SEGA’s Yakuza series reminds me a lot of Nintendo’s Mario series. Sure, the themes are completely different, and were made with completely different audiences in mind, but Yakuza 6 in particular had me thinking a lot about Mario Galaxy. This is for very good reason, as both games successfully mash a host of different gameplay styles into one incredible package.
Yakuza 6 is the first Yakuza game I played with in-depth. Thankfully, the game comes with a summary of all the previous titles, so it keeps the player up to date with all the characters and events before the game is started. Once again, the protagonist is Kazuma Kiryu, and the game begins with Kiryu being recently released from prison, looking for a life beyond that of a yakuza. Upon reaching his orphanage, the children inform Kiryu that his adopted daughter, Haruka, has gone missing. Before he knows it, Kiryu is back in Kamurocho and finds himself in the middle of a large turf war between his old clan and the Chinese Triads.