Yakuza 4

The Yakuza series has taken many gamers by surprise. It is a sandbox style RPG that engrosses players in the trials and tribulations of Kazuma Kiryu. The world of Yakuza is gritty, dark and cruel but, the characters and their narratives provide just the right amount humanity and warmth to the games narrative pallet. Yakuza 4 is the latest offering in the series that have provided many players with a bit sinful pleasure. In the latest iteration of the game Kazuma the games protagonist shares the spotlight with three new characters. Each one with their own history and purpose in the game’s sinister world.

Story

The games story revolves around an event that occurred in 1985. One man single handedly killed eighteen members of the Ueno Seiwa Clan during a power struggle with Tojo Clan.

The events that followed are the clue that ties the games four characters together. The game takes a unique approach to storytelling using each of the stories 4 characters to present the narrative from different points of view. The story is gut-wrenching, heart-felt and full of mystery. The story’s twists and turns will shock players and leave them desperate to unravel the games mystery.

Gameplay

The story is well crafted, and the combat is well designed. The game has a refined version of the combat system from the prevision titles. The brawler-style combat is engaging, and each player character brings his own style and move to the forefront during the games melee brawls. Characters are awarded experience points for completing mission and defeating enemies. These points can be used to upgrade combat skills in multiple categories.

The one big draw-back of the Yakuza 4’s gameplay is that it gets repetitive. The combat is good but, this game suffers from too much of a good thing. The encounters are far too frequent, and the enemies are not varied enough to keep it exciting through the campaign.

Graphics

Yakuza is on par with other tittles from time period as far as visuals. The game aesthetics apart from its competitors. The games setting is unique and the seed red light district where the game takes place if full of character. The world of the game is ugly in an authentic way that says gritty streets. It won’t take long for players to get swept up in the world of mystery, sex and shady deals that are iconic for the series. The games character models, however, are not as well done as the game world and look slightly out of place against the backdrop.

Sound

The sound in Yakuza 4 is phenomenal. The voice acting is presented with English subtitles and is performed masterfully. The quality of the acting along with the realistic backdrop really immerse players in the world of Yakuza. The production values are high and the attention to detail is amazing even the games ambient sounds are right on point.

One drawback is that this Yakuza title is much longer than previous games and the small selection of music can get repetitive at times. This does slightly detract from the overall audible delight but, only because the other elements of the audio presentation are so well done.

Pros

• Deep engaging story told from different points of view
• Visually Pleasing
• Combat is refined
• Quality voice acting

Cons

• Too many meaningless random encounters
• The story can drag on a bit