Another Yakuza game down this is the most mixed bag in the series so far, i'm going to break it down without spoilers into different characters and sections bc I have a lot of thoughts about this one, first I wanna get into each character's gameplay, main minigame(s) and a nonspoiler opinion on their story
Akiyama:
Gameplay wise he is great, kinda like Rush style, really fast and kick focused, my second personal favorite to play as in this game, his music goes crazy and his combos and unlocks are really fun. His story was the strongest of the four individual chapters to me and he also honestly had some of the stronger side content too. Recruiting Allies is fun and easy and Hostess maker is an awful nightmarish slog like in Yakuza 3 that I still dunno how they thought "yeah ship it like that"
Saejima:
His gameplay is slow, clunky and boring, he hits so hard he trivializes most fights but he's just so unsatisfying to play, his story starts really strong but has an extremely awkward and pointless scene that made me cringe and just kinda falls flat as the game goes on, his side stories are also very nothing I felt no attachment to any of them and the final one is just kinda random. Fighter Maker is up there as one of the worst minigames in the series too, just pure rng. Saejima is ugly to look at and his gameplay is ugly to play all around I had to take long breaks during his chapter it was like the worst of Yakuza 3 rolled into a single man.
Tanimura: His gameplay is... I don't know? He has an awkward but sort of fun parry, bizarre combos, he isnt bad to play by any means he just feels like unfinished or something to me, I still had fun in most of his fights. His story was extremely nothing to me I honestly couldn't even tell you most of what happened in it, his side stories were EXTREMELY good though I wish they focused more on that and his relationship with foreigners instead of the stuff about his father. The Police Scanner is pretty fun if a little repetitive, its some neat flavor though.
Kiryu:
What is there to be said about the Dragon of Dojima? His chapters are extremely short but fun if a little weak plot wise, gameplay wise though he feels fantastic and you can get a lot of his signature moves pretty early. His side stories are alright but very short, the gang fighting is a little slow and boring I didn't end up finishing it, I'll come back and do it later one day.
Overall thoughts:
Gameplay is a huge step up from 3 they feel like they are from different planets entirely, however the plot is a huge step down from the previous games. I couldn't tell you any of the villain motivations and the constant awful plot twists made it hard to care about anything. I really honestly have no idea what the main villain even wanted. The story being so bad is a huge negative because it made it very hard to keep going in a pretty beefy game, the sub stories being alright but nothing special didn't help too much. What did help is arguably the best soundtrack so far and fun gameplay, also the Amon fights in this game are actually really balanced? And fun?? Shocking!!! Really hope 5 is a return to form this was overall a low point for me.
Akiyama:
Gameplay wise he is great, kinda like Rush style, really fast and kick focused, my second personal favorite to play as in this game, his music goes crazy and his combos and unlocks are really fun. His story was the strongest of the four individual chapters to me and he also honestly had some of the stronger side content too. Recruiting Allies is fun and easy and Hostess maker is an awful nightmarish slog like in Yakuza 3 that I still dunno how they thought "yeah ship it like that"
Saejima:
His gameplay is slow, clunky and boring, he hits so hard he trivializes most fights but he's just so unsatisfying to play, his story starts really strong but has an extremely awkward and pointless scene that made me cringe and just kinda falls flat as the game goes on, his side stories are also very nothing I felt no attachment to any of them and the final one is just kinda random. Fighter Maker is up there as one of the worst minigames in the series too, just pure rng. Saejima is ugly to look at and his gameplay is ugly to play all around I had to take long breaks during his chapter it was like the worst of Yakuza 3 rolled into a single man.
Tanimura: His gameplay is... I don't know? He has an awkward but sort of fun parry, bizarre combos, he isnt bad to play by any means he just feels like unfinished or something to me, I still had fun in most of his fights. His story was extremely nothing to me I honestly couldn't even tell you most of what happened in it, his side stories were EXTREMELY good though I wish they focused more on that and his relationship with foreigners instead of the stuff about his father. The Police Scanner is pretty fun if a little repetitive, its some neat flavor though.
Kiryu:
What is there to be said about the Dragon of Dojima? His chapters are extremely short but fun if a little weak plot wise, gameplay wise though he feels fantastic and you can get a lot of his signature moves pretty early. His side stories are alright but very short, the gang fighting is a little slow and boring I didn't end up finishing it, I'll come back and do it later one day.
Overall thoughts:
Gameplay is a huge step up from 3 they feel like they are from different planets entirely, however the plot is a huge step down from the previous games. I couldn't tell you any of the villain motivations and the constant awful plot twists made it hard to care about anything. I really honestly have no idea what the main villain even wanted. The story being so bad is a huge negative because it made it very hard to keep going in a pretty beefy game, the sub stories being alright but nothing special didn't help too much. What did help is arguably the best soundtrack so far and fun gameplay, also the Amon fights in this game are actually really balanced? And fun?? Shocking!!! Really hope 5 is a return to form this was overall a low point for me.