597: Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

[JaySevenZero]

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Yakuza 6: The Song of Life for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.

[TomFum]

As much as i LOVE the yakuza series, I found 6 to be one of the slowest in the series, it wasnt as fun to play as some of the others but the RGG engine made it look beautiful. Our special boy Kiryu really goes through it in this game, mostly seeing how he acts awkwardly when he has to handle Haruto makes me laugh everytime. Still a fantastic game and a great way to wind up his story. Who knew yakuza could beat up ghosts as well lol

[Workyticket]

While Yakuza 6 does take a while to get going, it ends up having arguably the biggest heart of the series. The developing relationship between Kiryu and Haruka is charming and often hilarious, and the residents of Onomichi are easy to fall in love with, quickly becoming just as much a part of the Yakuza family as the longer-serving characters.

What lingers in the mind most, however, is the game's pervasive sense of melancholy. Reminders of Kiryu's advancing years are frequent, and the suggestion Onomichi brings of a place possibly existing for him away from Kamurocho creates a palatable sense of things drawing to a close.

Of course, being a Yakuza game it still makes room for a late-stage reveal that reaches Metal Gear proportions of WTF-ness. But that balance between heart and lunacy is at the very core of Yakuza, and would we want it any other way?