Yakuza 6: Song of Life
Sega, 2016
Yakuza’s swan song
Ah, Kiryu Kazuma. Sega’s legendary former mobster turned hero is a living video game legend. Every time he defeats a heinous colleague from his past, he wants to go back to his honest life of taking care of his family of orphans. Sadly, no matter how much the Dragon of Dojima desires peace, new enemies arise with grand delusions of power to rule Japan in public and its underworld of crime. As always, Kiryu saves the day at significant risk to his physical and mental health. This time, those threats hit home with even greater secrets and risks that could unleash possible civil war in the criminal underworld (Again? Yes, again) in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.
Taking place after the events in Yakuza 5, Yakuza 6 has our hero doing three years in prison. Various crime groups such as the Saio Triad and the Jingweon Mafia have taken advantage of the Tojo Clan’s vulnerability. When Kiryu is released, he finds out that his ward Haruka Sawamura, who was a rising pop idol, suddenly retired and moved to Onomichi city in Hiroshima where she has an infant son, Haruto. Kiryu then discovers that Haruka is in a coma at a Kamurocho hospital after a hit-and-run accident. With these explosive elements plus a mysterious secret in Onomichi that could cause a raging gang war through the country, Kiryu once again sets out to stop those who bring harm to his city and his family.
The control in previous Yakuza games that won me over remains and is improved thanks to the rebuilt Dragon game engine. When not in fighting mode, Kamurocho has been given a refreshed, crisp view. I appreciate the detail in Kiryu’s fighting scenes; he can use weapons to do massive damage and look nice while doing so. Another new feature is item storage. While stats must be increased to be able to carry more items, Kiryu can now use his smartphone to hold various food and health items and level up whenever he gains experience points. I especially liked the idea that Kiryu can obtain certain drinks from vending machines, including beer, which will increase his fighting power. I also love the clan battles feature where Kiryu can form a group to take down various characters in a time limit and win cash and experience for his fighters. And I also enjoyed the Club Sega section where I could play arcade games like Hang-On and Virtua Fighter.
The music is excellent and varied, making me feel that I’m watching a Yakuza movie than playing the game. If the game’s excellent detail to vital areas of gameplay was not enough to sell me on it, I was stoked to find that Kazuchika Okuda of New Japan Pro Wrestling and acclaimed actor/comedian Beat Takashi made appearance as main villains in the game.
However, as much as I love the game, there are some negatives in Yakuza 6 that didn’t make me stop playing entirely but gave me some pause. During the fighting scenes where Kiryu gets ahold of an enemy’s weapon, he dispatches them in true Yakuza fashion, violent and, at times, gory and disturbing. It was a bit much for me and seemed kind of unnecessary.
Another thing that bothers me is the rampant and obvious Sony product placement. It 
takes away from the game a little bit because it’s distracting and is also unnecessary. I know I’m playing the game with a Sony product; I don’t need it shoved in my face constantly that this was originally a Sony exclusive game.
Finally, there is a side quest that Kiryu can’t turn down. It’s not really a side quest but the game tries to present it as though it is. That’s annoying. If you want me to do the quest, just mark it as mandatory and move on.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is a magnum opus to Kiryu Kazuma, but it also marks an evolution point for the series. Although Kiryu is no longer the primary protagonist, he has been in new Yakuza games such as Like a Dragon. For now, Kiryu and company can take a well-deserved break with this chapter in the life of the Dragon of Dojima.