#thanks to halcyon for proofreading it for me

[quaddmgd]

Thoughts on Yakuza

I finished the original Yakuza for PS2 with Yakuza Restored re-translation patch I was talking about. I beat the game, including every substory (except hostesses) and Amon. I enjoyed it much more than I originally assumed I would, I had a lot of fun throughout the week, however I can't say it's a must-play PS2 classic, even though I really want it to be. Yet I believe it's a good way to either start your journey with the series or play more of your favorite franchise while you wait for a new game.

First things first, the translation patch is a godsend, without which I wouldn't be able to approach this game seriously. My japanese is non-existent as of now, so the original Ryu Ga Gotoku release wouldn't be for me; on the other side the western translation + dub don't do this game justice, to put it lightly. Ability to play it with english subs more in-line with later games in the franchise, with the original dub, is a dream come true and I can confirm that now, it's writing is on Kiwami level of quality.

This review contains spoilers for Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami. Comparisons to the latter are a big focus throughout this text, so it's mostly for people familiar with the story and the overall structure of either one. This game is a good start for newcomers, especially with the patch, but this review isn't.

Plot

I'm not a fan of the plot of the first game, albeit it was much more bearable now, than when playing Kiwami, just after 0. Judging it as a first game in the franchise was much easier. People that played only Kiwami should feel right at home, and sometimes even better.

Contrary to Kiwami, Yakuza is much more straightforward. Additional Nishiki cutscenes are absent here and his Joker arc will probably raise eyebrows for most. It's not well explained at all and, due to pacing of the story leaving a lot to be desired, most of his motivations are touched upon during the finale. Fortunately, Nishiki is charismatic enough to make a good villain and I enjoyed following his development throughout the game nonetheless.

What's also missing is the entire "get the ring" quest that is forced on the player in Kiwami. Honestly, I'm happy with it being gone, as its inclusion wasn't really done well. I'd love to see those cutscenes, but during my first Kiwami playthrough in 2019 it really confused the heck out of me timeline-wise. My biggest problem with it was, that the gameplay consisted only of rage-inducing fetch quests, that don't have a place in the prologue of such a story-focused game.

I feel like I need to talk about Majima for a bit. No matter if you play the original or Kiwami, his behavior is out-of-place in context of the entire franchise. Playing Yakuza and judging it on its own merit helped me see him as this unpredictable chaotic evil psycho with a questionable motivation. The lack of "Majima Everywhere" works in favor of that feeling, as there are no longer those weird out-of-place pace-breakers, where he pauses the entire plot development to have Kiryu fight with his goofy self from future installments, after which he goes back to being his Yakuza 1 self and almost killing people for no reason (chapter 11 in Kiwami was the worst in that regard). Here, he just diversifies the cast without becoming a nuisance.

Fighting

Before I touch on the gameplay, in need to mention that I played through the game doing every substory as soon as they became available, due to many of them being missable. That being said, I fought Amon in Chapter 11, just before visiting Shangri-La with Haruka. Soon, after visiting the place, I maxed out my skills in the menu and with Komaki.

The biggest issue of Yakuza is its fighting mechanics. Kiryu is really slow, which isn't a problem on it's own, but his inability to lock-on while performing a combo makes it hundred times worse. For the most part I didn't have an issue with that, as most enemies are quite slow (gosh Shimano was so easy in contrast to his Kiwami self), but performing almost any combo on characters that constantly dodge attacks, sends Kiryu punching air. The faster the enemy, the bigger this issue becomes, so for example, both fights with Majima were quite hard to get through. Same goes for enemies with guns, like Arase or Amon. Hell, it's safe to say that most of Amon's difficulty is related to Kiryu's slowness and lack of lock-on in this game.

That being said, most fights weren't a problem, and even those that were, were much easier and more enjoyable than in Kiwami. In the original, enemies don't heal themselves and aren't based off other bosses that made appearance in the franchise starting with PS3 games. I can count the times I died while playing main story on one hand (barely) and went through bosses with ease, including Arase, and even more surprisingly, Jingu - I hated their guts in Kiwami.

Keep in mind, that at any time, Kiryu's skills were as developed as possible, due to me focusing on beating substories over story, while I played Kiwami the opposite way. I am also a big Yakuza 3 apologist, so I don't have an issue with a more technical approach to fighting. I kinda learned how to exploit the weaknesses of most enemies, but dealing with fast enemies was problematic anyway. I can imagine that people that want to just enjoy the story, will encounter some serious difficulty spikes, whenever someone fast appears. That can be a dealbreaker for some and it's the biggest flaw of the game. It's not a good brawler. There were times where I died fighting during substories or random encounters, because my opponent happened to be good at dodging and blocking.

Playing only for the plot could be troublesome in the case of Yakuza. Kiryu doesn't even have his □□□□△ combo until he levels up a bit. Not only that, but this time Komaki won't teach him anything until he levels up quite much, and as always, there are some useful Komaki moves you want to learn. I'm not gonna try it anytime soon, but I reckon doing some of the best substories in the game would improve the overall experience greatly. Fighting in Purgatory helps to level up too.

Substories

By and large, Yakuza's substories are nothing special. Most of them are uninteresting and short. There are some quests that flesh out Kiryu's and Haruka's relationship or help develop him into a better person he becomes in the end. Most of those are in Kiwami too, but there is a caveat.

Yakuza has the biggest amount of substories with animated cutscenes. These are present in Kiwami with an exception of one, that is set entirely in the underground casino (I don't know why they left it out, it has some good implications). Yakuza, though, has a time limit for most of them. After certain points in the story (mainly finishing chapters), the most interesting substories become unavailable. It's a big flaw, obviously, especially that at times there is no mention of them being available (or, in case of "The Truth Behind Fake Mizuki", they are accessible only in-between two consecutive interactions with story characters). The fact that substory locations aren't visible on the map doesn't help; playing with a guide is essential to beat them all, especially if you don't want to fail any.

There are advantages to these substories of course, but I'm really glad they aren't like that in every game. Time-sensitivity is a thing only for the most important quests, and that ensures you play them when developers want you to, even if their availability often isn't conveyed to you at all.

I also loved how many times Kiryu can get scammed when interacting with people on the streets. In general, NPCs Kiryu's interacting with are either unpleasant or someone is being unpleasant to them. Thanks to that, fights that often break out feel more natural and Kamurocho really feels like a place you wouldn't want to be in.

There is one more upside worth of mentioning - there are substories that have animated cutscenes, whereas in Kiwami they don't. Now, there are only two I'm aware of: "The Price of an F-Cup" and "The Truth Behind Fake Mizuki". Both of them being animated like story cutscenes, enhance the weight of stories they want to tell. In the former, Mai goes into a physical contact with Kiryu, they don't just sit and awkwardly look at each other. But it's the attention to the latter that makes it worth mentioning at all. The finale of "Fake Mizuki" is really somber due to what it implies. Where in Kiwami plays a typical sad substory music and there practically no animations, in the original it's fully voiced and animated, with emotions visible on pAres's owner's face with the nightsky and snow falling in the background (the quest is time-sensitive after all), accompanied by a dedicated sorrowful track - finished with nothing but silence and the weight of implications it made.

Graphics and audio

When it comes to visuals, the original impressed me much more than Kiwami. Crowds and the environmental detail are superb for a PS2 game - Kamurocho is simply full of life, even in 2005. I completely understand decisions behind the fixed camera view and splitting Kamurocho into separate zones, even if it means constant loadings between camera cuts. While loading was getting tiresome after fifteen hours, the intended feeling remained.

Even though for the most part locations are comparable, I loved how Tojo Clan HQ looks in the original. Even if it appears only two times, it nails the atmosphere, especially in chapter 3. Contrary to sunny and clean presentation in Kiwami (a good one, I must say), the original adds to the significance of the funeral, with an overcast weather, paths laid out with fallen autumn leaves, covered in a slightly yellow-ish filter that makes it look like it's about to rain. How is it that any time Tojo Clan HQ appears in a RGG Studio game, it becomes my favorite location in that game?

My knowledge on music is non-existent, so I can't really say much about the soundtrack, other than that it's great to listen to and Kiwami's electronic spin on it is quite good too. I prefer the original due to it's use of vocals (I can't remember that well, but Yakuza seems to have more of them) and dirty guitar riffs, that in my view slowly disappeared from the franchise over time. They greatly emphasize the rawness and brutality of the combat.

What I can say, though, is that I love finally hearing original Receive You in the opening and the instrumental version during both Majima fights. I love this track so much, it defines the entire franchise, just as it should. Whenever I hear it, it's instant goosebumps for me.

Is it worth to play now?

From my standpoint, yes! But only in japanese or with Yakuza Restored patch. For the newcomers to the franchise, it's a good way to start, as long as you are ok with janky gameplay. That way you can assist Kiryu, as he and the nature of this series develop. If you're like me and already played through the franchise, but didn't play the original, why not try the game that started it all? It does some things differently than Kiwami; some even better. It's worth keeping in mind that it's a flawed PS2 title, the one to start a still ongoing franchise, but a lot of love has been put into making this game and it shows.

To think that the original western release would put me off for the entire four years since I know this series. Compared to the original version, tonally it's so different and seems out-of-place. I'm so grateful for this patch, so if you're interested, please try it and give some love to the creator.

[quaddmgd]

So I managed to finish that little fic I've been talking about. It's not much, but hey, it's my first since 5 years!

As always, Elegy belongs to @oranzuwu! Thank you for helping me get her dialogue right and proofreading this multiple times for me! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

This fic is a continuation to a post Halcyon made, so make sure to read it first! There's an entire synopsis there!

I might drop it on AO3 when I set it up eventually.

Fic under the cut!

MERCURY

As the door opened, I saw Elegy sitting on the bed, our new bed, possibly for a few days, leaning against the wall. Usually she greets me with a warm smile, but this time I could only see concern. "How are you feeling?" she asked, slightly leaning in my direction. "Better now, thanks. Doc is a cool guy." I responded with a smile, adding "Thank you, for being there for me. I would end up in a hole if it wasn't for you." As she glanced at me, her pretty black eyes filled with care. "What are you talking about? I'd never leave you there." she assured me, as if she knew exactly what's on my mind. It made sense; apart from Misty, she's the only person that fully knows why I parted ways with my family. "Doc left you some clothes and booze, behind you, on the chair. I could fix us some drinks, if you’d like. I know I would." I smiled briefly and broke our eye contact. 

"Sure, but first, I could really use a shower." I moaned in sudden pain while trying to hand-comb my hair with the injured arm. Judging by the change in her raccoon eyes, she took notice, but tried to continue: "Well, help yourself, if you're brave enough. Greasy as fuck, looks like someone flatlined there." She made me chuckle. "I'm sure I've seen worse when I was on the road." After taking the clothes from the chair, I turned towards the bathroom. The automatic door was there, but it was visibly broken. I couldn't move it in either direction. Seeing only half of her face from where I was standing now, I noticed the break in the eye contact. Visibly embarrassed, she looked away, muttering under her breath: "Oh yeah, the door's kinda not working." "Great..." I sighed.

"Shout if you need help with anything."

She had no way of knowing, but she made me smile, even though I'd never let her help me in this state. That being said, I'd love to have her there, at this moment.

The shower allowed me to rethink what happened that night. Blood from the gunshot wound on my arm, flowing with water beneath my feet, made me realize that I was lucky... and that something might've happened to Elegy. Feeling light-headed, I leaned against a cold shower wall and began sliding along. On the ground, I hugged my legs, feeling the warmth of tears building up in my eyes. I knew that thinking about it wouldn't change a thing, but here I was. What mattered was that we were both safe, mostly unharmed, and no one knew where we were. "The moment we leave this shithole, it's a soft reboot." I kept repeating to myself, preparing to get up and finish washing; and so I did, after a minute or two, somehow.

"If you need any help with the bandage, let me know!" her lively voice from behind the wall greeted me, after I left the shower, still trying to fend off the idea of calling her here to see what happens. "Don't worry, I'm good at this myself." I replied. She sounded much less tense than before. I could imagine she wanted us to just relax and keep our minds off what happened.

It was so hot today that I decided to dry up in nothing but underwear. Going back to Elegy, I met with her fond smile, covered by a slightly wiped purple lipstick. I returned it, wondering if she really eyed me up and down right now. "There's a drink with a name of a really brave girl on it." she remarked, pointing at a nightstand, beside which I was supposed to sleep tonight. "Thanks, I need it." I sat on the bed, beside her, and leaned on the same wall.

The raccoon looked me in the eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll keep in touch with guys in the city, we'll know when it's safe to come back. Try to not worry, ok?" "So we're really stuck here for now?" I asked hopelessly, not happy to sleep in a muggy, rundown motel room, filled with a metallic smell of an unknown source. "Mhm." she smiled nervously, looking down on her legs before gazing into my eyes and smiling, as if she just came up with an idea that would drastically improve our look on this situation; "But look, on the other side, we're outta the city, just the way you like. I'll take care of you and make sure you recover asap. Until then, we can sleep all day and order pizza!" I shaked my head, unable to help but smile a bit. I felt the need to snuggle up to her, but I couldn't bring myself to just openly hug her. The anxiety won again. Enjoying my glass of whiskey with coke, I leaned on her, placing my head on her shoulder. It was all I could do, but it was enough.

I was very grateful, not only for what she did today, but for being an awesome person all around. The thought of meeting someone so friendly and trustworthy in this god-forsaken city never would've crossed my mind, yet here we were. The inseparable duo, ever since she found me in the Afterlife, and convinced me that we need each other in order to complete our tasks. But I always struggled with showing emotions, especially since it's not like we know each other for that long.

I eventually let out "Thank you, for everything." to which she took a sip from her glass and smiled. "Don't mention it, C, really. Like I said-" As something on my stomach got her attention, her smile suddenly disappeared. "Something wrong?" I asked, checking myself for any wounds. It was weird. I knew I wasn't shot anywhere else, but what I mistook as shock at the time, made me doubt myself. She started moving her index finger across the scar on my stomach; "You weren't joking... that it's not your first time." I didn't know if I should tell her to stop. It felt weird, tingly, but her gestures were full of care... concern. I didn't understand what was going on. "Uhh... Yeah, I've... been shot before." were the only words I managed to gawk out.

“And you’ve been worse.” As she was busy examining my scars, moving on to the one above my bust, I locked my eyes on her beautiful face. I was scared of screwing up our friendship, but I couldn't resist touching her. I delicately stroked her cheek. That's when she looked me in the eyes for about three seconds, pulled me by my shoulders, and suddenly kissed me. The warmth of her lips intoxicated me. She stopped to say, her voice quiet and tender: "Please take care of yourself, I can't afford to lose you." after which I returned the kiss, feeling both happiness and fear that I'll do something wrong and lose her.