3.5/5 ★ – imontheedgeofmyseat's review of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.

The end of Kiryu’s saga, the final game where we get to play as KIRYU, the last time where we would get to see things through his eyes, the legend of a long running series where every game is trying to end Kiryu’s story. Yakuza 1 had a good ending, Yakuza 2 had a good ending, Yakuza 3 had a good ending, Yakuza 4 had a good ending, Yakuza 5 had a good ending, Kiryu’s story is constantly ending but now 6 is the one that will truly once and for all close the curtains and let the dragon rest............................... and it’s a tech demo. Following a game like 5 which was the most polished version of everything the previous games have been and a massive celebration of the series, packed with so much stuff to do with a game like 6 which is constantly stumbling over itself and lacks content is just sad. This doesn’t feel complete, parts of the main city are blocked off cause they didn’t have time to make them, the final section of the game doesn’t have a level, the combat destroys the solid foundation the series has been building on for nearly a decade for a floaty physic based mess. It’s still fun but it’s a massive downgrade on all levels. Even little things like all the boss fights having red heat instead of their own unique color sours the experience a ton. As for the story...... It's good. For Kiryu’s final game, I wish there was more of a callback to the characters of previous games which were important to KIRYU but the new cast is compelling and the villains here are some of the best in the series, not the final one good God he sucks but the rest are pretty dope and I have to comment on the fantastic inclusion of Tatsuro Yamashita’s music. If there’s one element of the game that perfectly captures the end of a legend, it’s Yamashita’s timeless songs and THEY’RE GONE IN THE WESTERN RELEASE WHICH IS ASS. Some of the best scenes here are completely neutered of their emotional impact in the localization and the worst part is that people will not know how. It’s a shame that one of the best elements 6 had going for it is missing in English. The overall game is disappointing but nowhere near bad, despite it’s flaws I believe the developers’ hearts were in the right place.