Yakuza Zero review: A combative, rich origins

When people think of SEGA, they usually think of a certain blue hedgehog that runs super fast. But that’s not entirely SEGA’s history. There are very few franchises that do manage to live up to Sonic’s legacy, and one of those franchises is Yakuza. Yakuza is a 3D beat 'em up extravaganza that tells the story of a man named Kazuma Kiryu, and this game, Yakuza Zero, is the origin story of how everything came to be.

Taking place in the tail end of 1988 in the fictional prefecture of Kamurocho, Tokyo (based on the real-life Kabukicho), it tells the tale of yakuza newbie Kazuma Kiryu as he tries to uncover why he was framed for murder by going off the grid by being a real estate manager by a strange man named Tachibana. Uncovering many different reveals of the yakuza organization he devoted his young life to, from betrayals to mysteries lining up, all to claim something known as the Empty Lot. At the same time, Sotenbori, Osaka (based on the real-life Dotonbori), showcases the tale of another eventual fan favorite yakuza: Goro Majima, as he’s currently trapped in the town to work off a debt. He too uncovers secrets, betrayals, a love interest, and more that also seems to connect to the Empty Lot. I like how despite the different paths these two take, they both end up fighting for the truth of the Empty Lot, which is a nice symbolism in on itself.

 

The combat in this game is pretty wild from even a normal standpoint where Kiryu or Majima (depending on who you’re controlling at the moment) can bash, smash, and beat down their opponents who try to think they can take these two up-and-coming legends down using 4 unique fighting styles for each protagonist. While Kiryu relies on his own two hands to get the job done using Rush, Brawler, Beast, and Dragon styles, Majima loves to use his baseball bat or trusty knife to finish the job with Thug, Breaker, Slugger, and Mad Dog styles. Plus, depending on how the fight goes, you can activate an array of heat actions that change the tide of battle, whether stepping on your opponent’s face, throwing them into a river, or beating them relentlessly with a wooden rod. All of these, plus about a hundred more, are the many heat actions to help spice up your fighting style. Plus, due to this game taking place during Japan’s Bubble period, you receive a ton of cash from doing certain things, accumulating over a hundred billion yen like it’s nothing. If there's one thing Yakuza can be reliant on is how accurate the game’s year is from sayings to some important historical events. 

 

While not in combat, you can traverse through Kamurocho as Kiryu, and Sotenbori as Majima, and explore all the amazing things you can do that are not fighting. Some of these include going into arcades and playing some retro classics from SEGA’s library and claw machines, going golfing, bowling, and hitting the batting cages, learning how to play shogi and mahjong, discovering fine dining, and accidentally getting involved in people’s wacky shenanigans through the game’s substory missions, which can range from hilarious, to heartwarming, to even just plain weird. And the towns themselves are pretty on their own, especially at night when the lights shine bright. Personally, I got lost a few times exploring the cities, not because they're too big, but because they provide a ton of side stuff to do that can take up people's time for hours or even tens of hours. 

 

The biggest minigames, however, have to be the Realestate Story for Kiryu and the Hostess Club story for Majima, which does take up a lot of time overall, even more than the other minigames combined. They take alot of strategy to complete, so it’s not something to brute force through. With Kiryu’s side, the Real Estate part, you effectively need to buy out the different places all over Kamurocho in order to take down the 5 kings that are ruling over the city with money-gripped fists. While in Majima’s side, the Hostess Club minigame, you’re trying to build up a run-down Hostess Club to become the best club in all of Sotenbori, complete with new hostesses to recruit, rivals to compete against, and a real test of time management that keeps you on your toes. 

 

While this game does have alot of fun under its massive belt, there are some things that could have been done better, like the combat felt a bit janky at times. And not the fun jank, either. But from a game that came out in 2015, this wasn't exactly a bad thing. There’s room to improve, yes, but it's still weird regardless. Plus, even though it’s accurate to the era of the game, you still make a lot of money, and you could effectively buy out everything in every shop out there, from food to healing and even makeshift weapons and other goodies. 

 

Overall, Yakuza Zero is an incredible experience fighting through the streets of Kamurocho and Sotenbori, acting as the 10th year anniversary of the franchise. 10 years later, it still holds up as a damn fine game about trust and betrayal, love and loss, and the origins of two of the most iconic men in Japan’s underworld. Is the game perfect? Nah, it could use some work here and there. Is the game fun? Hell yeah, it is. Will I keep going with the rest of the franchise? You bet I will.

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8.5/10