+++
title = "Heaps of fun (Yakuza)"
publishDate = 2022-10-17T00:00:00+02:00
lastmod = 2024-11-18T18:28:15+01:00
tags = ["yakuza", "review"]
categories = ["videogames"]
draft = false
meta = true
type = "list"
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  [menu.posts]
    weight = 3002
    identifier = "heaps-of-fun-yakuza"
+++

I've been a bit sick over the past week. Not the 'rona as far as I can tell. Just a flu. Probably.

I spent most of that time playing _Yakuza Zero_, then _Kiwami_, and now I'm in the middle of playing through _Kiwami 2_.

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An observation that occurred to me is that the Yakuza games fit very neatly into Warren Spector's "one block" ideal. The areas are relatively small, realistically sized, and chock-full of content, interactable items, and a story that is very localized. TONS of localized content is present, which adds a lot of life and _flavor_ to Kamurocho (and the other areas the characters visit in the course of the games)

This leads to a very enjoyable pattern of go-fight-go-fight, with combat being rather frequent (and excellently executed).

And that's not even getting into the dozens of mini-games, and the side-quests (or, stories, as the game calls them) which explore and give some insight into the everyday lives of regular people in the crime-infested world the games portray.

Another thing that I've noted is that the Yakuza games have A LOT of Souls-like elements. The combat is snappy, rhythmic, and patterned in a way that punishes getting 'greedy'. It's really enjoyable, particularly since the difficulty balancing is very precise, and doesn't lead to complete blow-outs very often (I played the games on Normal - this may not be true on Hard).

Then there's the plot. It's consistent, has few to no plot holes (I didn't notice any myself, but I can imagine they exist), and goes into truly dark places, psychologically.

My only criticism is that at no point (well, we see this at ONE point at the beginning of Kiwami) do we see the main characters engage in violence against civilians. The story relies on the trope of a 'bad good guy.' Which isn't necessarily bad - but it does stick out like a sore thumb when you take a step back for an overview of what's happening.

Otherwise, I have nothing but good things to say about these games. The only other games I can say this about are _Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater_, _Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory_, and _Deus Ex: Mankind Divided_. Off the top of my head, at least.

_Yakuza Kiwami 2_ is by far the best of the PC titles - the developers paid attention and introduced a number of quality of life changes that truly make it a joy to play.

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