"I think all four of us have some unfinished business" Introduction Yakuza 4 was my fifth dalliance with the Yakuza franchise, which has had many highs and lows but has generally been an epic adventure to this point. So when I finally worked up the courage to play 4, especially after the challenges of 3, I was warily sceptical but excited for what could come next. But was this one a true sequel to the series, or was it just another casualty in the path of the Dragon? 🟩 Positives 🟥 Negatives 🟩One of the best-written stories that culminates five games of plot and character development into a single point of impact. 🟩Combat is far from perfect, but it is an enormous step forward from Yakuza 3's block fest mechanics. 🟩Mini games still dominate the experience but are seemingly less tedious than before. Clearly, effort has been made to make them more enjoyable pastimes. 🟩As always, the OST in this game was phenomenal. Tangibly nostalgic with just enough hints of refreshment to keep the heat ready to boil. 🟩 Not a huge step forward in the graphical department, but RGG has made significant efforts to ensure the game has no bugs, issues or tearing whatsoever. 🟥 While Yakuza 3 opens up a new map to explore, Yakuza 4 seemingly restricts you to Kamurocho again. Not that this is inherently negative, but it feels like a step backwards in terms of world development. 🏆Achievements A relatively easy 100%, to be entirely honest, especially compared to others in the Yakuza franchise. There are no 100% in-game completion requirements, only some standard challenges across quite a lot of mini-games and some time-consuming challenge completions. Story Yakuza 4 follows the story of Yakuza 3 in a somewhat refreshing way. You begin the game not as the beloved hero, Kiryu, but as Shun Akiyama, a money lender in Kamurocho and a previously unknown character in the franchise. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3423878336 But as his story unfolds and revelations begin to unfold in his life, we again step into the shoes of a new playable character, this time Taiga Saejima (Yes, THAT Taiga Saejima). And we begin to see how his storyline ties into Akiyama's. And now, as that climaxes, we shift another time to the third playable character of the game, Masayoshi Tanimura, a beat cop in Kamurocho with an axe to grind and heads to crack. With his plot unfolding and once again incorporating Akiyama's and now Saejima's into his own we reach new heights of understanding as we are now thrown to the last protagonist of the game. We arrive at Kiryu, and finally, after what feels like an entire lifetime away, we are back home. Kiryu arrives back in Kamurocho as he discovers a plot that could devastate the Tojo Clan to its very core. With his plot now incorporating the other three, Akiyama, Saejima and Tanimura, it is up to this unlikely team to unveil the secrets of their pasts and shake the world like it never has been before. Gameplay Analysis So, this time around, your test will be... This section won't be particularly lengthy because this far into Yakuza, I doubt many will be surprised by the gameplay mechanics or the general flow of the experience. Combat is pretty streamlined in this game, functioning in a very similar way to the previous games where throwing punches and kicks or grappling with enemies does damage and generates heat. Heat is then used to do devastating attacks on your foes. Your reward for overcoming challenges is experience points, which level your characters up, as well as an additional reward that is mostly randomised between money or some kind of healing item. Items such as armour or weapons can also be equipped to help make encounters easier, though I found the general difficulty of the game, even on "normal" to be relatively fair, and it won't be necessary to use these unless you want to decimate your foes. No crying like a baby If I break you in half. The only other major part worth mentioning is the enormous quantity of side content available in Yakuza 4. Much like every other Yakuza game in the franchise to this point, this game has a lot of side content to do and try, from substories across each of the four characters to the usual side activities such as bar games, gambling and hostess maker mini-games. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3423880847 These have been streamlined to be less tedious experiences, which is a remarkably welcome improvement from the likes of Yakuza 3. Audio and Visual As I mentioned before, this game isn't a particularly beautiful experience, only barely improving upon the likes of Yakuza 3 from a visual standpoint. But it still does a tremendous job of detailing the world and making Kamurocho feel like you're returning home after a long time away. I genuinely hope the next games push the aesthetic threshold just a bit. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3423884479 The audio on the other hand is just as astounding as ever. A genuinely gripping soundtrack that gives off hints of nostalgia and feels fresh at the same time, coupled perfectly with the atmospheric and animation audio that does the same, this is truly an iconic Yakuza game. Performance and Specifications Running the game as high as it goes on a 2560 x 1440 monitor, I didn't see the game drop below the frame cap even once, though this wasn't particularly surprising as these games generally run buttery smooth. RAM: Kingston Fury Beast 64GB 6000 MHz DDR5 CPU: Intel Core i9 14900K 24 Core GPU: MSI Gaming X GeForce RTX 4090 24GB Final Thoughts - Very Good [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2529084785]Review chart here. Again, not the perfect Yakuza game, but perhaps the best one I've had since 0 to be entirely honest. The addition of three new playable characters all unfolding their stories into the perfect culmination of five games feels like a truly epic experience and one that definitely shouldn't be missed. The Tojo Clan stands on the brink, but if you head to[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43064204/] Hell, Purgatory and Paradise you might just find a way to stop it from collapsing and give the clan a second chance at life.
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