Yakuza 0

 

    If you want to lose control of your life, I highly recommend playing the Yakuza franchise; and the best place to start is Yakuza 0. A prequel to the original 2005 Yakuza title, Yakuza 0 takes place on the neon lit streets of the fictional Kamurocho pleasure district in 1988 Tokyo bubble economy. You start off as the series protagonist Kiryu trying to clear your name for a murder you did not commit, as well as trying to uncover who has the property rights for the last piece of available real estate in the tightly packed Kamurocho. You'll have to contend with the cut-throat Yakuza bosses of your former clan, and Kiryu is constantly on the run and has thugs chasing him down almost every corner you turn. If you succeed, you will become the infamous "Dragon of Dojima".

    Yakuza 0 isn't all Kiryu though, you also get a chance to play as fan-favorite Majima. He's a disgraced Yakuza attempting to atone for his past in Osaka's (again fictional) Sotenbori shopping district while under heavy Yakuza supervision. He is forced to manage a Cabaret to pay off his debts before being given an Ultimatum: Assassinate a complete stranger, or remain in your Sotenbori cage forever.

    The story and settings are the real draws to the Yakuza games. It's easy to fall in love with these characters and get invested in what happens to them. Throughout your playthrough you meet new friends and foes; some straight-faced and others off-the-wall. Yakuza 0 does a great job of balancing intense story bits with wacky side missions that keeps you from feeling too overwhelmed and serious. The Yakuza series is generally unafraid to let it's hair down from time to time, and you will see hijinx that wouldn't be too far off from an 80s sitcom. There's always something interesting to do. Half the fun in Yakuza is seeing what crazy side mission comes next.

    The gameplay is relatively straightforward; you roam around the open world of Kamurocho/Sotenbori completing story objectives, helping random people on the street with side missions, and beating up thugs. The combat has you switching between styles, doing combos using light and strong attacks, and performing painful and flashy finishing moves on your opponents. Using the money you get from side missions and the amount of cash that comes flying out of goon's pockets while you knock them senseless, you can upgrade your characters and unlock more moves, finishers, or general stat increases.

    I have to say I really enjoyed my time with Yakuza 0. I spent 33 hours playing through the story just for the game to tell me I only did roughly 30% of the content. I barely dipped my toes into Kiryu's property management side missions or Majima's Cabaret Club content. It's an excellent introduction to the series and it rockets you into the wonderful world of Kamurocho. Afterwards I could not install the next game (the Yakuza 1 remake, Yakuza Kiwami) quick enough. It's a great time, but be prepared to ruin your life playing the next 8 games in the franchise!