On the surface, Kurohyou seems like a simple Yakuza spinoff channeling energy from its developers, responsible for Def Jam. However, a few chapters in and the story and gameplay really clicked together with me, and I say together, because thats where the true genius lies. There is a beautiful mingling of gameplay and storytelling, with one of the themes of the story being personal growth through fighting, and moving past childish violence. Every boss you meet will test Tatsuya, our troubled teen punk who believes in nothing but his own strength, and test you the player, so you both can develop. During one of the matches I was fighting someone with very strong grabs, needing to store meter of "heat" and not use it to break from these grabs. The game didnt call this out to me, its something I naturally fell into once I understood the situation I was in. Aftewards Tatsuya states he had to stay calm to deal with is opponent... which is exactly what I did. I was shocked at how kurohyou had conditioned me into playing correctly, but also reflect it in the story. Each of the major bosses and their personality goes to decide how they act in combat, and how you should approach the fight. I don't think I've seen anything so intelligently put together to deliver this beautiful blend.

The characters here are excellent, which each ally and opponent really pushing tatsuya as a character, and his development is done really well.

However, where Kurohyou struggles is with the rest of its main content. in between fights most of the time you will be running being npcs on the map gathering information, or just running around in general. Its a little tiring, and the onslaught of random encounters can slow the pace down. This isn't enough to really harm it, as its s a small dent in an experience I loved.