We review what are the best Yakuza in the history of the franchise and all the work of the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio with the main deliveries and spin offs.
There was a time when we saw from the distance the succession of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio releases. His journey through the West was not as desired, with two deliveries that passed without sorrow or glory through our country. After the bump in PlayStation 2, SEGA rethink the strategy to follow outside its market. The United Kingdom and the United States were the only bastions that allowed him to continue believing that something could be done, but little by little the light went out.
Yakuza 3 arrived in an excellent basic edition full of extras, although with it the localization of complete texts in English would begin (without forgetting the censorship of several of its contents); Yakuza 4 followed in its wake a year after its launch in Asia. At that point, trust broke down. In 2012, Japanese users enjoyed a fifth effervescent delivery. However, it came to us three years later in digital format. That time frame led to a difficult drought to alleviate for those who followed the adventures of the Dojima Dragon.
Fortunately, in this generation we have experienced the return of the brand through the big door. Since the prequel, little by little we have been receiving all new jobs, even those outside the main branch, such as Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise and Judgment (in the absence of those based on feudal Japan). The effort to return it to this side of the planet seems to have had its reward, according to The Yakuza Remastered Collection that we will receive this February, which includes the complete remastering of Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5, along with a PS3 cover With the cover of the latter, direct nod to fans who remained faithful in their day.
Therefore, from FreeGameTips we take stock of the best deliveries in the franchise. We will divide it according to our criteria. We will prioritize the numbered ones and close with the external highlights. We visit Kamurocho in text format.
7º- Yakuza 3, songs from Okinawa
SEGA has had the habit of starting the console generations with a spin-off delivery. In the case of PlayStation 3, Ryu Ga Gotoku: Kenzan! It took its place in 2008. However, a year later, the Kiryu that we all know officially landed with an extension of the work harvested in its predecessor, although it still had to improve on the playable plot, especially combat.
The jump resulted in a game that made navigability through the most accessible scenario, both for the control and for the detail of the explorable areas compared to what was achieved in PS2. That start at the Sunshine orphanage is one of the most important photographs in the history of the saga. A framework that Kazuma, when becoming an adult, would mark him forever. Okinawa left us the chance to visit the Ryukyu neighborhood, in addition to the endless sunsets of its beaches next to Haruka and the rest of the children.
6th- Yakuza 4, after the storm …
Yakuza 4 started the path that would continue on five. Several playable characters would be mixed in the story of Kazuma-san to develop several plots that would lead to the same place. In it we can see his personal progress towards the responsibilities he has had.
It is, together with the original, the only Yakuza in which the facts occur only in Kamurocho. There is no other map beyond the neighborhood. For this, the solution that was found was to add new areas to the buildings, such as those roofs that more than one fan will remember. Being between Yakuza 3 and Yakuza 5 caused him not to have the necessary strength to transcend as a unique product.
5º- Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, the goodbye of a father
The study closed Kiryu's plot with a new generation title. It would be the first to enjoy the improvements of the Dragon Engine, an engine adapted to PlayStation 4 capable of providing technical improvements that had a full impact on the gameplay. Never before walking through Kamurocho had been so stimulating by the absence of indoor loading times and the transitions of fighting.
The passion of the story arc contrasts with a scarce secondary content for what we are used to in the modern current. Either by the resources in the graphic engine or by the introduction of full dubbing in each of the secondary frames, the other large part of the Yakuza experience was, in part, compromised. Despite this, its offer offers the quality levels that are required. It was not the dream farewell, but it was a great goodbye.
4th- Yakuza | Yakuza Kiwami, it all started with you
We go to the origins, where it all began. In 2020, 15 years have passed since a Japanese “me against the neighborhood” landed on our consoles. Some time later, the original version (which had an HD remastering on Wii U and PS3, only in Japan) feels difficult today to digest. Not only do we talk about technical tricks to deploy an open world like that, but by the way in which the playable scheme has aged.
Those ghosts dissipated in a remake with all the letters. Yakuza Kiwami arrived in 2018 to completely change the way we reminded him. The record was updated to the engine used during the intergenerational transition between PS3 and PS4, which gave us 60fps and 1080p in the current Sony console. If we had to define it, it would be "a limited experience." It is not the longest Yakuza, nor is it the one with the most content; Everything is compressed to offer direct fun, while establishing a mature narrative. Not to mention the connections with the prequel, Yakuza 0, exclusive to this edition.
3º- Yakuza 2 | Yakuza Kiwami 2, the war between mafias
The rivalry with Ryuji Goda is legendary. The Omi Alliance has always been an obstacle to the interests of the Tojo Clan and the rest of organizations on this side of Japan. Yakuza 2, perhaps by its continuing nature, complements Kiryu's personal life alongside the dispute against Goda, the son of the president of the first in discord. The vertiginous rhythm of the main adventure is one of its hallmarks.
After the release of The Song of Life, the remake of Yakuza 2 benefited from the improved elements of the Dragon Engine, especially in terms of performance. The combat discarded the styles seen in previous installments to adapt to a mixture between the classical and modern aspects. Without forgetting the mini-games, in which the creator of clans and the return of the host club stand out. An area of Osaka is added as unpublished content.
2º- Yakuza 5, in the variety is the taste
One of the criticisms that fly over Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5 is the difficulty in some occasions of following the plot. The jump between characters causes that the plots that shine remain in pause during several hours of game, which balks the narrative set. Of course, there comes a point where all the frames explode at the same time, which leaves a final stretch of authentic vertigo.
It is in the variety where you get your true muscle. In it we can visit up to five different maps: Sotenbori (Osaka), Kamurocho (Tokyo), Kineicho (Nagoya), Nagasugai (Fukuoka) and Tsukimino (Sapporo), each with activities depending on the character we drive. For example, Kiryu could compete in urban circuits in his brand new taxi, while Taiga Saejima could be involved in bear hunting in the middle of a snowy forest. Almost nothing. It is one of the most complete of the entire saga.
1º- Yakuza 0, the brightness of the eighties neon
For us, Yakuza 0 is the best work of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. It is more than a prequel, it is a window in which the faces we have seen for more than a decade are humanized. Goro Majima, an authentic unscrupulous lunatic, is drawn as a person who carries with him the weight of his past. That transition between logic and unreasonableness makes us see him again with different eyes when he returns to his sequels. It also emphasizes the friendship between Akira "Nishiki" and Kiryu-san, a relationship that goes beyond the coldness shown with him in the original.
The amount of side missions, activities and hours of conversation means that it takes more than a hundred hours to complete it. Only the management of the host club and the real estate struggle in Kamurocho can take us more than forty hours. The level of quality at which the study arrived with him is a real madness. A game that enters the top 10 of the present generation.
Special mention: Kenzan! | Ishin!
Can you imagine Kamurocho without asphalt and with the typical Japanese haciendas of the mid-19th century? The spin offs Ryu ga Gotoku: Kenzan! and Ryu ga Gotoku: Ishin! they show an image of the different saga, next to familiar. Although they have not left Japan, there are several step-by-step guides on the internet where to know what to do at all times for all those less showers with the Kanji.
The fighting style is peculiar, since it fuses the combat of katanas with the making of firearms, not to mention fists when the situation requires it. Revolvers and gunpowder rifles are common tools, and in both works we can see several of the beginnings of certain mini-games that would later pass to the main deliveries, such as fishing or the recruitment of warriors in the clan.
Spin offs, between detectives and manga heroes
The Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has had the opportunity to experience away from desktop consoles. During the PSP era, two external projects designed for laptop arrived, such as Kurohyō: Ryū ga Gotoku Shinshō and Kurohyō 2: Ryū ga Gotoku Ashura-hen. Developments that were made in collaboration with Syn Sophia. On the other hand, on PS3 we received Yakuza: Dead Souls, in which the fight of clans was left aside to try to survive the zombie apocalypse. The tanks poked through Kamurocho on that occasion. It was not the best job of the company.
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise followed the roots of the basic formula, although the most acclaimed spin off by its audience has been the newcomer Judgment. The detective adventure is special for several reasons. It is the first title of the study after Yakuza 2 in which the texts are located in Spanish. On the other hand, the creation of a new cast of protagonists served to make the world of organized crime viewed from a completely different point of view, which further enriches the perception of the Yakuza universe.
Next station, Yakuza: Like a Dragon
In the Asian market they already enjoy the new stage led by Ichiban Kasuga. Although his arrival in the West is confirmed at some point in 2020, we still do not know the exact date on which to see how the change of approach feels. Recall that it leaves aside the melee action to be based on a turn-based combat in the purest JRPG style.
Through this link you can check our coverage so far. While PS4 users have the entire franchise, Xbox One users will soon receive Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2, deliveries that are already available on Steam.
