If there’s one thing people love, it’s a happy ending, but if there’s one thing people hate, it’s their favorite franchise not getting another entry. This leads to those situations where a hero keeps coming out of retirement for one last last job over and over again, and it becomes painfully obvious that the plot is no longer being moved by the characters, but by the demands of an industry. This is the dilemma that characterizes Yakuza 3, even when the team was much bolder in their approach to continuing the story of Kazuma Kiryu than most franchises would be with their heroes. If any other protagonist had wanted to run an orphanage at the end of their prior appearance, the next entry would simply open with a scene of the orphanage being attacked to spur the hero into action, but this game actually spends a lot of time depicting Kiryu’s new life. Hours are spent fleshing out his new family and exploring how he approaches the challenges of parenthood, there’s barely any action or drama at all. Even when it’s a massive pivot from the prior games, it’s a decision I highly value, perhaps directly because of the magnitude of such a change. It shows a commitment to the character, a respect for him as a person and not as a puppet to justify more games about beating people up. However, it’s not like the developers could forgo the formula completely and still expect to sell units and continue the franchise, so slowly but surely, a more orthodox crime drama takes the place of the intimate character study. I imagine that for most people, the change couldn’t have come soon enough, but the crime plot felt so contrived that I resented being taken away from the orphanage. It makes sense why this is one of the more divisive entries in the franchise, given this uncomfortable mix of narratives. On one hand, you get some great character development and a bold new direction, but on the other hand, there’s a reason why those “back in action” sequels pull in viewers so reliably. They’re a comfortable and simple platform to see your favorite characters doing the things you like seeing them do, and even if the call to action is a bit weak, it flies by fast enough not matter much. So, Yakuza 3 ends up in a situation where if you played it to follow Kiryu’s life, the back half feels like an annoying obligation, but if you wanted more punching and crime, the first half feels like a different franchise entirely. No one walks away completely satisfied, even if everyone still has a lot to appreciate.

My hunch is that the true value of Yakuza 3 shines in future installments, where all the development Kiryu got over the course of this game has more time to pay off. However, this is as far as I’ve gotten in the franchise, so I’m looking forward to seeing where things go from here. I’m not counting on getting as much character development, but from a team that was confident enough to go in that direction in the first place, I’m anxious to see what lessons they brought into the development of 4.