I have purchased Yakuza 0 three times.
Once on Xbox, where it still lives untouched. Once on Steam, as part of a backlog-building bundle. And now, finally, on Nintendo Switch 2 – in the form of Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut – where I’ve actually started playing it.
I’ve wanted to play the game for years, but it always felt daunting. It took a new piece of hardware to get me started. There was something about a fresh download and system’s portability that made embarking on this ten-year-old crime saga feel exciting rather than intimidating. Sometimes I need a little nudge, and in this case, the allure of shiny new hardware gave me the push I needed.
Yakuza 0 is not the first game in the series – far from it – but it is the origin story. Set in 1988, in the neon-lit districts of Kamurocho and Sotenbori, it introduces us to a young Kazuma Kiryu and the gloriously unhinged Goro Majima. It’s a prequel, but one that carries the weight of a decade’s worth of game design, character development, and worldbuilding.
There’s some debate over the best starting point – this, or Yakuza Kiwami, the remake of the first game – but I opted for Yakuza 0 because it promised an experience that was both welcoming to newcomers and something of a greatest hits package. I figured if I didn’t like this one, then the series as a whole probably wasn’t for me.
Turns out I love it.
One reason is how deftly Yakuza 0 walks a tonal tightrope. It’s essentially a gritty drama about murder, betrayal, and organised crime – it makes a great companion piece to Tokyo Vice in that regard – but it’s also a game where you can stop mid-mission to belt out karaoke, dance at the disco, or play Out Run at an arcade. And the strange thing is, it all works.
This is a world where melodrama and absurdity live side by side, where side quests about adult phone lines sit comfortably next to crime syndicate skulduggery and real estate extortion. But there’s a deep sincerity behind the weirdness, and that’s part of what makes it so special.
I appreciate games like Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed II and, more recently, Star Wars Outlaws because of the worlds they create and the level of detail within them. They’re spaces to inhabit, to absorb, and to lose yourself in. The same is true of the locations in Yakuza 0, but detailed worlds can only take you so far before you’re just an asset tourist. It’s the characters that give the best of these worlds some meaning.
And, just like Arthur Morgan, Michael De Santa, and even Kay Vess, Yakuza 0’s twin protagonists give substance to the alleyways, grocery stores, and nightclubs. It’s the experience of seeing these places through their eyes that brings them to life. Kamurocho and Sotenbori are not vast, but they’re dense; lived-in, packed with personality and, most importantly, they feel essential in shaping the behaviour and identities of Kiryu and Majima. And as silly as some moments get – and it’s sometimes ridiculous – there’s a relatable, beating heart underneath it all.
Yakuza 0 is also a game that loves to interrupt you with side quests, combat, and seemingly aimless conversations. But they all add texture. Combat is an especially welcome distraction. It’s crunchy and satisfying across its six disciplines, and spectacular to watch, even if your skill level is low. And the various other excursions – whether it’s baseball, karaoke, pool, fishing, or a full-featured cabaret club simulation – add variety and depth.
I’m aware that my notes of appreciation aren’t saying anything that hasn’t already been said a thousand times before, but so be it. Add my words to the heap of praise this game has already received. And if you’ve been hovering over the buy button, let this be the nudge you need.
The question I had when I started Yakuza 0 was: would I go deeper? The series is, to put it mildly, extensive. Well, Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 are coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in November, and Yakuza Kiwami 3 is due in 2026. Even if the Switch ports end there, the rest of the series – and its spin-offs – are widely available. It’s overwhelming, but also comforting to know there’s a whole world waiting for me with familiar characters, evolving locations, and a continuing tale of drama and humour. How this saga arrives with Majima sailing the high seas in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, I can only guess, but I think it’ll be a fun ride.
For now, I’m content soaking in the 1980s atmosphere, wondering what to do with all the pocket tissues I’ve obtained, and headbutting my way through real estate disputes.
From the Backlog is a semi-regular feature where we finally play the games everyone else finished five years ago and see if they still live up to the hype (or at least justify that third time we bought them).
