I can't think of too much in terms of side stories that stood out in Kiwami, though I did like a lot of the Majima everywhere stuff (especially Goromi), and one of the two hostess stories (the one regarding the lesbian hostess and Kiryu becoming friends).
My absolute favourite is probably the Shoreh Pippi cult sidequest with Majima, but Pretending to be the boyfriend, doll girl, hanging out with Mr Libido, Teaching the hardcore band how to actually be hardcore, Shrink Wrapped Heaven and Kiryu learning to be a film producer are great in Zero. Though there's still some fun ones in there. My fave game with sub-stories is definitely Zero so far, probably since of the games I've played it's the latest 'iteration' with Kiwami 1 and 2 being based mostly on Yakuza 1 and 2. Although it does result in Kiryu (usually Kiryu) getting scammed a bunch. perhaps not more natural, but more exploratory and feel more like our hapless protagonist (whoever they might be) is getting pulled into something almost against their will. The fact that you stumble into them while you're just wandering the street is one of the things I've really come to love about the franchise because it makes everything seem. Sidequests by another name, they range in complexity and effort from simple beatdowns or minigames to fully fledged scripted stories. just be nice I guess?Īnyway Yakuza is a great overwrought melodramatic crime drama with guns and badasses and people ripping off three layers of clothing with one dramatic arm swing but what I really love in these games are the sub stories.
Next up for me is Judgment, but I’m looking forward to continuing the main Yakuza series as well.To start with I've only finished Zero, Kiwami and Kiwami 2, but this won't be much of a topic if it's riddled with spoiler tags, so. It might not have been as amazing as Yakuza 0, but it’s still a pretty awesome game with exciting moments and fun characters. With only one main character and a simpler story, Yakuza Kiwami took me about 45 hours to finish. It took me a while to get used to his personality compared to how he acted in 0, but now that I have, I’m tempted to say I might like this Majima better. There were times when I’d think about how I didn’t like Kiwami as much, but then Majima would do something so absurd it was pure joy. While it can get annoying to fight Majima so often, especially when you’re trying to do something, there were so many strange and hilarious moments tied to the Majima Everywhere storyline, I loved it. This was one of the shining highlights of the game.
Yakuza Kiwami also has a new feature called Majima Everywhere, in which Majima can pop up… well, everywhere… and make you fight him. Similar to how it worked in the prequel, you’ll get into random battles around the city, fight enemies in an action combat system using four different combat styles and/or weapons, and earn experience (yen is separate from experience this time) to increase your stats and learn new skills. It has many of the same mini-games as well, some even improved what was found in 0 (most notably MesuKing, which takes the broken Catfight mini-game and makes it much more playable). The substories disappointed me a little, especially since a lot of them were just variations on someone trying to scam Kiryu, but some of the others have shout-outs and nods to substories I remembered from Yakuza 0. Once again, there are plenty of substories (side quests) and mini-games.
It has a sense of mystery to it (although it felt strangely like an action movie by the end) and once again I fell in love with the characters. The story isn’t quite as intense and epic as in 0, but it’s still a good story in its own right. After serving time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Kiryu comes back to find that many things have changed, and he soon finds himself caught up in a mystery surrounding a little girl named Haruka and 10 billion missing yen. Unlike 0, which had two playable characters, Kiwami follows Kiryu as the sole main protagonist.
So after taking a break to not burn out on the formula, I moved on and played the first game’s remake, Yakuza Kiwami. That’s how I felt after finishing Yakuza 0, a game that took me completely by surprise last year by becoming one of my favorites. Have you ever started a series where even though you’ve only played one, you already know you want them all?