REVIEW

Yakuza 0 (PC) Review

by Jake Stewart, July 27th, 2018

Yakuza 0 initially marked somewhat of a comeback for the Japanese series. While there was a slight following in the West, many including myself had never been acquainted with the series. Standing as a prequel to all other games in the series, and being the first Yakuza game playable on PS4, it was the perfect time for new Western fans to be born. A little over a year and a half has passed now, and Yakuza 0 is finally playable on PC.

Yakuza 0 places you in the shoes of Kazuma Kiryu, promptly beating the holy hell out of a thug. As Kiryu departs, news begins to travel about a murder, coincidentally involving the aforementioned thug, in the same spot Kiryu had beaten him. Kiryu knows that he definitely beat him down, but is certain that he didn’t kill them. The death of a civilian doesn’t sit right with the rest of the Yakuza or the police. Nearby in another town, an ex-yakuza by the name of Goro Majima has been instructed to commit a murder in order to return to his gang. Thus begins a journey of betrayal, politics, and crazy beat-downs that’ll keep you hooked until the last mission.

From the moment Yakuza begins aesthetic oozes from every sight. 80’s Japan is filled with neon lights, disco, cigarette smoke, and tough gangsters. If you have a beefy enough PC, these sights are only accentuated with the extra power. Kamurocho truly feels like a living town, streets are absolutely packed with people of all ages chatting, partying, and stirring trouble. The first thing that Yakuza does, and does right is truly immersing you in its world.

While the story may sound interesting at first, it takes a bit of time to develop into something really interesting. A lot of mucking about and cutscenes of chatting with the other yakuza members. Luckily, once the story picks up its steam a few hours in, it never stops. An endless trail of twists and turns keep you unprepared for what development lays around the corner. The character development becomes so engrossing that you truly root for Kiryu, and feel the genuine excitement to put the villains in the ground after they’ve wronged you.

Speaking of the villains, the boss battles are some of the most memorable ones in recent memory. Every boss fight has an exciting build up, backed by a stunning OST. The cutscenes leading into the battle are high-octane, filled with so much emotion that you just can’t wait to start smashing chairs over whoever stumbled into your way. Returning encounters with villains are signalled by the character’s signature theme song, pumping you up from the moment the first note plays.

The combat takes the form of a fairly standard beat ‘em up. Kiryu and Majima both have their three different unique fighting styles that can be used to take out any of the masses standing in your way. As Yakuza is heavy on the brawler mechanic, there will be many and many fights ahead of you. As you fight, you earn cash that can be used on equipment or levelling up your stats, abilities, fighting styles, etc. During your battles, a meter will be filled with every punch, this is the ‘Heat Meter’. Once the Heat Meter fills, you will be able to perform a heat explosion, which is a cinematic, high damage, takedown move. Depending on where you are in the environment, these heat explosions will change, using walls, chairs, motorcycles, car doors, anything that you can imagine to take down the enemy. The heat mechanic fits nicely into the already intense, high impact combat, making every encounter exciting.

Campaign and combat aren’t the only things driving Yakuza, however. When you start to feel burned out on fighting, or emotionally exhausted from double-crosses, Kamurocho is filled to the brim with things to do. On the basic level, there are “side stories” that consist of solving wacky situations such as, helping a gang learn how to be tough, produce a TV show, and help a child purchase “special” magazines. Both Majima and Kiryu have their own massive lists of side stories that dramatically increase the playtime of Yakuza 0. It’s more than common to find yourself being swept up in the emotions, hilarity, and truly wholesome moments found within the side stories, that you almost completely forget the story is there.

Along with side stories are mini-games around the city. This is where the city truly begins to feel like a real place. Activities can be found in arcades, racetracks, bowling alleys, cabarets, bars, clubs, and that’s barely scratching the surface. Yakuza 0 is the pinnacle of how to do an open world right, as the world never feels empty for even a moment.

If you’re thinking that’s all you can do in Yakuza, it’s not. Both Majima and Kiryu have their own side campaigns regarding either Real Estate or Cabarets. Funnelling money from your adventures, you can build your own real estate or cabaret empire. The mechanics in these modes are surprising in-depth, as there are plenty of micromanaging to keep in line. Certain girls in the cabaret have better skills in certain areas, and balancing the act of Real Estate spending to profit can be a daunting task. As with the side stories, I often found myself being swept up in these side activities due to their addicting gameplay and interesting stories.

Lastly, how does Yakuza 0 hold up on PC? I’m happy to say that Yakuza definitely takes advantage of the extra power often found in a PC compared to a PS4. Optimization was near perfect and ran at a smooth 60fps despite any intensity on screen. For those who are able, 4K resolution is offered, which really makes Kamurocho’s beautiful environment really shine. Aside from technical improvements, there are no differences between the two versions. Which luckily, is exactly how it should be.

I went into Yakuza 0 with very little knowledge of the series and left considering myself somewhat of a megafan. Yakuza 0 tells a compelling story, backed by interesting characters, gorgeous visuals, an amazing soundtrack, and a massive amount of interesting side content. If you haven’t played anything in the Yakuza series before, this is the perfect place to start. I couldn’t possibly recommend this gem of a game enough.