Yakuza 4 enriches the formula with four playable characters featuring distinct fighting styles. Kamurocho is as vibrant as ever and the police thriller plot is gripping. An ambitious entry that deeply develops the series universe.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player18+
Description
Semi-open world action by SEGA, 4 entry of Yakuza franchise with four protagonists. Published by SEGA, released in March 2011 in Europe and North America. Four protagonists Shun Akiyama loan shark, Taiga Saejima escaped former Yakuza, Masayoshi Tanimura corrupt cop and Kazuma Kiryu retired uniting in convergent mystery in Kamurocho, action gameplay mixing vertical semi-open exploration of Kamurocho with accessible floors and rooftops, Heat actions combats adapted to each protagonist, over fifteen narrative chapters, Japanese voice-over with iconic voices including Takaya Kuroda as Kiryu.
Yakuza 4 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
Told through four fates that eventually intersect, this entry probes Tokyo's underworld from every angle. Debt, prison, revenge and redemption weave a choral fresco of new scope. This play of perspectives, rich and breathless, brilliantly renews the series' narrative formula.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Roaming the streets of Kamurocho between street brawls, a dramatic plot and a myriad of zany side activities sets up a world so dense that one detour always calls for another. Following the story and trawling the mini-games reward curiosity. Its combat repeats a little, but the attachment to its district and the profusion of activities hold you for the long haul.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Crossing four destinies through the maze of Kamurocho multiplies the protagonists, fighting styles and districts to roam, each opening its own batch of diversions. Lingering in the minigames, working through the side stories and closing every arc clearly extends the stay, and this chapter is still praised for widening the saga's horizon without losing its soul.
