Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Demo – Thoughts and Impressions

Thoughts on the demo released for Yakuza 6. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life has its demo released on PS4. Here are my thoughts on it.

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Demo - Thoughts and Impressions

Story

I was very pleased by the main menu when I saw the "memories" option. Upon clicking it, there was a text recap of the events that happened in each Yakuza in rather good detail. I'm going to read over it all again to make sure I've got my story straight, but that was a very neat inclusion that many who plan to buy the game will appreciate.

The demo was very cutscene-heavy. This is both a positive and a negative. It's really nice to see how fleshed out the story is, although sometimes one does get the itch to get the action going again. The story was a to more poignant than I could've imagined from a game about what is essentially the Japanese mafia. It was less about gang crime and more about a man trying to live a better life. Kazuma Kiryu's interactions with Haruka and those living at Morning Glory in Okinawa, an orphanage opened by him as a fellow orphan, were very heartwarming and almost heartbreaking. Seeing all the tears that were shed for Uncle Kaz (which I love because "Kaz" is "Zak" backwards) really tugged on my heart strings. Seeing Kazuma feed Haruka's baby was also a sweet scene.

Of course, he was also a total badass in how he destroyed that random thug at the beginning who knocked his drink into the wall. Kazuma is also an honorable man, not opting for the easy option of getting out of jail with a decent lawyer because he wants to use those three years to reflect on his actions and leave with a clear conscience. He wants to be worthy of being a father figure to Haruka, and doesn't want people to be embarrassed for feeling like he's family.

Gameplay

The gameplay in the Yakuza series has always seemed very exhilarating. The flurry of fists make you feel like saying "omae wa mo shinderu". Combat is fluid and responsive; flashy and fun. Combats are easy enough to pull off but with enough complexity and variety to feel rewarding. Exploration is linear but the lively Japanese streets give it a vibrance reminiscent of Persona 5. On the whole the game feels a lot like an action-oriented Persona game, albeit with a more realistic art style and less flashy menus. It was annoying how I had to avoid running to lessen the likelihood of mince meat gangs approaching me to get schooled, but I found satisfaction in discovering that walking into shops prevents pursuit and hiding until the gang is gone is a viable tactic. The extraction of information around the city encourages exploration of an actually rather wide and dense area. I love what I've played so far. The demo has so much content in it that I actually haven't even finished it yet.

I look forward to playing the game when it releases this 17 April 2018.

1 Comment

  1. Avatar photo

    Sounds like a fab game. Can’t wait for its release.

    Reply

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