Member the games you used to play? We member. The basement at the Hardcore Gamer office has a section known as the Crust Room, with an old grey couch and a big old CRT TV. All the classic systems are down there collecting dust, so in an effort to improve the cleanliness of our work space, we dust off these old consoles every so often and put an old game through its paces, just to make sure everything stays in working order. We even have a beige computer with a floppy disk drive.
After gaining a following through five mainline games and numerous spin-offs, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio decided to do what many successful franchises have done: release a prequel. Prequels can be a risky endeavor, as when done properly they can provide an increased understanding of why certain characters behave the way they do or give insight into referenced historical events that haven’t been given much of an explanation. Yakuza is one such franchise that is celebrated for its storytelling as much as its gameplay, and while prequels may generate mixed levels of expectations among any given fandom, Yakuza 0 proved to be a hit among critics and fans alike.
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Party Like It’s 1988
Yakuza 0 is set in 1988, seventeen years before the events of the first Yakuza game. This takes place during the bubble era of Japan, a period where real estate and stock prices were greatly inflated before the economic bubble eventually burst in 1992. That bit of historical trivia is actually relevant to the story, as gaining control of the real estate market is not only central to the main plot, but also relates to one of the minigames. An empty lot in Kamurochō becomes one of the main focal points of interest to the Yakuza, as it’s the missing piece before the Tojo Clan can redevelop the area for their own financial gain. Attempting to gain control of it results in a great deal of bloodshed.
Kazuma Kiryu finds himself in this empty lot one night, with the task of roughing up an individual who is behind on his debt payment. The victim of Kiryu’s assault ends up dead, with Kiryu being framed for the killing. To avoid getting the higher ups of the Dojima family in trouble, Kiryu walks away from the Yakuza and into civilian life. After leaving the Dojima family, Kiryu ends up meeting real estate agent Tetsu Tachibana, who promises to clear his name in exchange for assistance in acquiring the empty lot before the Dojima family. Kiryu reluctantly agrees, which leads to greater problems with his former family.
As the story with Kiryu finally begins to gain steam, Chapter 3 begins and the player has shifted over to controlling Goro Majima. Like Kiryu, Majima is a former Yakuza. He was expelled in 1985 for his involvement in the Ueno-Seiwa assassination. He runs a cabaret club in Sotenbori, where he’s under constant surveillance and a prisoner in the district, where he’s barred from leaving town and confined mostly to his home and place of employment. He’s approached with an offer to get back in the family’s good graces, and all he has to do is assassinate Makoto Makimura. The job seems easy enough, though Majima learns the reality of Makoto doesn’t quite match up to the story he was told.
Captivating Story
The story of Yakuza 0 switches between the perspectives of Kiryu and Majima, alternating chapters over which character takes the lead. The player is likely going to suspect that Kiryu and Majima’s stories are intertwined, despite being oblivious to each other as they are operating hours away from each other. Kiryu is in Kamurochō in Tokyo, and Majima runs the cabaret in Sotenbori in Osaka. How exactly everything ties together isn’t something we want to spoil, but watching the connections unfold is an absolute joy.
One thing about Yakuza games is they’re known for their incredible stories. But like many great works, it takes time to build up the story. The experience many have discussed in playing Yakuza/Like a Dragon games is that the first few hours are incredibly slow, which can make it difficult for newcomers to get into the series or individual games, but the payoff is worth the wait. Once the player gets past the first couple of chapters of exposition, the groundwork has been laid for some of the best storytelling in gaming to open up. The story of the two protagonists of Yakuza 0 are completely independent of each other, but are intricately woven together in a satisfying manner.
Baller Brawlers
Yakuza 0 is a third-person action game. Kiryu and Majima are free to roam about their respective areas, interacting with other civilians or getting into fights with random thugs or aggressive Yakuza members. When battle is initiated, the player is confined to an arena to duke it out with their enemies. Both Kiryu and Majima have different fighting styles they can equip, which determines their moveset. The style can be changed mid-battle as different styles offer different advantages. The fights play out like old beat ‘em up games, but the fighting controls could have benefited from being tightened up as it can feel dated and clunky at times, but that’s one of the few points of criticism to be made about Yakuza 0.
Yakuza 0 does have a level up system, but it doesn’t rely on gaining levels in a traditional sense or experience point. Kiryu and Majima instead spend their accumulated money investing in themselves, which can unlock new moves and combos, extend their health bar or make them stronger. Certain skills are locked until later parts in the game or until doing certain side quests. This approach to character growth adds a welcome RPG mechanic while fitting with the overall tone of financial dominance.
Capturing the Essence of Japan
Kamurochō and Sotenbori are fictional locations, but they are patterned after real world locations. Kabukichō, Tokyo is the basis for Kamurochō, and Osaka’s Dōtonbori is the basis for Sotenbori. One of the things that stands out in Yakuza 0 is how true to life the fictional recreations are. Sotenbori doesn’t shy away from having the giant crab on display in the marketplace, and also does a good job of capturing the layout of Dōtonbori’s river walk. One of the best Easter eggs in Yakuza 0 is that the actual jingle song played in Don Quijote stores in Japan plays in the Don Quijote store in Yakuza 0.
Exploring the characters’ respective cities and admiring the recreation of Japan is interesting, but the main reason to explore is to find side quests from random people. One of the things that Yakuza games do exceptionally well is blending dark and well-written drama with hilariously-absurd situations. Side quests are a great source of levity as aside from providing comic relief, they usually force Kiryu or Majima to show that in spite of their backgrounds in the world of organized crime, they do have a moral compass and try to guide the people they’re helping into doing the right thing. They may be morally grey anti-heroes operating outside the constraints of the law, but they aren’t inherently bad people.
The first few hours can drag a bit, but the payoff is well worth it.
Outside the main objectives and side quests, Yakuza 0 has two major minigames: Kiryu’s real estate empire and Majima’s cabaret minigames. Both of these minigames are a great way for each character to gain some extra cash for upgrades, but they’re also a fun way to kill time. Majima’s cabaret game in particular is addicting, as game progression has been stalled for days because the only thing I did in the game for a few play sessions was taking over the cabaret scene. The real estate minigame is also good, but didn’t grab me in the same way as running the cabaret did.
Review: Yakuza 0
One of the Best
Yakuza 0 is an incredible game. The first few hours can drag, but the payoff is well worth it. The two characters are interesting in their own ways, and while the initial shock of switching to Majima in chapter 3 seemed like a questionable choice, he ended up being one of my favorite characters in the franchise. Doing a prequel to an established series that has two protagonists with parallel stories seems like a risky design choice, but the developers nailed it in Yakuza 0. The rich storytelling perfectly blends the serious tone of noir drama with just enough silliness. Playing through the game and taking on different side quests and building Kiryu’s and Majima’s dominance in real estate and cabaret makes it easy to lose countless hours in this game.
Yakuza 0 was originally released in Japan on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in 2015. It was eventually localized for an American release on PlayStation 4 in 2017, and was later ported to PC and Xbox One. It’s backwards compatible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Some of the gameplay mechanics might feel dated, but feeling a little dated never ruins a game. It’s one of the best examples of storytelling in gaming, really taking off after a few slower hours of buildup. Many players were introduced to the series from more recent releases that bear the original Like a Dragon name, and anyone who enjoyed any of those games owes it to themselves to play Yakuza 0.
