Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Review - Screenshot 1 of 7
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)

Yakuza 0 was the first Yakuza game — after many, many attempts on my part — that finally and fully opened my eyes to the magic of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's long-running (and entirely bats**t) franchise. This was the one that finally did me in.

And from the moment its incredible opening cutscene sequence kicks in, it's not hard to see why, it's not hard to know you're in the very best of company with Yakuza 0. It's a lavish, opulent, gritty, violent and wholly adult affair, that also happens to be incredibly cheesy, almost ludicrously silly, and full of good-intentioned heart. It's a complicated old thing, is this Yakuza malarkey.

On the topic of 'complicated', this is also a series that, for understandable reasons, I constantly see people wondering how or where to get started with. How do you approach it? Which game should you go with first? The answer, my friends, is simple. You start with Yakuza 0.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Review - Screenshot 2 of 7
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)

This majestic prequel gives you the Yakuza experience in its most coherent and well-rounded form (at least it did until Yakuza: Like A Dragon arrived, but that's another story). A properly epic gangster tale of the rise of Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima — two of gaming's great protagonists — as they battle on the mean streets of Tokyo and Osaka circa 1988, it sets the stage for all that follows in the series. Which is a lot. Oh boy, it's a lot.

Everything here, from the neon-soaked streets of its two impressively open locations, to the cast of absolute maniac criminal underworld characters you'll meet (and then likely kill), it feels, as all of these games do, weirdly authentic in its characterisations, and in the bizarre vibe it strikes, even though it's completely off-the-rails bonkers a lot of the time.

If you know Yakuza, you know the deal. It's a bit rough, rude, borderline pervy at times (although the devs have done very well in reigning this side in more recently), and it somehow manages to mix extremely cheesy (in the best way) dialogue, always fantastically acted, with serious real-world issues and the occasional bit of actual emotion.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Review - Screenshot 3 of 7
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)

Kiryu and Majima are incredibly likeable characters to get stuck into controlling, too. They're cool, funny, dumb as the rest of us, and incredibly desperate to be loved. Just like me. It's a winning combo, especially when they also happen to be quite excellent at beating large gangs of armed thugs in combat that, back in 2015, was the most polished and absorbing the series had seen yet. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, you understand, but it feels slicker, the animations are better, and each of our protags has got three styles to fight in, giving you lots more options in how you want to approach battles than you may expect. This is a very, very well-made brawler, is what I'm saying.

Did you know that one of Majima's fighting stances is breakdancing, by the way? That's a good window into how silly this whole thing manages to be at all times. And who doesn't enjoy the franchise's signature environmental and weapons-based takedowns? Bike to the face, anyone? Traffic cone to the nuts? Come and get it, mate. And bring your pals.

It's also tickled us forever now, how none of these folk, no matter how badly you beat them off a storefront, ever die. It's just that kind of thing. Don't feel bad. They only die during big scenes. You can go ham with that cafe chair, he can't feel it.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Review - Screenshot 4 of 7
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)

The Yakuza games have always chosen a pleasing sort of moment-to-moment depth over sheer size in terms of their open worlds, too. This most likely, of course, originates from technical limitations, but now in the modern-future-terror-world in which we currently exist, they continue to stick with this setup to an extent, and it pays dividends here (as it continues to with more recent entries, and flashy Yakuza spin-offs like the Judgment series). Now I'm not saying the world isn't big and impressive — it is — it's just not gonna make you take a bike and cycle in a straight line for 40 minutes to your next objective.

With Ryu Ga Gotoku, you get locations that, whilst often a little smaller this way, come alive thanks to the fact they're stuffed full of NPCs to talk to, get to know, and have fun with. They've got bars to hang out and get drunk off your ass in. You can go play pool, darts, do some karaoke, hit a disco. And these are things you can get better at, and be rewarded for doing. They open up quests and embiggen your circle of (incredibly unstable and violent) friends.

Or maybe you prefer golf? Poker? Fishing? What about arcades, mate? They've got Space Harrier, Super Hang-On, and Out Run, to name a few. You might not know this yet if you haven't played the game in the past, but you're about to become fully addicted to the fantastic Cabaret Club minigame here. We won't spoil it.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Review - Screenshot 5 of 7
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)

The main narrative, which sees both our protagonists become embroiled in turf wars that push them into contact with one another, is as excellent as it ever is in these games. Like a great big OTT soap opera stuffed full of psychotic killers, men running around in nappies, a guy called Mr. Libido and...well...let's just say Michael Jackson may or may not show up and need your help killing some zombies.

The majesty (and sometimes surprising grimness) of the main story is offset by a ton of side stuff which, whilst sometimes quite filler-y in nature, is mostly composed of very entertaining and well-written diversions. This melding of kooky comedy, off-kilter weirdness, and serious criminal activity has served the series well for decades, and in Yakuza 0 it's perhaps at its finest, certainly in terms of the franchise before it branched out into the turn-based Like A Dragon games, which are now my personal faves.

In terms of this Director's Cut on Switch 2, well, we have been spoiled, my friends. In close-ups, this version looks as good, if not better, than Yakuza 0 running on a PS4. Docked mode sees slick 4K/60fps goodness, whilst in portable it looks pristine in ways I never thought possible. There are volumetric effects, shadows and reflections on advertising boards here that I definitely haven't seen before, and it all looks great.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Review - Screenshot 6 of 7
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)

We also get a new mode in this Director's Cut, alongside a full English dub (it's really not good, with Kiryu being particularly terrible, but hey, at least the option is there!) and some 30 minutes or thereabouts of new story scenes. Nice! All of this stuff really is gravy, too, as this is perhaps the best of all the Yakuza games, certainly pre-Like A Dragon, and it's genuinely never looked or played nicer.

With regards to the new scenes specifically, I'm not gonna say anything about them, because it's spoiler town centre, but it's going to be interesting, to say the least, to see how fans who've played the game feel about the rearrangement of a certain incident. It's not a biggie to me, personally, but there is definitely going to be some push-back on this change, that much is for sure. It doesn't affect things in any way that would have me change my thoughts on the game, though, so don't stress if you're coming in fresh.

The new multiplayer mode, Red Light Raid, has been very quiet thus far when I've tried, but it does allow for solo raids, alongside online with randoms, or with friends locally. It's fine, a basic wave battle-typed affair that sees you earn money, which you then use to unlock and upgrade characters. It's a nice bonus, but it does feel throwaway, unless you decide to commit and rise through the online leaderboards.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Review - Screenshot 7 of 7
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)

Choosing a character (the game gives you a big juicy paycheck to get started, so you can pick a fancy one) sees you then jump into street scraps in a team of four. Enemy groups are impressively large, and there are tough bosses and other aspects thrown at you as you attempt to clear hordes before your timer/health run out. Again, it's fine, but I'm not gonna let it affect my overall opinion of the main game, as that's what we are all here for.

And so with that, it's a big score indeed for a big old package. This is a phenomenal game from opening cutscene to close, a true gangster epic that gives newcomers the perfect place to start with this evergreen series. In it's Switch 2 form, it also now represents my favourite way to play this one, reclining on my sofa whilst kicking Yakuza butt. Just like God intended.

Conclusion

Yakuza 0 is the best of the traditional-styled Yakuza games, with the most complex story and interesting characters of the lot. It's also the ideal place for newcomers to get started with this weird and wonderful series.

The new multiplayer mode is a little throwaway, for sure, and the fights do get repetitive (turn-based Yakuza FTW), but otherwise, this is a phenomenal port of an epic adventure that's now my favourite way to get down on the mean streets of 1980s Tokyo and Osaka.

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