spamming LMB and RMB with some Q thrown in there Perhaps it is a shortcoming where the weak initial impressions may put off people. But just like the story, everything balloons into a whole bigger world of activities, fighting moves to discover. Canonically, both Kazuma and Goro has a distinct fighting style, with them being a feature locked in Yakuza 0 under the guise of a side quest (yet majorly important). There is no stopping you from beating the game without the canonical styles, but the fact that you will be punished quite a bit in the battlefield and that you cannot get it through any other means leaves for some frustration. Some, because I would consider this to be a slightly bittersweet thing, more sweet and bitter. I will temporarily end my review here for now as I struggle to think of good talking points about the game. It will be updated as I process the thoughts. But in the mean time, i can give my verdict. TLDR; Yakuza 0 is absolutely worth it full price. If you happen to catch it on sale, that is the doings of the forces above telling you to buy it, although you shouldn't need a discount to convince you. Buy it, for yourself, for your friends, family and pets.