After the poor sales performance of the Japan-exclusive Wii U release of Yakuza 1&2 HD in 2013, it seemed unlikely for over a decade that the Yakuza series (now known internationally by its Japanese moniker, Like a Dragon) would have a future with Nintendo. It wasn't until the worldwide release of Yakuza Kiwami on the original Switch in 2024 that we would finally see this stance revised. With the release of Nintendo Switch 2, SEGA and RGG Studio are putting their best foot forward with a launch day release of Yakuza 0: Director's Cut, an enhanced and expanded version of one of the most well-received titles in the series to date. The end result is one that provides an easily accessible and fantastic experience for newcomers, and one of questionable merit for series veterans.
Yakuza 0 serves as a prequel to Yakuza Kiwami, and takes place in Japan in the late 1980s. In Kamurocho, Kazuma Kiryu finds himself under scrutiny after a salaryman he goes to collect a debt from later turns up dead, and he is the prime suspect for murder. Desperate to prevent his mentor, Kazuma Shintaro, from losing his position in the clan hierarchy, Kiryu embarks on a quest to clear his name. Meanwhile in Sotenbori, Goro Majima is also in a state of desperation, but for an entirely different reason than Kiryu, trying to prove himself after a failed assassination attempt three years prior, which resulted in the death of his sworn brother and himself being exiled to running a Cabaret Club. The opportunity eventually comes along, but not in the way that Majima expected, and it proves to be a far more challenging job than he imagined.
The game takes time to establish its two separate narrative threads with more lengthy cutscenes than interactive gameplay, which can make those earlier hours less engaging. However, after getting through a couple of chapters with each character, Yakuza 0 shapes up to provide two compelling stories that eventually intersect with a series of punchy and dramatic revelations that more than justify the slower-paced moments. The back-and-forth as you swap between Kiryu's and Majima's perspectives then becomes both frustrating and exhilarating, as the switch between them typically happens just as the tension comes to a boiling point with a climactic one-on-one showdown.
The story of Yakuza 0 remains largely unchanged, however a handful of new elements have been added to the Director's Cut to differentiate it from the original title. For starters, a new English dub has been added, which features many of the voice actors from the more recent Like a Dragon titles reprising their roles. This is an excellent option if you've only been playing the games since the soft reboot, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which re-introduced English dubs to the series, or if this is your first game and you'd prefer English audio, although long-time fans will no doubt be relieved to know that the original Japanese audio remains an option.
Around half an hour of new cutscenes have also been added, but this may not be an entirely positive inclusion. The more light-hearted and casual character interactions only serve to add more depth to the already fantastic cast and their relationships with one another, but the Director's Cut also makes several significant retcons to events that rob certain moments of the impact that they had previously if you know how things originally played out. If you're new to the series you'll be largely unaffected by these changes, but fans may find them to be unnecessary at best and detrimental to the overall narrative at worst.
Although the more recent Like a Dragon titles have opted for more traditional turn-based combat, Yakuza 0 was originally released during the time when the series focused on real-time, beat-em-up style combat. As Kiryu or Majima you'll have access to three different fighting styles, which you can (and will often need to) swap between during fights to effectively take down your opponents. Each has its own distinct strengths and weaknesses; for example, Kiryu's Rush style focuses on faster movement at the expense of lighter damage, and as you rack up combos and damage you'll gradually build up the HEAT gauge, allowing for some spectacular finishing moves that completely smash the grounded realism of the plot and put even the most bombastic of shonen anime to shame for their style and over-the-top execution. The dichotomy between the stoicism of Kiryu and Majima and the effortless way in which the game will then allow you to pummel dozens of rank-and-file thugs, or square off against one of the antagonists in a climactic fist-fight, is phenomenally satisfying.
It is entirely possible to play Yakuza 0 without ever exploring its side content, but to do so would only be to experience the tiniest fraction of what the game has to offer. In between story objectives you are free to wander the streets of Kamurocho and Sotenbori to your heart's content, and both districts are densely packed with activities to undertake. There are an absurdly wide variety of minigames, including simple arcade minigames (with frustratingly accurate crane game mechanics), classic rhythm games in karaoke and disco, and running a Cabaret Club and Real Estate Management, which are both mechanically dense enough to be games on their own. None of this is essential to story progression, although the money earned can be invested into combat capabilities, which can make some of the game's tougher battles much easier to manage.
Sub-stories serve as an excellent counterpoint to the more serious and grounded narrative of the main story, frequently thrusting the two protagonists into extremely entertaining and utterly bizarre scenarios; for instance, one of Kiryu's has him coaching a dominatrix who thought taking the job would be the best way to make herself more assertive. Most of them involve running back and forth between places to speak to NPCs, often getting involved in a fight as a result, but each one is unique in its narrative presentation and reveals another more relaxed side to the serious and stoic protagonists that never gets the opportunity to surface as part of the main story.
Another new feature for the Director's Cut is Red Light Raid, in which you'll take on waves of progressively more challenging enemies, either with friends or some CPU allies. Winning will earn you money to unlock new characters to play as, or upgrade ones you've already unlocked, and failure will see you forced to start from the very beginning, making it feel like a classic arcade-style fighting game. Although it becomes repetitive over extended play sessions and may not be particularly appealing to newcomers of the series who don't have friends to play with, the roster of playable characters is a dream come true for series veterans, as it features multiple characters from across the series' history that have never been playable before. If you ever wanted to play as the likes of Akira Nishikiyama, Osamu Kashiwagi, and even antagonists like Daisaku Kuze, now is your chance, and it is just as enjoyable as you would have imagined.
Yakuza 0 Director's Cut has received a modest visual upgrade, with textures and lighting that makes both Kamurocho and Sotenbori feel particularly vibrant, although NPCs stand out slightly as a result, having not received quite the same level of care and attention as the main cast or the surroundings, and there is some pop-in that becomes more noticeable on occasion. More importantly, the game runs at 60FPS throughout with no noticeable drops, which makes a significant difference in combat in particular and keeps animation smooth and responsive.
Yakuza 0 was already regarded as one of the best entries in the series, and the Director's Cut more than lives up to this lofty legacy. Although the story retcons from the new cutscenes may prevent it from being the definitive experience for some long-time fans, Red Light Raid fulfils some idle daydreams of playing as some of the series' better known characters, and the English dub is a welcome addition for those who may have started with more recent titles. For newcomers, there couldn't be a better entry point to the franchise. Whether you're spending hours indulging in minigames, helping citizens with their highly improbable dilemmas, or beating up random delinquents and Yakuza members who accost you on the street for no easily identifiable reason, there is always a good time to be had in the streets of Kamurocho and Sotenbori.
9/10
A copy of Yakuza 0 Director's Cut was provided by SEGA for the purpose of this review
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