Backlog Chronicles: Yakuza Kiwami

 

Yakuza is a game and series I have always heard about since the Playstation 2 era. Back then I was interested in this type of genre but was wrapped up in the likes of True Crime, Grand Theft Auto and similar titles.

Sad to say, Yakuza got overlooked. I even played through and loved the Shenmue series. This would have been right up my alley.

Well. Here we are in 2022. I actually own all the Yakuza games (they are always on sale and I have a problem) and have still yet to play a single one. Until now.

Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the original title from back in 2005/2006. There is no better time than now to play an old classic because at this point it is probably remastered or ported to newer consoles.

My first impressions upon loading the game up were crazy excitement. An energetic soundtrack showcases action packed scenes from points throughout the story and I cannot wait to experience them myself.

We then set foot in Kazuma Kiryu's shoes as he runs through the city of Kamurocho trying to clear his name for taking blame of a Yakuza boss' murder. He ends up going to prison for 10 years for the crime and comes back to a city he once knew changing before him. 

This is an intense story with lots of twists, turns and sometimes outright goofiness the entire time of my 40+ hour playthough.

Every chapter introduces character development or story progression that keeps you wanting more. I often had times where I wanted to continue the main quests instead of the 70+ subquests just to find out what was going to happen.

Then there are times you want to do the subquests because you never know when your arch nemesis (Goro Majima) will pop up to either fight you or challenge you to darts/pocket circtuit racing/etc. Or if you'll run into a mission that has you selling matches for a young woman so she can get her boyfriend a Christmas present. Either way, there is a ton to do and plenty of options of exploring or questing.

Story aside, you'll spend some time leveling up your abilities that you lost over the 10 years of being locked up. From new combos and more health to new weapons to wield and techniques to unleash, there are 100 or so upgrades you can acquire. You gain experience by beating up random baddies on the street, completing missions, eating at restaurants or even playing some activities. Once you get a sense of the combat, these upgrades can make you feel quite powerful early on so it's worth investing into.

There's also an underground fighting arena set up so you can test your skills against Yakuza's fiercest foes. Some of these rang the laughably easy to "HOW THE HELL DO I DO THIS" hard. Once you defeat a certain stage in the underground and climb the ranks, you can buy images to give to a martial arts teacher outside to get, you guessed it, more upgrades!

The culmination of the new skills you learn turn you back into the Dragon Of Dojima. The title you had before the prison life had consumed your energy. This technique or stance you use through the game has you with your most powerful moveset quickest evasion steps.

Once a feared and powerful Yakuza and now a man trying to clear his name. Kiryu is just tyring to do what is right. Uncovering the secrets of Kamurocho's past and present while attempting to stop criminal organizations from destroying all that he knows. From protecting a young girl looking for her mother to the betrayal from his best friend, this game had me HOOKED. 

Even though Kiryu is a pretty good guy, he will still smash your face in a second if you happen to be in his path for any reason.

Yakuza took me 40+ hours to complete most of the sub stories and finish the main quest. There is also a few modes you unlock after the campaign. You can go back and complete substories you may have missed as well as do any of the arcade games or activities throughout the city. There are still random encounters through the map so you can always fight at your leisure. And yes, Goro Majima will still pop out of road cones, manholes and unleash his Zombie form on you at different points during your exploration.

It remains a blast even after the climax of the story.

This has begun my journey to play through all of the Yakuza series starting with Yakuza 0 and I honestly cannot wait to continue being immersed in this world.