Yakuza 0 (2015 Video Game) User Reviews

One of the BEST games I've ever played.

[sammythorne · 10/10 · 13 August 2020]

This game is honestly insanely good. When I first played Zero, I was really new to the Yakuza franchise and was still getting to grips with the lore. Thankfully, due to this game being a prequel of some sorts, if you're interested in playing the Yakuza series but don't know where to start, this game is your answer.

The storytelling and the pace of this game is beyond fantastic. It has everything, intense highs and devastating lows, great comedic timing and the silly charm that the Yakuza series is well known for. It really is a game that you can just boot up and goof around in. I'll do my best to avoid spoilers for the game in this short review since I truly believe that everyone interested in the game should play it for themselves.

Beautifully crafted and insanely fun. Yakuza 0 is one of, if not my favourite game of all time. This is the first game to ever render me a sobbing, wailing mess.

10/10, fantastic and beautiful.

Totally wack

[TooRaad · 10/10 · 3 October 2020]

A great prequel story for some of the main stays. The story grabbed me and the characters intrigued me. Everything just fell into place.

The Dragon and The Mad Dog.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 10/10 · 30 December 2020]

'Yakuza 0 (2015)' serves as a prequel to its long-running series, focusing both on the franchise's main protagonist Kiryu and on one of its most iconic 'villains' Majima. The game's story is split almost evenly between its two stars, with their seemingly separate plots eventually converging in an incredibly satisfying way. The game is as crazy as anyone who has played a previous entry in the series would expect, stuffed to the brim with wacky substories (which often provide plenty of chuckles) and overly involved minigames, but it also has some real heart to it. The main quests, which are much more straight-faced, aren't invalidated by the often tongue-in-cheek side stuff. As such, the game's overall story is surprisingly effective, a mix of the absolutely absurd and the utterly sincere. It's engaging, enjoyable and, even, emotionally affecting. There are a lot of characters to keep track of but the thing reminds you who's who and what's what often enough to remain clear. Its ending does use some pretty hefty narrative gymnastics to get its core players into the positions they were/ will be in 'Yakuza (2005)'/ 'Yakuza Kiwami (2015)', but it's still an impactful and resonant climax that wraps things up in a cohesive way. The experience took me just under 100 hours and I never once got bored. I finished all substories (including the two secret boss battles and the entirety of both Real Estate Royale and Cabaret Club Czar), completed around 85% of the completion list, unlocked both characters' hidden battle styles, purchased all traditional skills and got all the collectible telephone cards. However, I didn't bother grinding out the last few ranks in the fighting arena, mopping up the rest of the CP points (I really didn't feel like learning how to play Mahjong), finding the last few pieces of equipment from the Dragon and Tiger shop, or trying to win 30 matches of the awful, RNG-based catfighting minigame (the worst minigame in the affair, for sure). That's because some of the game's grind just isn't worth it. Don't get me wrong, it's great for those who want to fully participate in the plethora of available minigames; I just didn't feel like spending hours on them, even if it annoyed the completionist within me. So, aside from in-depth distractions, what does the gameplay consist of? Fighting. Plain, good old-fashioned fighting. The combat system revolves around four styles, each of which have different strengths and weaknesses. Though it may initially seem somewhat repetitive, it's actually rather deep and gets more involved when you start to fill out the skill tree. I defeated several hundred foes and never got tired of doing it. Of course, the battles that are contextualised by story are much more resonant than the random ones that occur while roaming around the piece's two open-world locations. They're all fun, don't get me wrong, but there's this level of, I suppose, intensity that only exists when the fight is set up by a suspenseful series of cutscenes (which are all wonderfully executed). The game is just a ton of fun throughout. Every few hours, something new will appear and reignite your interest. As it approaches its finale and its plots start to converge, it only gets more and more compelling. It's so rare for a title to keep you truly engaged for 100 hours, yet this makes it look easy. It isn't perfect (for example, some of its NPCs look pretty bad), but it's an absolute blast to play. Heck, it's even an absolute blast to watch (its narrative sequences aren't exactly short). It's phenomenal. 10/10

Great game with one major issue

[RaidersOfTheLostCommunist · 9/10 · 1 April 2021]

The story is freaking awesome. It catches you early on and you are hooked until the very end. The mini-games in this game would count as full length games in other games.

For example, bowling is great, pool is awesome, karaoke is fun, darts are fun too, you can dance, and do all sorts of stuff. You can also manage clubs, buy property, hire people to manage your business, and a few more things.

Also you can find soft-porn cards that unlock softcore movies, and so much more man.

The only issue I have is that you engage in too many fights, it becomes repetitive after a while. There are times where people on the streets will just start fight with you every few seconds, and it gets too much sometimes.

Anyways,9/10.

Two sides of the same coin

[Severinplates853 · 10/10 · 17 January 2022]

S tier, 10/10. Such a brilliantly over the top game. The story goes in so many different directions and is just a joy to watch. The combat is satisfying, I loved Majima's set the best and the baseball bat the most. Kiru's beast mode was great too. The open world was perfectly condensed with interesting side missions and plenty of things to do.

The infamous kareoke songs are brilliant, the race car game was exceptional, my favorite was however the dancing, just perfect. It did definitely drag at the end and felt a bit repetitive with the combat but there are so many great story moments and things to keep you playing. The last mission is so great and is such a brilliant set piece ending.

The customisation of your character however is very limited and pretty much non existent. The side missions are great but it is very easy to miss them as you have to explore in so many different areas. This is both good and bad as it forces you to explore but is just very time consuming and fustrating for me personally. I did go back to complete the side missions I missed in free roam mode but it just felt really repetitive and tedious to wander around the streets, exploring every inch of this place just to find a questline. Majima's story goes a bit all over the place after the incredible introduction. Over time it definitely got better but was weaker compared to Kiru's.

I haven't played the later games but several characters such as Kiru's best friend who felt like a major character didn't have much of a role. I'm sure that he is more important in the later games but i am very hesitant to play them, as I feel this style of combat and exploration could really get old after a while. I was interested in the story but I just looked up a video online, which definitely made me want to check out some of the games, I probably will but at a later date.

I did get this game because of Dunkey's review and am glad to say I enjoyed it allot more than him. I do agree with most of his points but the story is definitely better than he made it out to be. I'm not angry or anything I just wish he enjoyed it as much as I did.

In all a game I really enjoyed and just wanted to keep on playing and playing till the end. Definitely one of the most fun games I have played.

One of the BEST games ever made

[abcmirru · 10/10 · 24 April 2022]

One of the BEST games ever made.

Yakuza 0 (Ryu ga gotoku Zero: Chikai no Basho) is a 2015 videogame, genre adventure, beatem up, directed by Toshihiro Nagoshi and starring as voice actor Takaya Kuroda and Hidenari Ugaki. Yakuza 0 is a prequel to the first game in the Yakuza series, released in 2005, and which currently has 7 main games.

The plot focuses on two main protagonist - Kazuma Kiryu (who is still quite new to the criminal world) and Goro Majima ( a cabaret manager, expelled from the clan and trying with all his might to return to it). Two characters have been involved in an "empty lot" case fought by clans from all over Japan. The plot is broken into a story of two characters, and this story gradually converges into one line of two characters.

The action takes place in December 1988, the Kamurocho district (which is written off from the real area in Tokyo - Kabukicho), and the atmosphere of that time is very well shown and registered. The main characters, as well as the rest of the secondary characters, are very well written and by the end of the story they fall into your soul. The plot is one of the best in the gaming series. And, of course, the soundtrack is amazing.

The word that best describes this game is fantastic. The gameplay is fun, a lot of content, and for those, who love Japanese games, I highly recommend trying out this series, and it's better to start with this game.

Exploring the Profound Origins of One of the World's Greatest Video Game Franchises Ever Created

[kluseba · 8/10 · 28 March 2022]

Yakuza 0 is an action-adventure game that is the sixth main entry in the franchise and serves as prequel to the original game. The game takes places between December 1988 and January 1989 in Kamurocho, Tokyo and Sotenbori, Osaka. Players can control charismatic protagonist Kiryu Kazuma and eccentric Majima Goro. The story revolves around an empty lot in Kamurocho that is owned by a young woman living in Osaka who suffers from psychogenic blindness and is mercilessly hunted down by criminal organizations.

This game convinces on numerous levels. The game play is very addictive as players can incarnate the franchise's two most skilled fighters in this game which makes for extraordinary and unique fight sequences. These characters also have a more humane touch this time around since they are much younger than in the other games and trying to help a helpless innocent woman you can't help but rooting for.

The story is also intriguing as it comes around with several conspiracies, turns and twists that will keep players on the edges of their seats. The number of characters here is more impressive than in many television series featuring multiple seasons.

This game also helps us understand how the two lead characters became the people they are in the other releases of the franchise. Regular players will discover sides of these characters that they would have never expected to witness.

It also oozes with atmosphere and brings Japan in the late eighties to life in authentic fashion with less modern suburbs, elegant discotheques and tons of addictive arcade games. The accompanying soundtrack completes the authentic immersion.

This game once again offers value for money, with the main story taking more than thirty hours to be completed while finishing the numerous different side stories might take far over one hundred hours.

While not being the franchise's most memorable game, it serves its purpose as a prequel exploring the main characters' origins extremely well. This is why this game should certainly please regular fans of the franchise. However, it would also serve as excellent starting point for new fans who could then continue their discovery of this extraordinary game series chronologically.

Kiryu and Majima's Origins

[kervindonngo · 10/10 · 18 September 2023]

This is the first Yakuza game I ever played in the Yakuza franchise and the prequel game where it all started from the beginning.

Yakuza 0 has absolutely shown that this game has blown many expectations along the way. Not only that I get to play one but two protagonists to play along the storyline and each of them has their own fighting style, their own storyline, and one of my favorites is the heat actions. Their heat actions are devastating and satisfying and this is what makes the Yakuza games absolutely playable and fun.

Not just the main storyline that has serious moments but the substories is that make the game have a more and-go-lucky feeling. Plus the minigames here are absolutely entertaining. The best part of minigames is the arcades and secret arena fights.

In conclusion, Yakuza 0 is absolutely the best game recommended for new players who want to know about the Yakuza franchise from the beginning. If you want to know about the Yakuza franchise you have to play the game on where it absolutely all started. With Kiryu and Majima together with their own stories.

The Yakuza Start !

[AvionPrince16 · 9/10 · 16 February 2024]

Pretty impressed of this game

Love the mise en scene ( look like a real movie and like also the shots , the camera movements)

the characters ( Deep , they are really subtles and we will slowly see all the subtilities in the writing and their behavior and they are a lot of interesting characters to follow ) ,

the writing( Story , mysteries ,suspense ,revelations ,fear, all the families stories , empty lot and all what we encounter in this episode that really make me wanted to see how all it will end and what surprises that game offered to the players and its pretty generous)

The gameplay ( it can be pretty repetitive after a while but it offer some variety with the fights and the different fights styles . I enjoyed also all the activities and games that offered the game inside the city. )

The music( deliver the tension when it needed. And follow very well and give that extra mood during all the situations that we encounter)

the side quest : its been a long time that i did enjoy doing the side quests and like how different the missions was and that the fact that almost all of them got a little story. And i really enjoyed doing them without feeling too much that repetition . Good thing

What really can be frustrating sometimes with that game was the too much fighting sometimes . You just want to walk arround the city but its ruined with the ennemies who want always to fight and make it a little bit repetitive also .

But Overall i can strongly recommend that game : the story was fantastic and just that made me want to see how it will end and curious until the end of the game . The characters was so deep and complex and have some big events and moments ( betrayal of Nishki to Kiryu , Makoto , Majima's situation ,Kiryu and his adventure against the dojima family ) difficult to tell everything : it have so many interesting ,great moments in the writing and characters behaviour .

So yeah a really nice video game that really make me feel that i watched a movie . Very well written and nice representations of all of them .

Best rhythm game with weird story and melee side content

[aowbwokana · 10/10 · 16 April 2024]

This is honestly a top 5 game for me at worst, I finished it recently due to a friend recommending it as a starting point and this was perfect for that

The game is all over the place and messy in the perfect way, one moment I'm laughing at something stupid, the next I'm angry at a character in the game and wanna beat them with the wrath of god, then I'm emotional devastated over something because let me say this games ending hurts

The story is paced well and constantly has my investment each chapter, plus the characters were all brilliantly written, with my favourite of the bunch being Goro Majima, this is all further complimented by the simple yet satisfying melee combat system which can make you feel like an absolute badass at certain points

Either way I'd 100% recommend this game as a start to Yakuza as it really shows you the bond between two characters Kiryu and Nishiki before Kiwami, which makes that games story even more impactful, as well as making Majima more than just a funny guy used for comic relief

"This truly was our Yakuza 0" - Goro Majima.

My Favorite Thing Ever

[chrismyates · 10/10 · 11 March 2024]

Yakuza 0 is nothing short of a miracle. This game was born from SEGA giving one final push for the Yakuza series to succeed in the United States and boy oh boy, did they do it. It's a cinematic roller coaster of action and emotion.

This was the second game I played in the series. Yakuza Kiwami, the remaster of the first game that was published after this one, was my first. I really recommend playing them this way, mostly because meeting the two protagonists and going on that adventure with them gave me ten times more investment in this story (But don't blame yourself if you can't get through Kiwami. It's short but the story is still full of holes from the original).

Speaking strictly of the story, once you hit the end of Chapter 2 you're hooked. Every two chapters you switch between the two protagonists, Kiryu and Majima, and their respective cities, Kamurocho and Sotenbori. The writing on both sides is immaculate. Once those two chapters with that character come to a head, they're left caught in a situation that leaves you wondering what happens next. But the best part is that switching to the other character doesn't feel like a dip in tension because you were already excited to find out what happened to them since last time. It's a very well-balanced approach to the dual narrative structure.

The cinematography isn't half-bad either. The tone for this title is much more serious (at least in the main story) than its brothers and sisters. There's moody lighting, excellent expression capture, period-accurate environments (did I mention this game is set in 1980's Japan?), and other details that create a believable atmosphere. I'm a huge proponent of using motion-captured cutscenes to tell a story versus using in-engine mouth flapping and dialogue boxes, and this is the Yakuza game that probably delivers the most on that front. Every other cutscene is mocap, and nearly all of them are played real-time with the detailed models (which means they can run at 60fps). There are so many scenes that crank up the intensity to 11 and catch you off-guard and it's wonderful.

Surprisingly, the combat is not my favorite out of the series. You have your staples like separate fighting styles, impactful heat actions, etc. But it has some mechanics like the depleting heat bars and abilities costing money that might throw off a gameplay-focused gamer. I still adore it, but if a remaster happened in five years I'd hope they change some things.

If you're looking for a great game that keeps you on the edge of your seat and has amazing presentation, you found it. It's probably my favorite piece of media in the entire world.

What a weird trip

[residentgrigo · 7/10 · 13 April 2017]

The series peaked with the first game for me (if I forget the 2 Japan only samurai spin-offs) due to immediate gameplay stagnation and an incredible amount of reused content and filler. The rather generic story also completely fell off a cliff once the original writer left after Yakuza 2. I thus had zero interest to return to Sega's yearly grind factory but the positive reception and the fact that this isn't a continuation of the "save the orphanage" plot from Yakuza 3 and onwards gave me pause. I didn't quite enjoy the first few hours. Most of the simplistic sub-quests lack basic presentation as voice acting and are all badly written. The game is further a PS3 port. The brawler gameplay still puts grinding and item abuse over actual skill, while only the medium and heavy fighting style of both characters are truly usable. The story barely makes sense too and the ending undoes all your accomplishments to set up Yakuza 1 instead. The weirdest bit is when Kiryu shoots a highway full of goons to death but the game still insists that he never killed. I can appreciate that half the game is focused on Majima, who is the one major Yakuza character I can be bothered with, so there is that. Yet the game clock kept counting up and I ended up putting 65 hours into the game while completing about 90 of the 100 subquests. I can't explain it but the missions just started to flow into each other and I ended up being a nearly maxed out multimillionaire by the time the story reached the halfway mark. The sizable Host Club and Pocket Racing quests weren't even half bad (outside of the juvenile writing) but the Real Estate quest certainly tested my patience. My main take away that is that I am still incapable of understanding why I ended up linking the sum of the game's questionably parts but it has a certain kitsch charm. Or I may have needed a vacation to Japan's well captured days of excess, who knows? My final impression of the game is this: The game demands you to play a perfect game of bowling (3 turkeys in a row) to progress in 2 sub stories and get a new business manager for Kiryu. That "manager" ends up being an actual turkey, with a salary. His stats aren't even that good but what was I expecting? 7,5/10

PS: I also recently played Yakuza 6 and liked that it is a PS4-only game but the usual "save the orphanage" story was again insufferable. I'll thus stick to the spin-offs.

A great experience

[japongt · 8/10 · 4 May 2022]

Just finished Yakuza 0, at long last.

Now what do I think of it... Starting with the story, it was awesome. So awesome, that I was ready to give it a 10/10, but right at the ending, it gave me a few bones to pick. Kiryu ready to off Shibusawa while Majima was ready to off Dojima, and then... here comes Nishiki/Sera to give the obligatory "once you take a life" speech. That just had me :/. Really game? You want me to believe this is the first time Kiryu would be killing someone? I almost killed a guy irl from a couple of hits on the head with a belt buckle when I was 15. Any given heat action from Kiryu is enough to kill anyone. The guy uses guns, swords, friggin bazookas, and breaks sofas on people's heads, but THIS would be his first kill? I haven't seen bs this big since I played Mortal Kombat. This isn't Pokémon, dudes won't just "faint" and call it a day. And then the questionable decisions they both make. Both Kiryu going back to Dojima and Majima going back to Shimano didn't make a whole lot of sense no matter how clever the speeches were. I'm sure it's probably explained better in later games somewhere, but judging on this game alone, I'm not buying it.

Stepping away from the ending, I really don't like the amount of plot holes in this game alone. The main story leads you to building a real estate and cabaret club empire, and then just as swiftly, it's forgotten like they were never there. Both essentially get to control an entire industry, but somehow isn't brought up once past their introduction. Their achievements are generally ignored. Yakuza grunts don't fear them until AFTER they've beaten them up. This is the case in and out of the main story. Kiryu beats up Kuze FIVE times and every single time Kuze somehow thinks he's going to win. Like, bruh... Come on now... But that aside, it was still a really great story with great twist. I would say the story is mostly what makes this game. 9/10 on story.

In the presentation department (graphics, music, voice acting), I think it's done really well for the most part. For a game of this magnitude, I think they did a pretty good job on this front too. Music is plenty specially once you add all the different music throughout all the different modes, specially disco and karaoke. Voice acting is top tier, honestly. Something I found annoying was the subtitles not actually translating properly. On last scene with Sagawa and Majima, right before Sagawa is killed by the Omi Alliance, Sagawa says something like "see you around" in Japanese, but subtitles says "Go get them, tiger". Like, not even close. And these examples are throughout the whole game, but I suppose it's nothing game breaking. 7/10 because still did very well overall.

Finally, gameplay department... I think they went overboard here, and that's not necessarily a good thing. They added so darned much content, great, will keep people busy. But I think a lot of this effort could've been put to iron things out elsewhere, like properly integrating the real estate and cabaret clubs into the story and not pretending like they don't exist. Also they have like 10 different board minigames but I couldn't find GO anywhere. What's up with that? I like the RPG aspect of the game for skill trees and such, but the Kratos accessory for Majima and golden gun for Kiryu made the game a walk in the park. It was like using a cheat code in Grand Theft Auto, except that on here, the game tells me how to use the cheat code lol. The fighting itself is good, mostly with Majima's breakdancing and being able to off like 20 enemies at once. Kiryu has a much harder time dealing with big crowds, but maybe that's just me. Both got to the point where Shakedown dudes become a joke. Kiryu just stands there doing unlimited counters, and Majima uses the Kratos amulet to put a bat on their faces over and over again. 8/10.

Overall, 8/10.