This right here is all that I love in a game.

The sheer creativity, passion, love that was put into this game just beams in the final product.

Where do I begin, the fact this game's story is just like cheesy kids adventure show that I'd watch on Cartoon Network makes me feel all nostalgic. With some pretty likeable characters that while not deep, they don't need to be and it works for the type of game this is.

Now the gameplay and level design. This is without a doubt in my mind some of the most tightly designed levels and gameplay I've ever had the joy of experiencing. The rhythm and timing of the hits are just perfect and it gets you in a good flow that when I played the game, it honestly was hard to put down. Everything being tied to the beat too was just such a great design choice that makes this game just such a positive experience.

The game's music while not things I'd listen to in my spare time fit perfectly with what the game is going for which is sadly all I can say about it but it is great stuff.

This game is just what happens when everything clicks, you get a game that just knows what it wants to be and aces it perfectly.

P.S fuck Microsoft tho fr

This game is emblematic of why the Yakuza franchise just.. sucks in all honesty.

Lazy, undercooked, poorly written slop that thinks it's way deeper than it actually is.

To clarify, I did actually quite like this game initially but, thinking about the story and how Kiryu is written with someone IK playing through the game as I got to hear his criticisms that gave me food for thought and while I do think this game has certain good aspects... like all 1 nice thing I can say about it, I ended up on revaluation this game is lazy slop churned out.

How I realised this game is nothing but irredeemable garbage was 2 things: Going for Amon and listening to my friend's complaints in which I then thought on my own about the story and came to my own conclusions in that, yes this story is dog shit.

The good aspect is core combat is well fine, it works but Yakuza combat just... is not it imo, I've quickly gotten tired of how these games play as it's just spectacle and in a game with like... not much of it really with how slow heat is, well it's just a alright battle system.

The story, well I'm just going to say this is one of the most embarrassing pieces of writing I've seen in a game, you can't even call it an attempt at a story because all this game is, is emotional manipulation.

Now yes you could say I'm over-exaggerating and maybe you're right, however, what I mean by this, is they want you so bad to feel bad for Kiryu and his predicament when like... no he got himself in that position in the first place so stop trying to twist at my heart strings with this flaccid attempt at emotional writing.

The game's biggest sin tho is the price tag and how they justify it, in this game. In another form of being corporate dribble, They charge you £40 for this at launch for a 5 chapter game which for Yakuza sounds short yes. Then you realise that they pad the game out with it's shitty coliseum system both in the main story and Amon. Truly shameful stuff.

This is how you know a game's not got enough content, is when you are doing lame lazy content in which the story is halted.

The game's substories are mostly the same tired gags RGG has been running into the ground since 2015.

- Ghost story where it turns out there's not a ghost but then ohhh there actually was omg!!

- Purple haired old lady harassing Kiryu

-The 4 kings that have never been beaten

It's all the same regurgitated slop I've grown quickly tired of with this franchise.

RGG and Yakuza is a spit in the face of what I love about games as an art form. Art, something where creativity and passion shine but Gaiden has none of that, at all.

It's corporate dribble that was clearly meant to be DLC but then churned out as its own release carrying all the same lazy game design and story writing they've been doing forever now like reused movesets, characters just... not dying and emotional manipulation.

This review yes, you could say is being dramatic but I'm just writing about how I feel with RGG and this particular game.

As a remake of P3 from a objective standpoint, It's a solid B, it gets and improves on a lot but also screws up a lot. It's weird. I give this game as high of a score because it's P3 and the story experience is so much better.

But the finer details are all lost with a combat system too easy to beat too. I think the box art is emblematic of P3 Reload's issue, yeah it looks cool and is good but isn't as good as the og art the box art is based on like the game itself really, a lot of the details are lost making it lose a bit of that edge the og had.

The story tho which I do consider the most important aspect of Persona as the gameplay has always been at most ok imo. Is an improvement on what's already a pretty great narrative experience.

But there's no avoiding some of the weaker aspects like the removal of a lot of details such as the boss arena backgrounds and the subpar remade music that holds this back from being a perfect remake.