Yakuza 6: The Song of Life review — mafia brawls, minigames, and melodrama

Sega’s Yakuza 6: The Song of Life on the PlayStation 4 is the final time we’ll be able to run around as lovable gangster Kazuma Kiryu. It has all the hallmarks of previous titles: a clever and sometimes goofy sense of humor, a peek into the criminal underworld and nightlife of modern-day Japan, and lots and lots of punching. Just as before, it’s an open-world game centered around a gangster plotline.

Yakuza 6 is only the second game I’ve played out of the franchise, and it strikes a significantly different tone than the one I was expecting. Its main story tries to take on heftier subjects. It ponders the nature and extent of familial relationships. And it examines Kiryu’s legacy and how values and attitudes change over time.