龍が如く7　光と闇の行方

The gameplay, and particularly, combat mechanics have been a remarkable weakness in the “Yakuza” series, with close to no change since the third chapter. It might sound even more worrying that now the combat has been replaced with turn-based RPG, taking the series even further into the past. However, the fact that the combat is been presented like this to reflect the protagonist’s obsession with RPGs makes the choice extremely coherent, something like “Dancer in the Dark” with musicals. And the combination of a modern urban setting with RPG tropes is exhilarating to say the least, with the employment service center giving you “jobs” (classes) and absurd skills linked to each one of them. Even the enemies are presented as extremized versions of some of people actually populating Japanese society and subcultures.

That aside, the combat doesn’t feel any slower than the action-based system of the previous games, although grinding can be a little too demanding within an experience that is already remarkably time-consuming. There are two boss fights in the last few chapters that will force you to farm experience, side-quests being not so helpful in the process.

The plot marks the first time legendary protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is not directly involved, and while the new characters can turn remarkably likable over time, the first phases of the game didn’t exactly trigger my motivation to continue. The acting and direction are still top-notch for a Japanese videogame, making again Yakuza mostly worth playing for the narrative rather than the gameplay itself, if you can accept its trademark melodramatic touch. Although the absurd comedy is still relevant, the narrative sometimes takes a darker route than before, even pointing the finger at some aspects of Japanese society that are rarely encountered in Japanese mainstream entertainment, like homelessness, prostitution, etc.