Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Reviews
Because Yakuza 6 spends so much time tying the story into knots, a strong villain never emerges.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is a must-play for long-time fans wanting to see how Kazuma Kiryu’s story ends. The game was released on more powerful hardware and brought the series up to a new generation’s standards. It does the same with this PC release, but sadly much of what held it back narratively before is still present today.
Kiryu's final chapter is a beautiful one that has its heart in the right place, but feels slightly let down quite likely due to the new engine not allowing the developers the time they required to flesh out other areas such as the battle system and sections of Kamurocho. Despite slipping in parts, though, Yakuza 6 recovers with a compelling and intricately woven narrative featuring an appealing cast, rounded off with the side distractions expected of an entry in this series. This is an emotional sayonara to Kazuma Kiryu that may not have been all it could have been, but serves up a fine game befitting the Yakuza name.
When it comes to actually playing the game, Yakuza 6 is a bit more bland, a bit sparser with content, and frankly a bit dated with its problematic choices.
The Dragon of Dojima returns for one more adventure, with the stakes higher and more personal than ever in this touching farewell to a Yakuza legend. With a tale that closes the book on a long-running saga, Kiryu's farewell results in a story that is as satisfying to watch as its gameplay is as underwhelming to consume.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life brings a satisfying end to Kazuma Kiryu's story, but it's not quite the send off I expected. Between its convoluted systems and cut content, it didn't feel like the saga ended with a roar, but with a whimper.
Given more development time, this could have been the definitive entry in the series, but what we're left with is good enough. Hopefully Kiwami 2 can make some necessary improvements, because the groundwork set by the Dragon Engine is just awesome.
A slightly underwhelming end to the legend of Kazuma Kiryu, but the changes in gameplay and graphics do hold a lot of promise for the future.
Even though it's a bit of a disappointment, there's no denying that Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is a solid entry in Sega's epic series.
Yakuza 6 is a great game because it's a Yakuza game, but it's not a great Yakuza game. It still has the great brawler action the series is known for, and a tight put together story. However, the tightening of the narrative in no ways makes up for all the great things I missed out on from the previous game.
Yakuza 6 has an ambitious narrative, alternating between lighthearted and dramatic. Unfortunately, it doesn't give its characters enough love and care to truly pull off the pathos. But its sense of humor is impeccable. Its protagonist is lovable. And Sega has created a world with plenty to do.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life presents the most detailed virtual chunk of Japan the series has managed to date, and its story provides a satisfying end to the Kizama Kiryu saga. However, as far as gameplay goes, Yakuza 6 doesn't make enough of an effort to break new ground, making it weaker overall than last year's Yakuza Zero.
The setting of Onomichi proves that the long-running series still has some tricks, making Yakuza 6 a worthy finale for its main protagonist.
I think in the end Yakuza 6 just did a really good job at concluding the story of Kazuma Kiryu. The new risks it takes with the Dragon Engine are totally in the favor of narrative while gameplay is just kinda pushed to the side. The narrative alone was enough to keep me invested though and I think that says a lot about how good the story and characters are. This is coming from a person who’s favorite games are mainly gameplay heavy, so although the gameplay is not that great in the end, the overall experience was a fun and memorable one.
Yakuza 6 is another standout entry in the most fascinating series of this renaissance of Japanese video games. The game is better than the already great Yakuza Kiwami that released late last year and is possessed of a profound, yet silly, tone that fans of the Metal Gear and Final Fantasy games of old will love. Adherents of previous games might be blindsided by the game's sole focus on Kazuma Kiryu, but the long-striving Dragon of Dojima is deserving of some sort of conclusion. The series has seen more sprawling and fully-featured entries—including the upcoming remake of Yakuza 2, which will see a greater focus on Majima's ongoing story—but that cannot detract from the enjoyment to be had saying goodbye to one of Japanese games' best ambassadors.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is a celebration of the series, as well as a mindblowing finale to Kazuma and Haruka’s story.
Yakuza 6 offers a near perfect farewell to the Dragon of Dojima, Kazuma Kiryu, complete with the roller coaster of emotions you have come to expect from this franchise. Whether you are a new fan of the franchise or a returning one, this is one swan song you won't want to miss.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is the modern Yakuza experience that you've been waiting for, with a couple of caveats. It has everything that you can love from a Yakuza game such as the fun activities and wonderfully realised world, but it also has an extremely mature and emotional main narrative that deserves your attention. The combat is its weakspot with it being simplified to the point where it's repetitious and some aspects can be shallow. However, it is a fine swan song for the legendary Kiryu and you still can't find something quite like it out there.
Not only does it stay true to what people love about these titles, but it’s a goodbye to one of the most compelling protagonists I’ve ever played in a video game. If this is your first trip to Kamurocho, you’re going to enjoy yourself without question.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life convinces with excellent storytelling while staying true to the Yakuza-formula which worked well in the past. While repetitive combat prevents it from being one of the greats, it is still a definite recommendation for action-adventure fans and players who enjoyed the previous titles in the franchise.
Review in German | Read full review