I have mixed thoughts, but mostly positive.
It's been called Yakuza 6-2 and it's obvious it was meant to be ANOTHER Kiryu sendoff since many were unhappy with 6's ending. I personally didn't mind 6's ending, but any excuse to play more Kiryu is good.
The story ties Kiryu from 6's epilogue, to his time during 7 leading into 8. I'll see how much it comes into play when I get to Infinite Wealth, but I think the story is fine even if there isn't too much when you cut through the game's padding. The Akame Network and accompanying substories come into play for the main story, so you'll likely need to take time doing super quick fetch quests or Akame's requests, which are much more like the substories you'd expect in this series. A few are pretty good, especially the orphanage substory. There is also a bigger emphasis on the coliseum this time around (also Amon is unlocked through finishing the coliseum substories, too bad I hated him this time around), and possibly the best version of the clan creator minigames thus far (actually being on the battle field and not controlling them from a distance made them feel much more fun).
The combat is paradoxical, it has the best Kiryu moveset in the Dragon Engine while having a few glaring flaws of its own. DE Dragon of Dojima (now called Yakuza style) doesn't get faster, unless you attack enemies on the floor, and feels weighty, which isn't bad in and of itself but there were plenty of situations where my combo got broken either by super armor, interruption, or an enemy being pushed away. It ended up using it for most of the game, with the new Agent style being a bit of a let down (I couldn't get it to work for me until after most upgrades, any other time bit me in the ass).
Bosses were mixed-decent, with the final boss (the finale in general, actually) being the highlight and arguably a top 5 boss fight for the series. Currently replaying the game with no damage upgrades to see how they are when extended (I don't like fun fights ending too quickly). Also don't want to dwell too much here, but the lack of a new game plus is absolutely absurd with how much you can unlock here.
The ending has been lauded by pretty much everyone, and I don't disagree it's a series highlight.
My thoughts might change after finishing IW, but as it stands it works as a fun sidestory despite its flaws.
Also, Akame is the best part of the game and she needs to be a recurring character. First Summer Uika is a queen.
7/10
It's been called Yakuza 6-2 and it's obvious it was meant to be ANOTHER Kiryu sendoff since many were unhappy with 6's ending. I personally didn't mind 6's ending, but any excuse to play more Kiryu is good.
The story ties Kiryu from 6's epilogue, to his time during 7 leading into 8. I'll see how much it comes into play when I get to Infinite Wealth, but I think the story is fine even if there isn't too much when you cut through the game's padding. The Akame Network and accompanying substories come into play for the main story, so you'll likely need to take time doing super quick fetch quests or Akame's requests, which are much more like the substories you'd expect in this series. A few are pretty good, especially the orphanage substory. There is also a bigger emphasis on the coliseum this time around (also Amon is unlocked through finishing the coliseum substories, too bad I hated him this time around), and possibly the best version of the clan creator minigames thus far (actually being on the battle field and not controlling them from a distance made them feel much more fun).
The combat is paradoxical, it has the best Kiryu moveset in the Dragon Engine while having a few glaring flaws of its own. DE Dragon of Dojima (now called Yakuza style) doesn't get faster, unless you attack enemies on the floor, and feels weighty, which isn't bad in and of itself but there were plenty of situations where my combo got broken either by super armor, interruption, or an enemy being pushed away. It ended up using it for most of the game, with the new Agent style being a bit of a let down (I couldn't get it to work for me until after most upgrades, any other time bit me in the ass).
Bosses were mixed-decent, with the final boss (the finale in general, actually) being the highlight and arguably a top 5 boss fight for the series. Currently replaying the game with no damage upgrades to see how they are when extended (I don't like fun fights ending too quickly). Also don't want to dwell too much here, but the lack of a new game plus is absolutely absurd with how much you can unlock here.
The ending has been lauded by pretty much everyone, and I don't disagree it's a series highlight.
My thoughts might change after finishing IW, but as it stands it works as a fun sidestory despite its flaws.
Also, Akame is the best part of the game and she needs to be a recurring character. First Summer Uika is a queen.
7/10