I’ve been making a start on Yakuza 5 alongside the other stuff I’ve been playing recently. I’d put off starting this one after playing Yakuza 0 up to Yakuza 4 pretty much back-to-back (and playing Kiwami and Kiwami 2 in place of the original PS2 games, and the PS4 remasters of 3 and 4) because I knew this one was the largest and most ambitious of the PS3-era games in the series.
One of the nice things about Yakuza games, though, is that they’re quite “dip” friendly, particularly if you’re the sort of person who likes to enjoy the side activities before moving the main story along. It’s perfectly enjoyable to play Yakuza 5 for an evening, not move the main plot along at all but still feel like some meaningful “progress” has been made.
Unlike its immediate predecessor, Yakuza 5 opens with you playing as main series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, though following all the shit he’s put up with over the course of the previous five games, he’s now hanging out in Fukuoka under a pseudonym and driving a taxi for a living. As you might expect, this translates to a number of significant things in gameplay terms.
Because yes, Kiryu working as a taxi driver isn’t just for show; you have the option of engaging directly with his job. And his work in the taxis takes several forms, which is rather fun: regular taxi jobs demand that you drive sensibly and carefully, while “race” missions allow you to let loose on the highway while Kiryu attempts to take down some street racing gangs. The former types of job have quite realistic handling; you have to take care not to accelerate or brake too sharply, ensure you indicate to go around corners and try not to hit anything. By contrast, pretty much anything goes in the race missions, which are distinctly arcadey in execution — to such a degree that you have a boost that leaves trails of blue flames, and “Heat Actions” that can be used at various points on the course for silly, cinematic events that usually put you at an advantage over your opponent.
Outside of that, it’s business as usual for the Yakuza series, with this game once again being set a few years later than the previous one, now bringing us into the 2010s. You can go out, eat food, get drunk, play darts, play Virtua Fighter, hang out at cabaret clubs and chat up hostesses, get into street fights and pick up trash for the good of the community. The main plot has something about Daigo Dojima going missing but honestly I haven’t moved this along at all other than to get Kiryu into a position where I can do the taxi missions.
And, of course, there are substories aplenty to discover, ranging from the simple to the absurd. One thing I’ve always liked about Yakuza is that it recognises how it’s a video game, and thus it isn’t afraid to be very, very silly at times; it juxtaposes this silliness with the rather serious nature of the main narratives, and it’s always very effective. It’s a reminder that people are complex, and even someone as stern-faced as Kiryu has a more light-hearted side that he enjoys indulging at times.
Anyway, as I say, I’m not that far into the game as a whole as yet, but I’m enjoying what I’ve played so far. I’m looking forward to getting the opportunity to soup up Kiryu’s taxi a bit… I get the impression it’s going to be necessary to clear some of the later racing missions.
For now, though, it’s after midnight so I should probably sleep. Probably. Except you and I both know I’m probably going to watch an episode of Deep Space Nine first.
Want to read my thoughts on various video games, visual novels and other popular culture things? Stop by MoeGamer.net, my site for all things fun where I am generally a lot more cheerful. And if you fancy watching some vids on classic games, drop by my YouTube channel.
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