4/5 ★ – TheTheoLogan's review of Yakuza 5 Remastered.

Just when I thought I was done with the Yakuza games, like Kiryu, I found myself being pulled back in for another drama. And I almost gave up on Yakuza 5. But I’m glad I didn’t. 5 follows a similar structure to 4 where each game’s individual parts are led by a different character. Each having their own playstyle and set of substories and minigames. I can say that, while I certainly enjoyed most of the characters I got to play as, this type of format just isn’t for me when it comes to Yakuza games. Thankfully, the characters you play as this time around are just as entertaining, if not moreso, than 4’s protagonists. The only character I did not care to play as was Saejima. The fact the first half of his part is just a retread of 4 and the other half is a boring ass hunting simulator just left me wishing RGG had cut this part out entirely. But I also just think Saejima isn’t fun to play as either. And that’s the thing about Yakuza 5: it’s too long and there’s a lot of boring to wade through. Don’t get me wrong: the writing and story beats are fantastic. But this game should not take 60-80+ hours to beat. Even the devs know the game is too long because they had to have brief recaps given through side characters during the finale’s chapters at different points. They simply crafted too much in this game and, imo, it drags the game down. I even found myself skipping a lot of side stuff I’d normally pursue because, by the time I got to Part 4, I was ready for the game to be over with. Also, I know Yakuza games are known for long cutscenes. But this one pushes boundaries of patience and attention span as there were multiple cutscenes that left my controller idle, wearing out the timer which caused my controller to shut itself off. These cutscenes should not be that long. I’m playing a video game, not watching a multi-season tv show. And yet, despite all that, I found myself really enjoying Yakuza 5. I think the story it’s trying to tell about belonging and being with true family is sincere and heartfelt. The only shame is that you will likely forget a lot of what it’s trying to say on the road to the finale.