Tales of Yakuza and the 100 Crack Fist

Sega’s Yakuza series has been going strong for over a decade in Japan, and is among the few reliable franchises they have these days. Over the years, the development team lead by director and producer Toshihiro Nagoshi has provided seven numbered mainline games, and several spinoffs thanks to its popularity. Beyond that, it’s also received remasters of the first two games, though that package led to Sega remaking the first game in the form of Yakuza Kiwami after fans discovered time hadn’t been kind to them.

What’s changed recently is how Sega’s been confidently spreading that wealth worldwide. While Yakuza games were being localized before, it never felt like Sega was that committed to them, and the feeling that they could drop the series outside Japan at a moment’s whim hovered over it. That almost happened before Yakuza 3 was announced, but actually happened after the mediocre Yakuza: Dead Souls arrived. The series’ localizations were an unfortunate casualty when Sega started cutting back on their gaming operations after several financial failures.

But they recommitted to them when they acquired Atlus, whose USA arm restored their localization prowess, and led to the localization of Yakuza 5 — albeit as a digital-only title. Yakuza 0, however, released earlier this year to critical and apparent commercial acclaim, as it worked as a good entry point for those who wanted to jump into the series. The trend will continue with Kiwami and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, due for release next Tuesday and on March 20th next year, respectively.

Kiwami’s impending release is fortuitous, because Sega announced Yakuza 2-remake Yakuza Kiwami 2 for Japan (and likely Asia). It’s a pity this surprise was ruined after the Taiwanese PlayStation Store accidentally uploaded their listing early, but seeing it in action with the “Dragon Engine” that powered Yakuza 6 was a treat for those who watched the stream.

Kiwami 2 will be welcome for anyone who wants to reexperience Yakuza 2, or wants to play all the earliest games in the series without having to get the PS2 version. As bonuses, this version will also include a new “Truth of Goro Maijima” scenario that will include a playable Maijima, and extra quests that weren’t in the original. It will release in Japan on December 7th on PS4, and will ideally be released outside Japan shortly afterward. It won’t arrive westward until late 2018 at the earliest, due to Yakuza 6’s release in March.

Also coming is Yakuza Online, a free-to-play title with microtransactions for mobile platforms and PC. It will star a new protagonist taking over for previous main character Kazuma Kiryu named Ichiban Kasuga, a 40-year-old man released from jail after a 17-year sentence after taking the blame for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s now returning to Kamurocho (the Yakuza series’ version of the real-life Kabukicho) to clear up mysteries regarding why this happened, and to perhaps discover the origin of his birth. His history is reminiscent of (previous) protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, so there’s a good chance he’s a good guy who will fall into a bunch of unfortunate situations.

Online will be the first in the “New Yakuza Project” series, which will include titles on multiple platforms, and the next mainline console game might be among them. Details surrounding these plans are scant, as you might be able to tell, but they might elaborate on them at Tokyo Game Show, or after Kiwami 2 releases.

The final game announced was a big surprise: A Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken) game from the Yakuza team known as “Hokuto ga Gotoku,” the second non-Yakuza project from them since Binary Domain in 2012. Considering all the Yakuza games feature playable “badass” muscular guys toppling groups of enemies without much help, this is the most perfect fit for a manga/anime adaptation since, well, Arc System Works and Dragon Ball. It should also be more fitting than the Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage Warriors-style games from Koei Tecmo and Omega Force, which suffered from an underwhelming combat system and poor mission design.

This will be an action/adventure title in the spirit of the Yakuza series starring FOTNS protagonist Kenshiro, who will be played by Kazuma Kiryu voice actor Takaya Kuroda, as shown in a fantastic transition on the stream. In an original location called “Eden,” a bustling entertainment district that’s a relic of the old world before nuclear war, and will include several activities to partake in like the Yakuza titles. Kenshiro will arrive in the city looking for his love, Yuria, but will find a place full of intrigue and opposition. The trailer shows that other characters from the series will also be included, like Shin and Rei; it won’t be canonical, but it should be entertaining considering co-creator and artist Tetsuo Hara will be involved. The game will release for PS4 sometime in 2018, and should come west sometime afterward. More details will be given at TGS.

The existence of one game was spoiled beforehand, but it’s good that the other titles remained a surprise until the stream. Sega will share more about these titles soon, but it would be splendid if their western department committed to localizing these earlier than expected, perhaps at PlayStation Experience in December.