As of writing this review I have 100% all available Yakuza games, so I will be speaking about this game as a whole from the beginning to me getting the final achievement.

If you have no interest in reading any further than this paragraph then I'll give you a shortish summary. Of all the Yakuza games I have played this is just a hair below Yakuza 0 which is my favorite. This game hits the mark with the new characters as it took me a short amount of time to enjoy Ichiban and his friends. As someone who isn't fond of JRPG style combat, this combat was suprisingly enjoyable until I had to do some final dungeon grinding. The new city is very beautiful and massive as it's at least 3x the size of Kamurocho. This game is an excellent starting point for newcomers even though I would recommend 0. The main story can hit you hard emotionally as I'm not ashamed to admit that tears were flowing at the end. The main villain is well written and has valid motivations. You can even sympathize and even relate to them.

On the New Hero: I was worried about a new protagonist, but Ichiban easily fit into Kiryu's shoes and some. Their personalities are different as Kiryu is rather reserved and stoic while Ichiban is loud and emotional. However, in the end they both deeply care for their friends and family. It's important to remember when playing this that Ichiban's youth was essentially taken away from him so that explains why he acts the way he is. Other than that, by the end of the game their is a part of me that likes Ichiban more than Kiryu.

Story: With keeping spoilers to a bare minimum, this game had a great (although lengthy) intro, a decent mid-game, and a tearjerker of a conclusion. I personally had a enjoyable time going through the story though I did have some gripes. In order for me to fully go into what I loved about the story, I would be spoiling the game so you just have to take my word that I enjoyed it. The substories are great as some can make you laugh and cry (sometimes in the same substory). The following are some of my gripes that I had.

1. Their was a lack of meaningful boss fights in the mid-game which made it kinda of a a slough to play through. Their was a buildup to a certain boss and while the fight was fine (great theme) this particular boss ended up being like Dragon's own Kuze, but not as fun to fight or interesting.

2. Some people had issues with a MASSIVE difficulty spike near the final 2/3's of the game which wasn't well telegraphed. It was hinted at, but it wasn't very explicit. Their was a general lack of feedback when it comes to the game suggesting what level you should be before chapter ending fights. I can recall only one time I saw this recommendation.

3. At the end of the game, this was a certain plot device that made me laugh out loud on how it was used. I'm open minded with Yakuza's story, but it was absolutely ridiculous.

Combat: Overall, I enjoyed it though the more hours I played the more I got tired of it. I liked the different jobs and heat actions each character has. I enjoyed trying to pick and choose which party members to have with me and what weapons and jobs they should be using. I didn't like how long these encounters took even when you're fully leveled and rather OP. I can probably compete 2-3 Yakuza 0 street fights in comparison to 1 YLOD street fight. Lastly, their is a part of me that can't help be disappointed that I'm not 1v1-ing certain boss fights like the original Yakuza games. You see the cool fight intro then you remember it's turn based.


The Quest for 100%: Honestly, just playing the game how I usually played it managed to get me almost all of the achievements. For those that hate Mahjong or the arcade games then their is no need to worry as you don't have to touch those minigames. The only thing that I had to focus on was grinding character and job levels for beating the "secret boss", if you've played any Yakuza games then you know who this is. That was a mind numbing time as at that point their is only one location and one enemy you have to kill to get a good amount of XP. Besides that, this game is the easiest Yakuza game to 100% that I have played so far.

Closing Thoughts: I am excited to see where Ryu Ga Gotoku takes Ichiban and friends. For a game that is known for their beat em ups, their first attempt into JRPG combat was pretty good though it could use some polishing. This game is well worth the money at full price, though you can skip buying any of the DLC's.

As of writing this review I have 100% all available Yakuza games, so I will be speaking about this game as a whole from the beginning to me getting the final achievement. If you have no interest in reading any further than this paragraph then I'll give you a shortish summary. Of all the Yakuza games I have played this is just a hair below Yakuza 0 which is my favorite. This game hits the mark with the new characters as it took me a short amount of time to enjoy Ichiban and his friends. As someone who isn't fond of JRPG style combat, this combat was suprisingly enjoyable until I had to do some final dungeon grinding. The new city is very beautiful and massive as it's at least 3x the size of Kamurocho. This game is an excellent starting point for newcomers even though I would recommend 0. The main story can hit you hard emotionally as I'm not ashamed to admit that tears were flowing at the end. The main villain is well written and has valid motivations. You can even sympathize and even relate to them. On the New Hero: I was worried about a new protagonist, but Ichiban easily fit into Kiryu's shoes and some. Their personalities are different as Kiryu is rather reserved and stoic while Ichiban is loud and emotional. However, in the end they both deeply care for their friends and family. It's important to remember when playing this that Ichiban's youth was essentially taken away from him so that explains why he acts the way he is. Other than that, by the end of the game their is a part of me that likes Ichiban more than Kiryu. Story: With keeping spoilers to a bare minimum, this game had a great (although lengthy) intro, a decent mid-game, and a tearjerker of a conclusion. I personally had a enjoyable time going through the story though I did have some gripes. In order for me to fully go into what I loved about the story, I would be spoiling the game so you just have to take my word that I enjoyed it. The substories are great as some can make you laugh and cry (sometimes in the same substory). The following are some of my gripes that I had. 1. Their was a lack of meaningful boss fights in the mid-game which made it kinda of a a slough to play through. Their was a buildup to a certain boss and while the fight was fine (great theme) this particular boss ended up being like Dragon's own Kuze, but not as fun to fight or interesting. 2. Some people had issues with a MASSIVE difficulty spike near the final 2/3's of the game which wasn't well telegraphed. It was hinted at, but it wasn't very explicit. Their was a general lack of feedback when it comes to the game suggesting what level you should be before chapter ending fights. I can recall only one time I saw this recommendation. 3. At the end of the game, this was a certain plot device that made me laugh out loud on how it was used. I'm open minded with Yakuza's story, but it was absolutely ridiculous. Combat: Overall, I enjoyed it though the more hours I played the more I got tired of it. I liked the different jobs and heat actions each character has. I enjoyed trying to pick and choose which party members to have with me and what weapons and jobs they should be using. I didn't like how long these encounters took even when you're fully leveled and rather OP. I can probably compete 2-3 Yakuza 0 street fights in comparison to 1 YLOD street fight. Lastly, their is a part of me that can't help be disappointed that I'm not 1v1-ing certain boss fights like the original Yakuza games. You see the cool fight intro then you remember it's turn based. The Quest for 100%: Honestly, just playing the game how I usually played it managed to get me almost all of the achievements. For those that hate Mahjong or the arcade games then their is no need to worry as you don't have to touch those minigames. The only thing that I had to focus on was grinding character and job levels for beating the "secret boss", if you've played any Yakuza games then you know who this is. That was a mind numbing time as at that point their is only one location and one enemy you have to kill to get a good amount of XP. Besides that, this game is the easiest Yakuza game to 100% that I have played so far. Closing Thoughts: I am excited to see where Ryu Ga Gotoku takes Ichiban and friends. For a game that is known for their beat em ups, their first attempt into JRPG combat was pretty good though it could use some polishing. This game is well worth the money at full price, though you can skip buying any of the DLC's.