Yakuza 5 Remastered Reviews

Maybe the best game in THE series, i have difficulties finding flaws. The amazing character drama and variety in gameplay really makes this peak :D

It's okay. Biggest problem is pacing is absolutely glacial and kind of dogshit. Playing through this game was honestly a chore and the story felt very nothing burger (until the very end). The most memorable parts of this game are when you are playing as Shinada, and the fact that the heat actions are especially brutal this time around. Which makes sense for Kiryu for how depressed and withdrawn he is as a character this time around considering the circumstances, but on other characters it feels out of place. Overall it's a game worth playing if you plan on playing through the franchise, it feels like sort of a filler entry, but when you consider Haruka as a playable character and her involvement in the story by the end you come to understand why it feels like a filler entry. Overall it's a game that was going to feel like a filler entry by nature. It feels like the ending of the game came first, and they wrote the entire rest of the game with the goal of achieving that ending in a way that felt natural, so it didn't feel fake or come completely out of nowhere. It's probably the most forgettable entry, but it does have some memorable and interesting characters and mechanics. It is at least very endearing.

"Blockuza 3: Three Guys, A New Guy, and a Pop Idol Survive Plot-Twist After Plot-Twist" Yakuza 5 is SO much better than Y4, like 50 times better. One moment you're casually fighting street thugs, then later on you're have dance battles with random civilians, taxi driving, and more as the story progresses. I'd have to say that Yakuza 5 is up with Yakuza 0 with how much I adored most of the game (even if Saejima gets the shit end of the stick again story wise). I believe in Shinada Supremacy as well, to bad he never shows up in a main-line game again, like Tanimura.

I am new to this series and have been mainlining them (started with 0). This game is excellent just like all the others (2 being my fav). Please continue to expand upon this cast, they are irreplaceable.

It's all over the place, some pacing is wack like most RGG games, but holy shit. Was it a ride to remember. SHINADA DESERVES TO COME BACK. I adored the combat, and the new mods that have been releasing for this game make it so much more enjoyable. Please give this a try, you won't be disappointed with the variety you'll be offered.

This, should I say the least to begin with - is the best Yakuza game, in my opinion. Between all the cities, their atmosphere, and the spectacular substories (I assure you - there's only one boring one, trust me, I did all the substories & the final substory); the side jobs are something to keep yourself entertained with frequent content and a goal to achieve, with rewarding items. This, however, is one of the most story rich Yakuza games, next to my penultimate favorite, Yakuza 3, which made me cry. Not hard to say this one made me cry too, but it's very easy to say that I connected with a lot of the characters (specifically Shinada). Non-stop action, story to keep you entertained at all times - combat richer as ever in the brand new Kiwami engine... There's too much to say about this game. It's perfect. Maybe some minor flaws some other people will pick on, but I'll gladly stand my ground to say that that means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Yakuza 5 will hold a very special spot in my heart, as my second favorite game of all-time.

[h1]If I'm the wall you need to scale, I'll let you try. But you may find it so high you never want to try again."[/h1] [h1]Introduction[/h1] Yakuza has been such an extraordinary adventure so far that it almost feels surreal to hit Yakuza 5 at long last, praised as one of the best games in the franchise. With the stage set and improvements across the board with each passing game, It was truly lined up to be just as good as people said, but did it have the will to stand against the Dragon's past, or was it simply set up for failure? [table] [tr] [th][b]🟩 Positives[/b][/th] [th][b]🟥 Negatives[/b][/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]🟩A truly iconic Yakuza experience that isn't quite as impactful as Yakuza 4, but delivers a well-written and epic journey regardless. 🟩 The combat is as clean as it has ever been by this point. Fights are fair experiences that force you to learn mechanics and master the techniques to overcome challenges as they arise. 🟩 Mini games consistently dominate most of the Yakuza experience, and this is no exception. Thankfully, Yakuza 5 also delivers a complete plethora of new mini-games to keep you occupied amongst the classics. 🟩 Both the audio and visuals took a giant leap forward in this entry into the franchise, seeing drastic improvements on the previous in terms of auditable clarity and visual acuity. [/td] [td]🟥 This is the first Yakuza game in the series so far that I've noticed has quite a lot of visual bugs, such as texture tearing and disappearing assets. [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr][th]🏆Achievements[/th][/tr] [td]Nowhere near as easy to 100% as Yakuza 4, with a few of the more difficult achievements taking a long time to unlock, the most time-consuming achievements can individually take anywhere from 10 - 40 hours to complete.[/td] [/tr] [/table] [h1]Story[/h1] Yakuza 5 picks up soon after the events of Yakuza 4 taking control of Saejima immediately as he decides to go back to prison to finish his sentence. With that sequence out of the way and the passing of some time, you once again step into the shoes of Kiryu, whose life has been turned upside down since the events of the previous game. Leaving his family behind and starting fresh in a new city, Kiryu has come to a new chapter in his story, one of seclusion and new beginnings. But the life of a Yakuza isn't something you can leave behind as events begin to unfold that once again draw the Fourth Chairman back into the playing field. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3463100333 With that segment dramatically closing, the next chapter seemingly drops us on the other side of the country, with Saejima still serving his sentence. But nothing is ever that simple in the Yakuza franchise, as the plot begins to form around him not only threatening his life but that of his sworn brother and the Tojo Clan itself. With yet another phenomenal breakout staged and the world in a state of unrest, Saejima begins his search for answers. The following chapter begins immediately after, in a familiar city under bizarre circumstances. Taking control of Haruka Sawamura on her idol quest (which is ironically one of my favourite sequences in Yakuza 5), but all is not sunshine and lollipops because not even she can escape her old life under the protection of Kiryu. Within the same chapter, however, we once again also take control of Akiyama, who has decided to set up a second location for Sky Finance in Sotenbori, and his storyline neatly folds into Haruka's as the plot begins to unfurl. This now thrusts us into the final chapter of the game, where you take control of an entirely new protagonist, Tatsuo Shinada. After his life as a pro baseball player is shattered by a series of allegations, he is forced to the streets of Kineicho, where he becomes a writer for an adult magazine called Nighttime Entertainment. But the plot thickens as a stranger arrives at his door asking him to investigate the events that led him to this point. Generally, this is a well written story, but at some points feel a little thin and overstretched. This doesn't shadow the game as a whole for me, but it does make getting through some of the segments become tiresome. All of the characters provide interesting plot points to follow, and some of the better sequences genuinely more than makeup for any of the shortcomings. [h1]Gameplay Analysis[/h1] [h3]"No matter how hard life gets, ya gotta keep livin'."[/h3] I won't spend too long detailing what most, if not all of you already know six games deep into the franchise. Suffice it to say that the combat is just as good as it has ever been, with ways to counter nearly every roadblock you will come across, and items haven't changed that much in what they can do. So I will spend this time talking about the new stuff. Most of the characters have a mini-game specific to them. Kiryu has his driving mini-games, which force him to complete basic missions or compete in high-octane racing, while Saejima becomes a hunter to protect a village, Haruka has her Dance Dance Revolution clone as she attempts to become an idol, and Shinada has the batting cage storyline where he puts an old grievance to rest. Each mini-game offers a thoroughly unique experience and will keep you happily busy for hours as you aim to complete them all. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3463117965 [h3]"I've overcome my share of trials, you'll learn that the hard way"[/h3] With so many protagonists taking to the spotlight in this game, it's only fair that there are so many cities to explore as well. Across the span of Yakuza 5, you'll be able to explore Nagasugai, Tsukimino, Sotenbori, Kineicho and Kamurocho, and each of these cities has an enormous quantity of side missions, mini-games, and collectibles to find. You will spend quite a lot of your time simply coming across random things you hadn't expected to find as you begin exploring the vast open world. [h1]Audio and Visual[/h1] This game vastly improves upon the visuals of the previous entry, providing a lot more textural depth to the world as well as many new effects to greatly improve the realism. The world feels like its truly alive and has been lived in which is an extraordinary thing to capture. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3464840101 The audio is much the same, providing a crisp and detailed atmosphere to the updated visuals of the world. The OST is also an astounding series of scores that as always capture the emotion of each scene flawlessly. [h1]Performance and Specifications[/h1] I ran Yakuza 5 as high as it goes on a 2560 x 1440 monitor and didn't see the game drop below the frame cap at all. I did notice quite a few visual bugs this time around, and for the first time in the Yakuza franchise for me, but these are relatively minor blemishes on the whole. 🟨 Quite a lot of visual bugs across the experience. RAM: Kingston Fury Beast 64GB 6000 MHz DDR5 CPU: Intel Core i9 14900K 24 Core GPU: MSI Gaming X GeForce RTX 4090 24GB [h1]Final Thoughts - Excellent[/h1] [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2529084785]Review chart here.[/url] This is the closest thing to the perfect Yakuza game since 0. Everything from the storytelling to the open world expanse of the city exploration and the fine-tuning of the fight mechanics make this experience truly one of the best in the franchise to date. I doubt many people will start with this game, and I wouldn't recommend that you do considering how deeply integrated the plot is, but even with its shortcomings this is about as peak Yakuza as it gets. [quote]As the Dragon returns to his roots once more, the world is put to the sword, so head on over to [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43064204/] Hell, Purgatory and Paradise[/url] to find the power to stand with him on his quest to save it.[/quote]

Well, this was quite the journey. Probably the biggest, most ambitious game in the series until Infinite Wealth, this one has A LOT to do, to the point it can feel a bit too much at times. That said, this is still a great Yakuza game: The plot is a bit insane and maaaaybe tries a bit too hard at times, but it's all for the great scenes and moments, so the inconsistencies and coincidences can be easily forgiven. Gameplay-wise, the series formula was already pretty much perfectioned at this point, too. Good game, if a bit too much at times.

Great game! Although the story is long, true fans will enjoy the lore of yakuza as the pacing is great.

Excellent conclusion to the side characters. It was actually fun to explore different cities. Even though I liked Haruka's subplot, I could have used less dancing. But I did liked the subplots and related minigames.