Yakuza Kiwami follows hot on the heels of the prequal and save for a much more compact narrative nothing is drastically different and that's perfect. Yakuza is still the undisputed king of punching bad people in the face very hard and with more Yakuza games potentially on the horizon, it's never been a better time to flex Kiryu's muscles.
This is a game with a long, arcing story that takes some awkward, colourful teens through their turbulent teenage years with a fun and vibrant world to explore, charming characters to befriend and a turn-based combat system with a surprising amount of depth once you look beneath the surface.
As a bit of a fan, I was fascinated by some of the insights in the developer’s commentary, and content like this elevates Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour above being just another remake.
Working out the real from the fake, the safe from the damaging is all just part of the game’s mystique, and [hackmud] is almost entirely player driven; nearly everything has been built by other players
It's simple, but simplicity can be handled in a classy way and I think that Soul Axiom does a great job with something pretty barebones
The actual world of Monumental, thankfully, seems like its one saving grace
Punch Club looks colourful, atmospheric and gorgeous. It's almost like playing an 80's cartoon approximation of Rocky
Getting into a fight in Hard West feels more like a subtle, silent standoff, waiting for your enemy to slip up… it definitely nails a kind of silent, nail biting tension that I think is definitely missing in most games
Swinging a weapon in this game is about as action packed as watching a plastic bag whisk itself around a car park, and about as floaty too
Played at the right time in the evening, you'll get the right mix of dark visuals blending in with the beautiful, contemplative soundtrack that accompanies the game… it makes being a little spider feel like an existential, out-of-body trip
The combat scenarios are where the game really shines… each skirmish will feel like a grand scene from Gladiator with some turn-based RPG skills thrown into the mix
Certain scenarios will test your morals by forcing unfair economic sanctions or an overabundance of bad ingredients on you, all designed to test how easily you slip to the dark side