Yakuza 0 (Xbox One) Review

Its 1988, the economy in Japan is booming and every mob family in the region is desperate for a seemingly innocuous vacant lot in the seedy district of Kamurocho. Just what is it about this space that makes it such a crucial piece of real estate? Long-time players of the series will know that the area is the future location of the Millennium Tower; a hot spot for climactic shirtless battles.

The action has always been very simple and easy to learn. In Yakuza 0, both protagonists have basic combos, and each have three distinct fighting styles (with a secret fourth one) that breathe a great deal of variety into the brawls. Money is literally power in Yakuza 0, and is what is used to unlock the abilities for both Majima and Kiryu. The money system has proven to be one of the most effective experience systems for the franchise. When money and experience points are one and the same, suddenly players are going to be more thoughtful about what they are going to do with it. There is more to consider when choosing to upgrade stats, learning a technique or choosing to eat a steak.

Most of the time, people who first discover the Yakuza games will be drawn to the brawler, beat 'em up action with RPG elements. Little do they realize that the excellent gameplay becomes secondary to an incredibly rich story. It is hard to not get sucked into this criminal epic of intrigue and big men doing big brutal heat moves. Yakuza 0 is especially epic with a length that draws close to being 100 hours long. There so much to see and do, and to try to reach 100% completion just might make that hour counter hit 200 hours. That is a lot of yen to beat out of guys.

Gaudy excess and double crosses are concepts that no crime story should lack. Yakuza 0 is a rare anima that takes it to another level, and a lot of that has to do with its style. Sometimes things can be downright hilarious with absurdist dialogue and outlandish characters like the gyrating Mr. Libido. Other times, the story can get really serious and intense when it has to. Yakuza 0 somehow manages to always effortlessly walk this fine line of dramatic intrigue and outrageous shenanigans, and the illusion never breaks.

Since Yakuza 0 is such an epic story with so much content, the boys at SEGA eventually had to find things to compromise to realistically get everything in this game. There are about three or four different varieties of cut-scenes. There is the high production value kind with elaborate camera movement, motion capture and highly detailed facial animation. Sometimes there are some really low budget cut-scenes where voice over is used over barely animated character models, with a very hazy looking filter. The most common cut corner is those scenes that use very basic animations with a few voice clips and text. It is a fair compromise to make up for the fact that the team did not want to lose any story beats they felt were crucial and chose to be smart and economic instead of compromising their vision.

It truly is a miracle how confidently Yakuza 0 tells its more serious moments, while at the same time, the protagonist can run a real estate firm with a chicken. This is utterly fearless in embracing some stories that no sane person would ever think to put in a gritty crime drama about rivalling mafias that fight for the control of a few blocks. In lesser hands, this would be an embarrassing piece of schlock like Saints Row IV. In spite of how ridiculous some of the events may unfold, Yakuza 0 conducts itself with class and charisma, and a lot of it is owed to the deftly written characters.

Throughout Yakuza 0, Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima alternate as playable characters. Since this is a prequel, the story depicts these men in a very different light than veterans would expect. Xbox One players get a unique opportunity to see these men grow in a way long-time fans will never understand. Before Goro Majima was known as The Mad Dog of Shimano, he was a cool-headed gentlemen's club host. Not having prior knowledge of how this quirky, yet level-headed guy becomes one of the craziest and ruthless gangsters in Kamurocho, is a special perspective opportunity.

Kiryu is a much less refined thug at the start of Yakuza 0. His brutal and eager fighting style says so much about how immature he is. There is a sloppiness to his moves that suggest he never holds back, and that he is being pragmatic in how he busts some goon's skull. He is a young man with a lot to prove, since his superiors like the stubborn Daisaku Kuze or bullish Hiroki Awano decide to make him a fall-guy for their scheme. All these men do is fight and conspire for more power. What makes it so compelling is how all these figures interact with each other.

When Majima or Kiryu aren't fighting, they can enjoy some amusing mini-games. The series staple of arcade SEGA ports like Space Harrier are par for the course, and the boys could always take some time to do some disco or karaoke. What makes Yakuza 0 really different from past entries with its side content, is the character specific mini-games. Kiryu has a real estate tycoon sim to manage, and can even get involved with a surprisingly deep pocket circuit racing; complete with various parts to collect and upgrade.

Majima lucks out, and gets the most complex and intricate side activity the series has ever had: a cabaret club management sim. Not only is headhunting quality hostesses a journey in itself, Majima also has to outfit each of his girls with their appropriate style that runs deep. Hair, make-up, jewellery, and even minutia like their contacts all matter. Compounded with having to also train these women, there is the mini-game itself, which requires the player having to direct hostesses to the right customer, all of whom have their specific needs. This could have been an entire game in itself, but in Yakuza 0 it is a small piece to a much grander tapestry to make the world feel more real.

Yakuza 0 was the last entry to use the old engine before the change to Dragon. This was a game designed to run on PlayStation 3 specs, after all. While the west would never see that version, the PlayStation 4 port managed to be dazzling. The limitations of the old hardware were no longer a factor anymore, therefore Yakuza 0 not only could look more sharp, but also runt at a silky-smooth 60 frames per second. It was not entirely perfect, and some of these old flaws carried over onto this new Xbox One conversion, however.

The most egregious flaw from the PlayStation 4 version is still present in Xbox One and its X counterpart: low detail asset culling. Even on the most powerful eighth generation console, Yakuza 0's low poly models are drawn in at very close range. It is too bad that this was not addressed for the Xbox One X; this could have been the definitive way to experience one of this generation's greatest crime dramas.