Yakuza 4 Remastered

Clanky combat compared to the Kiwami remakes but I found it better in its own way because I had to really strategize to beat enemies - it was a real challenge at many points. In the beginning I wasn't very into it. It felt and looked old with not much clear direction plot wise but after sinking a few hours into it I couldn't stop playing once again. These games are really good at building a foundation to stay hooked if you give it some time and the story was really cool when the plot started to thicken so to speak. Without spoiling anything it really put time into understanding the main characters; their strengths, motives, weaknesses and making them all different - adding something special to the bigger picture to make me really care about what happens. Whilst being the 5th game I've played in this franchise it still managed to surprise me and exceed my expectations. Great game.

The Yakuza 4 are iconic, if you are already invested in the series enough to get to the forth entry, you're gonna see it through. The plot is a step up from 3 and followable, but also has one of the dumbest plot reveals in not just the series but all of fiction I believe but the memes because if it are glorious. The fact that RGG put 4 characters in and actually made them all play differently is wonderful, even if it does reduce the difficulty compared to others in the series because progression is spread across four characters but that's not a critque, just an observation. It has a single scene that certainly has not aged well, but other than that the game is fun and I wouldn't change the majority of it for the world. Except the hostess and fighter maker. *** the hostess and fighter maker.

Coming from Kiwami 3's retcons you'll probably be slightly confused like I was but it's not too bad. Regardless, it's an alright plot that does get a little convoluted at times, even more so than the previous entries'. The gameplay is really top-notch and there's whole bunch of heat actions spread across the four playable characters. In a way I did dislike having to learn new movesets and worrying about leveling up everybody but at least it kept the game fresh. I personally prefer what Dragon Engine has to offer in terms of combat but Yakuza 4's is easily the best from the old engine, very satisfying. The gripes I have about the game are that some sections were absolute slogs to get through and the final boss is *** atrocious. I also thought the side content in this game was some of the weakest in the series which is why I barely have any playtime. Gameplay-wise I think the game is really fun which is possibly what most people are after when it comes to similar games but in terms of story, side content and general enjoyability it's probably the weakest in the series so far. A solid 7/10, worth it to continue the saga.