Yakuza 6 The Song of Life Review

You are marked by life and wear scars on your soul. People do not have to ask you if you ever laugh, because they know you. They know that a smile on your face is a rare commodity. Moreover, you are not called the Dragon of Dojima for nothing and dragons do not laugh. They spit fire! In Yakuza 6, the last part of a long-running compelling series, we see how our favorite dragon once again fiercely pulls out to put his smile on the face of his loved ones. Get ready for the Yakuza 6 review!

Foreword: the main character of the Yakuza series is Kazuma Kiryu. A young girl he brought up is called Haruka.

In the land of the rising sun, Yakuza 6 has been out for a good two years. For gamers, life does not always feel fair. Yes, we are served with great titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Tekken, but if you want a combination of these, it will be too niche and you can wait 'fine' for a few years for such a title. Incomprehensible.

As we pointed out earlier, there is one series that undoubtedly deserves more attention and that is the Yakuza series. Yakuza 6 is a treasure of unprecedented splendor as will become clear in this Yakuza 6 review.

Little girls grow up

Now this will not be a surprise for fans of the Japanese mafia series. They are eagerly awaiting the final chord by main character Kazuma Kiryu. The layman probably thinks now: I stop reading, I have nothing with Japanese games and never played a Yakuza game before. I would like to appeal to all these people: do not draw conclusions too quickly and read on. Because this Yakuza 6 review is at least as important for newcomers.

Of course you will miss some background information if you only start this part, but one thing you have to know and that is that Yakuza 6 can be played without problems (!) By beginners. Not only because there is an 'easy' stand, but especially because the game is a brand new story and the relationships with a few other acquaintances in the long-term prologue are carefully highlighted. You can also start reminders of the previous parts via the main menu.

Logically Yakuza 6 follows the story of Yakuza 5. Kiryu is now 44 years old and is in the hospital, which is the result of the end of Yakuza 5. The focus is not on that. Clearly a fresh start is made for a completely unique story line in this Yakuza 6 game.

In the prologue we follow Haruka, an 18-year-old woman (fans of the series still know this girl when she was a small uk in the first Yakuza game). She has become a pop star, but life is like a dime on his side. All positive attention in the media changes as soon as Haruka is exposed to the buttocks and says she was raised by a former Yakuza member, namely you: Kiryu!

Kiryu does everything he can to protect Haruka whom he regards as his own daughter. He also feels responsible for all children in the orphanage Morning Glory, which he manages. So instead of hiring a lawyer, he decides to voluntarily charge the police to serve a prison sentence for criminal acts of the past.

Something that immediately leads to a tearful moment in the prologue, as soon as Haruka visits Kiryu. Keep the tissues on hand. Because what is striking is that the dialogues are immediately of unprecedented sharpness and appropriate music is used for every scene to touch all emotions. If you do not get hit with the accompanying piano music in the intro, you can immediately put Yakuza 6 aside. That is one thing that is certain.

Crawling in Kiryu's skin

Anyway, Kiryu is well-behaved and eagerly returns to Morning Glory after a few years. You guessed it: the fence is from the dam, because Haruka disappeared without a trace. From then on, a brand new adventure starts that Yakuza 6 is called. 13 long chapters you become the protagonist of a film in which you experience what it is like to protect your loved ones, in which you can go on top of the fist with various Mafia members and taste how acidic revenge is.

A taste that is mixed with the clotting blood in your veins. Because what will you often be put to the test in Yakuza 6 The Song of Life. Nothing is what it seems and everyone seems to be using a double agenda. Who can you still trust and who can not?

Yakuza 6 takes you to two areas; Kamarucho in Tokyo and Hiroshima. What is unfortunate is that you are bound to the story you have to go to exactly. You never have the freedom to decide which folder you are exploring. It is also striking that the map is small, especially that of Hiroshima. All similar to the earlier Yakuza games, but secretly you hope in the last grand finale that there is great unpacked. That certainly happens, but not in this area.

Still dangerous

What unpacks is the story and all the dialogues that support that story. In the final minutes The Song of Life is pushed to a tear-stretching level. Kiryu may no longer officially be a Yakuza member, all Mafia gangs and members regard him as such and both in Tokyo and in Hiroshima it is both big war and chaos. It is then clear that Kiryu will not come off unscathed, nor does he have to get his hands dirty.

Moreover, the disappearance of Haruka is only a small drop on a glowing plate. If you think you've seen everything in terms of story and plot, one mindfuck comes after another. All those twists make Yakuza 6 unprecedented.

In terms of gameplay, this means that for Kiryu a lot of people will have to chat with people and have to fist a lot. People with whom you have just drunk a drink can be introduced to the knuckles of your fist. Or as Josylvio raps "Your best mattie can be a thief", because that is what makes Yakuza 6 so strong: serving on a not yet golden tray of an excellent story!

One in which there is a lot of room for brawls. The fight system of Zero and Kiwami are on the shovel this time. No longer do you choose a type of fighting style, but you set points that you can use in various areas, such as your health and your heat gauge. That works great and with the new Dragon engine, Yakuza 6 looks great too. Although you do not get the pomp and circumstance as some other games, the engine provides an improvement compared to the previous Yakuza games.

Enough to do!

The variation in Yakuza 6 is large. Just like in previous parts, you can also entertain yourself with various mini-games to get away from the main story. Think of playing various SEGA games or karaoke. Moreover, Kiryu can pump his muscles even further by doing work-outs in the gym. And new are several Trouble missions where you can offer an excellent hand to small chores on your phone, where you can now view everything. Is there a man hanging somewhere in a building? Then help him. Who knows, maybe your karma is heading in the right direction, since you have given dozens of gangs a ticket to hell.

You can also let your clan fight later in strategic battles. Something that is not a necessary good for the main story. But that goes for all these things that have just been mentioned. It is not necessary, but it is allowed! Despite small areas, Yakuza 6 is rich with a lot of content.

Only when you take that mix of main story, side missions, minigames and later fighting in your clan, will you be able to get the bottom out of this Japanese topper. If you only focus on the main story, you can be tricked out a little bit, which has to do with it because the story gets too slow.

Conclusion

Although Kiryu is anything but good. He will do everything he can to find and protect Haruka with his life. Whether it actually costs him life, you will have to experience next month if the game is on the shelves. We say one thing: are you looking for a game where you can kick a lot of ass and where several people cheat each other 24/7, then Yakuza 6 is your game.
Nobody is your friend and any closed friendship can be temporary. It all in all means that Kiryu almost has to put his eyes in his back pockets, because is there ever a moment when he will not have to fight? Not that we are dirty about that. Because once he takes off his shirt and the tattoo - a big dragon - becomes visible on his back, one thing is certain and that is Kiryu screams for attention. He wants to be heard. And that works. Kiryu, you're a hero. Thanks for all the beautiful years.

The Plus and Minus Points

✔ Wonderful ending
✔ Emotional twists
✖ Could have liked something bigger
✖ Story is getting very slow
✖ Big spectacle could start earlier

Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!

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Yakuza 6 The Song of Life Review - On fire!