To my complete shame, I have never played a Yakuza game. For some reason or other the series has completely escaped me.
With this now out in the open, you’ll realise that my task in reviewing the fourth game of this venerable series is not an easy one, and initially I didn’t got the first clue what was going on.
Yakuza 4 tells the story of 4 different men during a fatal night in in the fictionalised city of Kamurocho. Set in the criminal underworld, starting off by playing each individual character you eventually get to play all 4 characters nearer the end of the game.
One of the first things that struck me with Yakuza 4 was how cinematic the game is. Presented in the original Japanese audio (with English subtitles), the cutscenes feature an ambitious level of cinematography.
Visually they are stunning – with the environments and the characters rendered to an amazing degree not seen since Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain.
As you explore the city you’ll encounter different situations and mini-games, with each character having their own side-quest.
These include the option of creating “friendships” with NPC’s, who later help out in fights by throwing weapons into the ring. Other modes include a rather bizarre “Create a No.1 Hostess!” mode, where a character has to scout girls for the cabaret club he owns.
One of the more entertaining missions is “Resolving Police Radio Disputes”, where another character will hear a police report telling him where to find the incident and perpetrator.
The battles modes are great fun – presented in a full Sega style beat-em-up (think a modern day version of Streets of Rage) and depending on how well you do you unlock various combos.
It even gives you the opportunity to pick up various objects and use them as a weapons, giving the experience a somewhat gritty feeling. This is a Mafia-inspired game after all, and I’m pretty sure physical scruffs in the criminal underworld aren’t a clean sport.
The game is far from perfect though. The cutscenes do have a tendency to go on too long and sadly I imagine that the fact the game hasn’t been fully translated to English will put a lot of western gamers off.
With plenty of plot and high production values, Yakuza 4 is definitely worth checking out. It’s quirky, comical, has character and is very ambitious. However, due to its traditional Japanese nature the game might not be for everyone.
Verdict: 7 out of 10
The Good:
Looks great
Cool battle modes
Good story
The Bad:
Cutscenes can go on a bit
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