The Yakuza franchise from Ryu-Ga-Gotoku studios is currently enjoying a much deserved revival in the West. Right from early games like Yakuza 0 and Ishin : Like A Dragon that went under the radar at their original launch; to new releases like Yakuza : Like A Dragon and Like A Dragon : Infinite Wealth now regularly find their place in lists for top games of the year, best RPGs, best open worlds and so on. In fact, the Yakuza games (and by Yakuza games we mean all the numbered titles in the franchise, the Judgment series and Like A Dragon series) collectively work out to some 14 games with an average Metacritic score of 81 – I doubt there would be any other franchise that comes anywhere close to this level of consistently high scores, across so many titles. So, clearly they are doing a lot of things right that are loved by both critics and gamers. Lets look at what makes Yakuza games so good!
Rich & Layered Storyline
The strongest pillar for all Yakuza games is that all of them, without exception, have gripping stories to tell. There are (very) long cut scenes that set up the main plot : in fact, for the first hour and a half or so for the games, you would not have much to do at all with the controller, as the introductory set of cut scenes lay out the story elements quite leisurely but deliberately – akin to watching a movie. Over the next 25-30 hours of gameplay, there are twists, characters that backstab, there are redemption arcs for other characters and everything gets put up with flashy camera angles in dramatic fashion accompanied by suitably grand music.
Fully Fleshed Out Character Cast
Takayuki Yagami. Masaharu Kaito. Sakamoto Ryoma. Goro Majima. Ichiban Kasuga. Kazuma Kiryu. Go to any person who has played the Yakuza games, and these names will have a fond (and instant) recollection. And that is simply because the Yakuza games consistently deliver a protagonist that is just impossible not to like – be it the Sakamoto Ryoma with an enduring moral compass, or the laconic Kazuma Kiryu or the exuberant and always-optimistic Ichiban Kasuga : each of them fits into the rich story lines for the games just perfectly. And not just the protagonists – all supporting characters get their moments to shine in these games, and are often pivotal to the events and twists that run through the plot.
Dense & Realistic World-building
The worlds of Yakuza are very different from a typical western RPG : rather than spread over 1000 planets or entire countries but empty and nothing happening much while going from point A to point B; over here – most of the games are based in one small city or an area within the city, but always giving an impression of a lived in city : There will be garbage strewn about in certain downtrodden areas of the city, people will be moving about doing their work, there will be conversations that you can listen on, cafes will have people sitting and having coffee – it all feels very natural and very organic – almost equal to a very good simulation of an existing city. And these are consistent across games. There are brands and shop locations and shopping complexes that stay uniform and constant across games that are set in the same city – nothing is more comforting than booting up a new game and knowing exactly where is the nearest Poppo’s (the in-game convenience stores chain) to get some quick health items; or a Smile Burger or a Paradise VR Mall.
Right Amount of Goofiness & Engaging Sidequests
And, in the richly detailed world that I talked about above; there are an unbelievable number of distractions that almost guarantee that your movement from Point A to Point B will not be complete without being tempted to go to Points C, D, E and more!. These side quests are among the funniest and goofiest ones that you could possibly come across in any game. You could end up helping a certain ‘Miracle Johnson’ to shoot his way through zombies (referencing the Thriller video), or be tasked to find out more about ‘Arachnid Man’ who turns out to be anything but a superhero. Not to mention the several marked side activities – from baseball practice to drone racing : these serve as the perfect way to cool things down after a particularly intense sequence or main plot reveal
Fun Combat Systems
The easy but engaging combat mechanics in these games ensure that there is no dull moment. Certain neat mechanics like the heat gauge for Yakuza and Judgment games; the gun + sword combo options in Ishin : Like A Dragon; or the super fun but surprisingly intricate turn-based system introduced in Like A Dragon and Infinite Wealth games ensure that beating up the bad guys (and you will be doing plenty of that) is flashy and satisfying.
So there you have it .. why Yakuza is one of the best video game series of all times. We have also put up one of the Yakuza games that came out this year into our list of best games for 2024. Do let us know if you agree with the list, or there are other games that should have been included!
