Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Critic Reviews

If there’s any justice in the world Yakuza 6 would sell millions of copies. It’s smart, sharp, often surreal, and always hugely entertaining. The game maintains the series’ penchant for reproducing the experience of being in a Japanese city to exacting details, and then overlays a brilliant, labyrinthine, wildly funny B-grade yakuza drama over the top. It’s the kind of game you just “live” in, and the perfect example of open world game design done right.

Yakuza 6 offers one of the finest, most realized crime stories of the medium. It also marks the conclusion of Kiryu Kazuma’s story, granting him an ending befitting such a well-rounded character. And the best part is that you don’t have to be a Yakuza expert to appreciate how it all ends.

A rip-roaring conclusion to Kiryu's tale and the best entry in the Yakuza series to date, Yakuza 6 is a triumph that effortlessly cements its place in the pantheon of all-time JRPG greats.

What Yakuza 6 meant to me as someone who has followed the series from the very beginning is a true culmination of 12 years worth of characters and story. It’s an absolute emotional rollercoaster ride, packaged together with some of the best content the series has offered to date and polished to an absolute shine. “The Song of Life” may very well represent the final chapter in the legendary chronicles of the Dragon of Dojima. However, as is the case with every great legend, his story will live on, having left an indelible mark in gaming history as one of the most memorable and important characters to have ever graced the medium.

Yakuza 6 has so much to offer and every moment of it is a joy, even if you can’t always read what they’re saying.

This game is so much better than all previous iterations and every aspect of this title is so well executed that the game as a package is, well, unmissable. Great mini games, fantastic humor, an awesome story, exhilarating combat and a plethora of technical improvements. We could go one forever about the things that Yakuza does right. The bottom line is this; Yakuza 6 is hands down the epitome of the franchise and a great excuse to get into this franchise if you haven't before.

One of my favorite things about Yakuza 6 is that it delivers surprises at such a steady clip.

We love Yakuza´s story, its locations that seem "alive" and its many minigames (including classic Sega arcades such as Puyo Puyo, Virtua Fighter 5 or Super Hang On). The song of Life is the perfect ending for this saga.

It’s a pretty solid Yakuza tale, and it builds upon the progression and combat systems from the previous games pretty well. The side stories are fun and weird (sentient cleaning robots?), and there’s still a hefty number of side activities to explore. It’s a great looking game with some minor technical issues, and will likely provide the average player with dozens of gameplay hours.

Yakuza 6 isn't just one of the best entries in the series to date, it's also one of the most fulfilling experiences you'll find in 2018. A game bursting with content and character alike, it takes its rightful place alongside some of the best releases of the year not just on substance or style, but on its ability to balance all its attributes yet pace it in a way that's both manageable and inviting.

It's definitely a more condensed experience than the content-stuffed Yakuza 5 or 0, but the trade-offs are worth it. Whether you've been following this series for years or only have minimal experience with it, Yakuza 6 is an entry worth playing.

For the past few years players had the chance to enjoy the beautiful story of Yakuza. Unfortunately, this story comes to a close with Yakuza 6. While you assume the role of Kiryu for the last time, the beautiful ending is in sight.

Song of Life is Kiryu’s story and focusing on something larger would only be a disservice to one of gaming’s most fully realized characters. It’s only fitting that he bows out in Ryu ga Gotoku Studio’s most mature and focused game.

It’s taken me a long time to experience the Yakuza series, but Yakuza 6 makes me so thankful that I finally have. The insurmountable badass Kazuma Kiryu is surrounded by a fantastic cast of characters and some gripping drama—it’s just a shame that the “game” portion of this video game isn’t quite what it could be. Still, this is a superb adventure from beginning to end, and further proof of the magic that Japanese developers can weave when they put their minds to it.

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life tells a truly gripping tale – a story that blows most games out of the water. Combine that with a refined combat system and a new engine capable of making the game's world feel more alive than ever, and you've got a stellar Yakuza title. Although the experience does feel a little stunted in places outside of the main plot, this is still a fitting final chapter. Yakuza 6 is a gloriously dramatic send off for one of the greatest characters in modern gaming.

A wonderful crime thriller that embraces everything that made the series great, refining it further with new technology – it blew me away. I’m not ashamed to say that the closing minutes of Kazuma Kiryu’s final chapter brought me to tears, acting as the culmination of a story in which I’ve lost myself for more than a decade.

We could not have thought of a better way to end Kiryu Kazuma's adventures. More than a simple GTA clone, Yakuza 6 is a generous game which will provide you with a hundred hours of an amazing gaming experience. You will never be bored with the never-ending amount of content available in this game. Moreover, Japanese culture enthusiasts will have a great time hanging out in a very well modeled versions of Hiroshima and Kabukicho. A must have.

I could go on and on about how utterly incredible Kazama Kiryu is as a character, and how the Yakuza series has broadened my horizons when it comes to Japanese games. If you've played Yakuza in the past, I think you'll get a tremendous amount of enjoyment out of this game.

A touching finale for Kazuma Kiryu, Yakuza 6 manages to surprise and delight in equal measure.

When the title credits roll, you’ll be hard pressed not to feel bittersweet to know this is the end of Kiryu’s long tale. Where the series goes next is anyone’s guess, but it’s hard to imaging it without our scarlet-shirted protagonist. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is not only a great game, but a fitting closure for the long and turbulent story of Kiryu Kazuma.