Explaining the Yakuza games can be a difficult task, they are complete madness. I’ll often use the idea that it is just Grand Theft Auto, but Japanese. However, that’s so far away from a perfect example. It is more like Grand Theft Auto: the Japanese Visual Novel. Of course, there are differences, such as the dialogue about honor, respect, friendship, and a bit of mystery, the comparison with the western childish satirical drama about gangsters goes out the window at that point. Yakuza is a more serious affair, as you shove a man’s face in with one of Colin Furze’s modified bikes or spinning belts of knives, all while singing the latest karaoke hits.

No, the Yakuza series is a magical little beast that is, for the most part, still in the PS2-era of games. Some might think I’m talking down to the games, saying that it is still two generations back, however, I love the PS2-era. I’ve yet to find a person on this planet that doesn’t love the era. In fact, I handed my old PS2 to my niece because it is a console filled with fun games. My point is, like it or not, a game that’s mimic-ing the PS2 games we all loved so much, I’m going to be singing its praises in the shiny disco suit that’s probably covered in blood.

It is a series that is just too insane for an explanation to be made. You play as Kazuma Kiryū, a man with a cinder block for a face and two emotions: “I’m going to kill you” and “I might rip you in half, I’ve not decided yet.” No matter how little emotion this angry Japanese man shows, he has a heart of gold and fists of concrete. The first game, releasing back on the PS2 in 2005, concerned a conspiracy that involved putting this man’s loyalty to the test as a Yakuza. The Yakuza are a Japanese version of the typical Italian-American mob, though with a lot more Saké and a bit more about honor, Kiryū is at the center of it all.

Since December 2005, the games have continued from a niché thing for those who knew of the games, to becoming a solid reason to buy a PlayStation 4. The games don’t have a great enough disparity between them to say one is greater than the other at a glance; however, they are fantastic fun no matter how stupid and crazy they are. That’s why after about a month of playing all three games in the Yakuza Remastered Collection, I’d decided to bundle the review of all 3 together, instead of my original idea to do each individually. The problem is, it’s hard to review something that’s both similar to the rest of the series and so wildly different in many ways.

Gameplay is usually the same throughout the series. The story however, while also similar in terms of conspiracy, is often different enough to keep each one fresh. Overall the characters play the same regular roles. Every game is filled with the same structure, early Kiryū is trying to live a normal life, someone is wronged (mostly a young woman), and Kiryū goes on a bloodthirsty rampage of honor, respect, and dignity. Between lengthy scenes of either visual novel text boxes or fully animated scenes, you’ll be met with fights that can either be an easy one-two punch up or boss battles that send you into a swearing fit of rage. None of which is new.

Nonetheless, every edition feels fresh and brings enough novelty to keep it interesting. There’s a lot to do, whether you are roaming the streets of Kamurocho or the beach of the seafront orphanage that Kiryū runs, which ends up being a major jumping point for the story of 3. By playing the skill-testing machines, singing karaoke, or running a local hostess club, Yakuza balances just the right amount of mad side-questing distractions with the rather serious and tonally perfect conspiracies. I might have made the Grand Theft Auto comparison earlier, but in truth, there are more similarities with the second Saints Row.

As a collection of remasters, there’s nothing wrong, I’d go as far to say I love them. I can’t compare them to their previous incarnation, however, a slight up in resolution makes it slightly prettier with the processing power of the PS4 over the PS3. It’s not much to get excited about. I’ve said for years, graphics don’t bother me; It is the feeling that impresses me, not the thirty-third hair in Kiryū’s left eyebrow. It’s not a complaint, but it is hardly a reason to re-buy the games, even in a collection.

One complaint I do have is in regards to the controls in mini-games. Games like pool, golf, and darts, don’t feel “natural” for controls, either as a mini-game or serious piece in a game. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it does make a noticeable difference when part of the game is all about your downtime. Part of an open-world game, even these odd Japanese-style of open-piece-of-a-city games, is to give the player something to do in the game world. Controls taking you out of that downtime pulls you right out the world, so it’s hard to say it is a complaint that doesn’t get in the way.

It’s hard to talk about Yakuza without talking directly talking about the story, however, the series is something you need to play to understand and believe. Yes, I might use hyperbole to make an effect, but it does go from serious criminal conspiracy to running a hostess club in minutes. You may be beating a man to death with a bicycle, but minutes later you’ll be sitting in a cat café sipping tea. There’s so much to wrap your head around, a description is hardly fitting half the time.

Overall, if you’re a Yakuza fan that’s played 0, Kiwami, and Kiwami 2, you’ve probably already started the Yakuza Remastered Collection. Is it the best value for your money to jump into the series? Yes, but I don’t recommend doing that. Like any lengthy series, there’s a lot to know, and being the third, fourth, and fifth games, it’s hard to say you should just jump straight to Kiryū and Haruka’s running of Morning Glory. This is a collection for those who’ve just joined the series on the PS4 with Kiwami and the prequel. I highly recommend playing the collection, there’s more than enough time to now that everyone is locked indoors because the games are fun and mental bananas.

A PS4 review copy of Yakuza Remastered Collection was provided by Sega for this review.

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Yakuza Remastered Collection

$59.99 USD

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Fun gameplay.
• A wonderfully mad story.
• Breaking a bike over a man will always be fun.

Cons

• Mini-game controls can feel odd.
• Hostess clubs still feel really strange.