龍が如く6 命の詩。

"Yakuza 6" could have been a good sequel, but honestly, I was expecting much more from the game that was supposed to be Kiryu's final chapter. It feels like the developers had too many projects running simultaneously and had to cut content to meet the deadlines. I wasn't looking forward to another massive game like "Yakuza 5", but it's hard not to notice how even Kamurocho shrank for no apparent reason. It doesn't look like they chose quality over quantity either: the new engine looks obviously better, but the quality of cutscenes and character models is strangely uneven. The gameplay has never been Yakuza's strong point, but this might be the first time we are not rewarded with epic boss fights or memorable minigames. The fact that both graphics and combat vastly improved a year later with "Yakuza Kiwami 2" is just another proof that the team had time constraints. On the other hand, it's the first time we finally got voice-acted dialogues for the side quests, instead of walls of text like in all previous games.

The main storyline is as solid as usual, twisting and turning all over the place, both in good and bad ways. The Hiroshima chapters gave me some strong "Yakuza 3" vibes, with Kiryu befriending the good-hearted countryside chimpira in a battle against the tough mobsters from the city. I really enjoyed the mid to late chapters, even though the ending was a little rushed and butchered by a few questionable choices on how to send off/bring back characters.

I expected more historical characters to join Kiryu on his final adventure, but the new cast felt just as convincing. Miyasako, in particular, gives a surprisingly good performance as Nagumo. On the other hand, I still can't believe they decided to cast Yoko Maki; she is notoriously one of the worst actresses Japan has ever seen.

The antagonists might not be the most charismatic in the series, but they were not that bad either. I guess it's primarily due to the fact that there is no memorable boss fight to back them up.

Overall, it's an all-right "Yakuza" game, but at the same time, a wasted opportunity as the final chapter of a decade-long epic story.