{"id":1405,"date":"2025-07-05T18:29:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T22:29:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaminginsurrection.com\/reviews\/?p=1405"},"modified":"2025-07-07T21:11:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T01:11:15","slug":"yakuza-6-song-of-life-issue-53","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gaminginsurrection.com\/reviews\/index.php\/2025\/07\/05\/yakuza-6-song-of-life-issue-53\/","title":{"rendered":"Yakuza 6: Song of Life \u2014 Issue 53"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Yakuza 6: Song of Life<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sega, 2016<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Yakuza\u00ad\u2019s swan song<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ah, Kiryu Kazu\u00adma. Sega\u2019s leg\u00adendary for\u00admer mob\u00adster turned hero is a liv\u00ading video game leg\u00adend. Every time he defeats a heinous col\u00adleague from his past, he wants to go back to his hon\u00adest life of tak\u00ading care of his fam\u00adi\u00adly of orphans. Sad\u00adly, no mat\u00adter how much the Drag\u00adon of Doji\u00adma desires peace, new ene\u00admies arise with grand delu\u00adsions of pow\u00ader to rule Japan in pub\u00adlic and its under\u00adworld of crime. As always, Kiryu saves the day at sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant risk to his phys\u00adi\u00adcal and men\u00adtal health. This time, those threats hit home with even greater secrets and risks that could unleash pos\u00adsi\u00adble civ\u00adil war in the crim\u00adi\u00adnal under\u00adworld (Again? Yes, again) in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.
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\nTak\u00ading place after the events in Yakuza 5, Yakuza 6 has our hero doing three years in prison. Var\u00adi\u00adous crime groups such as the Saio Tri\u00adad and the Jing\u00adweon Mafia have tak\u00aden advan\u00adtage of the Tojo Clan\u2019s vul\u00adner\u00ada\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty. When Kiryu is released, he finds out that his ward Haru\u00adka Sawa\u00admu\u00adra, who was a ris\u00ading pop idol, sud\u00adden\u00adly retired and moved to Onomichi city in Hiroshi\u00adma where she has an infant son, Haru\u00adto. Kiryu then dis\u00adcov\u00aders that Haru\u00adka is in a coma at a Kamuro\u00adcho hos\u00adpi\u00adtal after a hit-and-run acci\u00addent. With these explo\u00adsive ele\u00adments plus a mys\u00adte\u00adri\u00adous secret in Onomichi that could cause a rag\u00ading gang war through the coun\u00adtry, Kiryu once again sets out to stop those who bring harm to his city and his family. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>The con\u00adtrol in pre\u00advi\u00adous Yakuza games that won me over remains and is improved thanks to the rebuilt Drag\u00adon game engine. When not in fight\u00ading mode, Kamuro\u00adcho has been giv\u00aden a refreshed, crisp view. I appre\u00adci\u00adate the detail in Kiryu\u2019s fight\u00ading scenes; he can use weapons to do mas\u00adsive dam\u00adage and look nice while doing so. Anoth\u00ader new fea\u00adture is item stor\u00adage. While stats must be increased to be able to car\u00adry more items, Kiryu can now use his smart\u00adphone to hold var\u00adi\u00adous food and health items and lev\u00adel up when\u00adev\u00ader he gains expe\u00adri\u00adence points. I espe\u00adcial\u00adly liked the idea that Kiryu can obtain cer\u00adtain drinks from vend\u00ading machines, includ\u00ading beer, which will increase his fight\u00ading pow\u00ader. I also love the clan bat\u00adtles fea\u00adture where Kiryu can form a group to take down var\u00adi\u00adous char\u00adac\u00adters in a time lim\u00adit and win cash and expe\u00adri\u00adence for his fight\u00aders. And I also enjoyed the Club Sega sec\u00adtion where I could play arcade games like Hang-On and Vir\u00adtua Fighter.
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\nThe music is excel\u00adlent and var\u00adied, mak\u00ading me feel that I\u2019m watch\u00ading a Yakuza movie than play\u00ading the game. If the game\u2019s excel\u00adlent detail to vital areas of game\u00adplay was not enough to sell me on it, I was stoked to find that Kazuchi\u00adka Oku\u00adda of New Japan Pro Wrestling and acclaimed actor\/comedian Beat Takashi made appear\u00adance as main vil\u00adlains in the game.
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\nHow\u00adev\u00ader, as much as I love the game, there are some neg\u00ada\u00adtives in Yakuza 6 that did\u00adn\u2019t make me stop play\u00ading entire\u00adly but gave me some pause. Dur\u00ading the fight\u00ading scenes where Kiryu gets ahold of an ene\u00admy\u2019s weapon, he dis\u00adpatch\u00ades them in true Yakuza fash\u00adion, vio\u00adlent and, at times, gory and dis\u00adturb\u00ading. It was a bit much for me and seemed kind of unnecessary.
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\nAnoth\u00ader thing that both\u00aders me is the ram\u00adpant and obvi\u00adous Sony prod\u00aduct place\u00adment. It takes away from the game a lit\u00adtle bit because it\u2019s dis\u00adtract\u00ading and is also unnec\u00ades\u00adsary. I know I\u2019m play\u00ading the game with a Sony prod\u00aduct; I don\u2019t need it shoved in my face con\u00adstant\u00adly that this was orig\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adly a Sony exclu\u00adsive game.
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\nFinal\u00adly, there is a side quest that Kiryu can\u2019t turn down. It\u2019s not real\u00adly a side quest but the game tries to present it as though it is. That\u2019s annoy\u00ading. If you want me to do the quest, just mark it as manda\u00adto\u00adry and move on.
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\nYakuza 6: The Song of Life is a mag\u00adnum opus to Kiryu Kazu\u00adma, but it also marks an evo\u00adlu\u00adtion point for the series. Although Kiryu is no longer the pri\u00adma\u00adry pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist, he has been in new Yakuza games such as Like a Drag\u00adon. For now, Kiryu and com\u00adpa\u00adny can take a well-deserved break with this chap\u00adter in the life of the Drag\u00adon of Dojima.<\/span><\/p>\n