Yakuza 0 is one of those games that took a while to click for me. I remember picking it up and dropping it a few hours later, not picking it up again for a couple years. I finally did, and Yakuza has become one of my favorite series ever.

Set in the richly detailed city of Kamurocho, this game is positively stuffed with things to do around every corner. The main story is a serious crime/gangster drama, and is well acted and voiced. That's contrasted with the dozens of side stories that are often silly, which makes for a nice dichotomy. In other games it may feel ridiculous to jump between serious and lighthearted so drastically, but in Yakuza it just feels right.

Combat is flashy and hectic. It's a brawler, and there are several combat styles to make use of. It can get a bit old after your thousandth time beating up on random goons, but everything around the combat makes it worth it.

Yakuza 0 was my start to the series, and probably remains my favorite entry in the series. There's nothing else like it.

Verdict: Finished

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