Yakuza 0: Director’s Reduce was one of many many third-party launch titles for the Nintendo Swap 2. Initially launched in 2015, this prequel to the long-running Yakuza collection tells the origin tales of protagonists Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima. The Director’s Reduce moniker signifies a variety of enhancements, together with new cutscenes, graphical and audio enhancements, and different quality-of-life updates that assist this change into the definitive model of the sport. And sure, it needs to be in your must-play listing of Swap 2 titles.
Full disclosure: I had by no means performed a Yakuza outing previous to Yakuza 0, so this assessment comes from the expertise of a beginner. Though a couple of entries have been obtainable on Nintendo consoles—together with the unique 2005 Yakuza and 2006 Yakuza 2—it’s not the standard follow. Within the case of Yakuza 0, that is the primary time it’s been playable on any Nintendo system. Yakuza 0 isn’t the primary within the collection (in reality, it’s technically the sixth). Being a prequel, this can be a nice strategy to provoke newcomers, and it makes excellent sense as the place to begin for the flashy new Swap 2.
The journey begins with intense video footage of a beatdown accompanied by opening credit, rolling throughout the display screen like the beginning of a film. All through the sport are many such cutscenes that proceed this film-like high quality, making the entire expertise really feel epic and fascinating. This took me unexpectedly. So, in case you’re a newcomer like me, be ready for much less motion than you would possibly anticipate. The motion is there, don’t get me fallacious, however there’s a powerful story component at play that helps clarify why this degree of violence exists.
From this gritty opening scene, it’s simple to let you know’re embarking on a darkish journey by Japan’s underworld. Set within the late Eighties, Yakuza 0 introduces us to 2 characters: Kazuma Kiryu from the Dojima Household, and Goro Majima from the Tojo Clan. Whereas the town is rife with corruption, booze, playing, and combating, it’s quickly evident that Kiryu and Majima are imbued with a powerful sense of justice. They change into ensnared in an overarching plot to take over the town, circling round an space referred to as the Empty Lot. Let the journey start!
Probably the greatest elements of this recreation—and the collection, from what I’ve gleaned—is the brawling. These guys are gifted fighters; a lot so that you simply’ll usually be pestered by a sensei of kinds to hitch a struggle membership to earn cash. There are a number of kinds of fight with cool names to grasp, together with Beast, Brawler, and Rush. Every has its advantages relying on whom you’re combating, like elevated pace, higher power, and even the flexibility to make use of environmental objects as weapons. They’re all comparatively simple to be taught, making issues really feel extra accessible to anybody not used to this type of gameplay. By the way, you too can select from three issue ranges, including even additional to that accessibility issue.
Whereas violence is a component and parcel of this collection, what I wasn’t anticipating to see was coronary heart. Yakuza 0 excels in its storytelling, however not simply from the primary narrative. There are aspect quests aplenty, most of which could be accomplished with out distracting you from the primary journey (as somebody whose consideration is well diverted in video games, I appreciated this). Whether or not you’re serving to a younger lad together with his stolen merchandise or just saving somebody in misery from a beating, it’s clear these gangsters have a moral sense. They’re not afraid to assist the little man and to punish those that deserve it. On this approach, it’s satisfying and rewarding to maneuver by the city figuring out you’re (sort of) a vigilante doling out justice. The scowling Kiryu really jogs my memory a bit of Batman, simply with out the cape and cowl. And the hundreds of thousands of {dollars}. And the butler. You get the purpose.
This robust narrative additionally introduces one of the enjoyable elements of the sport: exploration. Because the story unfolds, you’ll wander by the town streets looking for individuals, outlets, and extra. You would possibly want to purchase sake for somebody, or catch a taxi to a gathering downtown. Regardless that there’s lots happening, these cutscenes I discussed earlier by no means felt like they interrupted the circulate of the motion. Plus, you possibly can at all times skip them in case you want.
The graphics are splendid. This is perhaps one thing we harp on about for the primary short time of the Swap 2’s life, however Yakuza 0 is a visible feast in comparison with what we’re used to seeing on the standard Swap. That is particularly essential contemplating the unique recreation is 15 years outdated. It doesn’t look that outdated in any respect. The load instances (at all times a bugbear of mine) are negligible, with modifications in scenes showing in mere seconds. You possibly can really see an on-screen “loading” warning flash briefly earlier than disappearing so rapidly you’ll surprise in case you imagined it. I’m not even certain why they left it on this fashionable model!
One other characteristic of the Director’s Reduce is the addition of English audio. You possibly can select between Japanese, Chinese language, or English audio with subtitles. The voice appearing is terrific, too, once more serving to immerse you on this world.
Yakuza 0 is split into 17 chapters, every one taking a number of hours to finish. With these quite a few aspect quests on provide, there’s a lot to do right here, making this recreation nicely well worth the funding. Minigames additionally add to the variability, longevity, and enjoyable, with encounters like bowling and karaoke. In brief, there’s lots to maintain you busy when you watch for Donkey Kong Bananza or Metroid Prime 4.
Total, Yakuza 0 is the proper entry to convey to the Swap 2. It might be 15 years outdated, however its age doesn’t present in any respect, with new cutscenes and different enhancements that create an epic, movie-like high quality that enhances the motion. As a beginner to the Yakuza collection, I’m now trying ahead to making an attempt different entries.
