For what it’s worth, Majima’s fighting styles are more interesting with a greater level of flourish in the combo design-such as one based on Capoeira-but the limited scope of the combo system means even the most interesting of these maneuvers will eventually get played out. Majima and Kiryu each have their own selection of three different fighting styles that can be switched between mid-fight, which only adds variety for as long as it takes to try out every style several dozen times. Combos are surprisingly limited, and the novelty of weapons or pre-animated takedowns lose their charm when they are consistently used to up the monotony of what is essentially the same few combos over and over.
Most gameplay time is spent fighting-whether it be through story missions, side stories, or random encounters-and considering how much of it there is to do, its execution is both rigid and simplistic. The fighting system advertises a wide variety of combative opportunity through unique fighting styles, weapons, and character upgrades, but this doesn’t save the game from feeling notably dated. Players will progress through each storyline by partaking in bouts of 3D brawler gameplay-the very core of Yakuza games. The drive to see each main character overcome their own obstacles is enough reason to push through, though. As for the spiderweb of a plot they are both tangled up in, the twists manufactured from the constant backstabbing and politics that come along with a Yakuza-themed story of this length begin to prove weary after a while. The scenes played out by the leading characters and their supporting cast are generally melodramatic and overacted, but the genuine moral compasses of both heroes will cause players to root for them in spite of their naive idealism. Each is faced with their own struggles-Kiryu’s attempt to clear the name of his mentor, and Majima’s conflict between his own morality and his goal of getting his life back-and while the narratives are divided for most of the game, the connections between are revealed later on. Two separate stories of redemption are told as the perspective flips back and forth between the two. Both zones have their intrigues, but their small size and relative similarities causes the excitement of exploring to fade after a while. The transitions between the characters and their respective zones are rigidly alternated over the course of the game, but eventually the player is allowed to switch between them at will. These facilities make up for the rather restrictive size of each district. Vibrant shops and eateries are scattered around for the player to utilize, as are entertainment centers where one can enjoy karaoke, 16-bit arcade games, and more.
The trials faced by each criminal take place in separate districts of late 1980s Japan, where each character is free to explore almost from the get-go. This story is split between two characters Kiryu in his early days of being a Yakuza, and Majima, club owner and ex-Yakuza whose desire to get back into the organization lands him in his own pile of trouble.
Yakuza 0 takes us back to the very beginning, following the earliest events that would lead to a long line of future misfortunes for series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. As a fan of beat ’em up games but a newcomer to the Yakuza series, this invitation seemed the optimal chance to observe everything the games have learned thus far through a fresh pair of eyes. Despite tenuous confidence in how the series would be continually received here, publisher SEGA is taking another crack at American audiences with the prequel installment Yakuza 0, which is pitched as an ideal jumping-in point. The series’ popularity began to slip off in the West over the years, but those most passionate about the 3D beat ‘em up fought to keep the games coming to the States.
Dating back to the PlayStation 2, the Japanese-developed Yakuza series managed to muster a cult following of players worldwide.