This review contains spoilers
As one of the three Yakuza games still region locked to Japan, going through Kurohyou thanks to the fan made patch was a fun experience. It's definitely one of the messier games in the franchise, but also manages to carve its own niche thanks to its unique game play and grittier tone.
Unlike every other Yakuza game, Kurohyou plays more like a fighting game (which makes sense as this is from the Def Jam devs). Because of this fights tend to be more up close and personal with things like the limb system and directional attacks supporting this style of combat. Despite that it manages to be pretty damn fun throughout, with many styles to unlock allowing experimentation that wouldn't be seen in a mainline game until Ishin. Another big difference is the main star of the show Tatsuya Ukyo, who starts the game as a complete fucking asshole who gets forced into the hellhole that is Dragon Heat and has to claw his way towards freedom. This makes his eventual growth one of the best in the series, with a pretty solid side cast making the journey that much more interesting (DJ Rikuoh the goat). One last thing I'd like to say is just how impressive a title this is for the PSP, standing with games like the God Of War dualogy and Peace Walker as one of the more visually appealing games on the system (it helps that this game goes the classic route with fixed camera angles).
My biggest problem with Kurohyou comes from its narrative, which starts off pretty intriguing but loses itself with typical Yakuza shenanigans. I love the initial setup of Tatsuya needing to win 10 in a row to survive (and the opponents being connected to his past allows for some pretty nifty moments) but after a while the game tends to drag its feet pacing wise with tons of meandering and lots of lore dumps (doesn't help you CANT SKIP CUTSCENES WHY). Another weak aspect would be the main villain, who only gets a bit of (admittedly cool) lore before you face him (except not really) which makes the entire thing feel rushed. On the gameplay side of things I absolutely despise how the game handles Heat actions, with them being delegated to grabs only for some reason. This makes the pace of the combat feel incredibly schizophrenic at points since the opponent can just stuff whatever attempts you do to close the gap, and other bullshit like being able to near instantly counter your special moves (the limb system also feels a bit underutilized in this regard). Bosses have this the worst, with each one of them having the annoying as fuck mechanic of being able to transition from a combo to heat move if you get hit with ANY attack in the animation (which lead to running around the arena to avoid which felt so jank). Side content is also pretty weak, with substories being incredibly dull besides the gangs plotline and tournament arc (which lets you fucking break the game with what you get).
Despite these rough edges I'd still call Kurohyou one of the better entries in the series and a great way to start off the first spin-off series in the Yakuza franchise. Excited to see how Kurohyou 2 changes things up but for now I'll wait until I finish Infinite Wealth to go to that one.
7/10
Unlike every other Yakuza game, Kurohyou plays more like a fighting game (which makes sense as this is from the Def Jam devs). Because of this fights tend to be more up close and personal with things like the limb system and directional attacks supporting this style of combat. Despite that it manages to be pretty damn fun throughout, with many styles to unlock allowing experimentation that wouldn't be seen in a mainline game until Ishin. Another big difference is the main star of the show Tatsuya Ukyo, who starts the game as a complete fucking asshole who gets forced into the hellhole that is Dragon Heat and has to claw his way towards freedom. This makes his eventual growth one of the best in the series, with a pretty solid side cast making the journey that much more interesting (DJ Rikuoh the goat). One last thing I'd like to say is just how impressive a title this is for the PSP, standing with games like the God Of War dualogy and Peace Walker as one of the more visually appealing games on the system (it helps that this game goes the classic route with fixed camera angles).
My biggest problem with Kurohyou comes from its narrative, which starts off pretty intriguing but loses itself with typical Yakuza shenanigans. I love the initial setup of Tatsuya needing to win 10 in a row to survive (and the opponents being connected to his past allows for some pretty nifty moments) but after a while the game tends to drag its feet pacing wise with tons of meandering and lots of lore dumps (doesn't help you CANT SKIP CUTSCENES WHY). Another weak aspect would be the main villain, who only gets a bit of (admittedly cool) lore before you face him (except not really) which makes the entire thing feel rushed. On the gameplay side of things I absolutely despise how the game handles Heat actions, with them being delegated to grabs only for some reason. This makes the pace of the combat feel incredibly schizophrenic at points since the opponent can just stuff whatever attempts you do to close the gap, and other bullshit like being able to near instantly counter your special moves (the limb system also feels a bit underutilized in this regard). Bosses have this the worst, with each one of them having the annoying as fuck mechanic of being able to transition from a combo to heat move if you get hit with ANY attack in the animation (which lead to running around the arena to avoid which felt so jank). Side content is also pretty weak, with substories being incredibly dull besides the gangs plotline and tournament arc (which lets you fucking break the game with what you get).
Despite these rough edges I'd still call Kurohyou one of the better entries in the series and a great way to start off the first spin-off series in the Yakuza franchise. Excited to see how Kurohyou 2 changes things up but for now I'll wait until I finish Infinite Wealth to go to that one.
7/10