Parents' Guide to

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

By David Chapman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Tale of revenge, redemption ... if you get around to it.

Game PlayStation 4 2018
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this game.

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This huge open-world adventure will take you on a tale of revenge and redemption, if you decide to play the main story instead of getting lost in Tokyo. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life brings the story of Kazuma Kiryu to a close with a new adventure built from the ground up for the PlayStation 4, returning players to the seedy underbelly of Japan's criminal underground while also showcasing the day-to-day life and culture in the Land of the Rising Sun. Since this is an original entry, as opposed to a remake or remaster, Yakuza 6 manages to take full advantage of the PS4, cramming in a ridiculous amount of content and some gorgeous visuals, making this the best Yakuza entry to date.

Yakuza 6 continues the series' tradition of giving players plenty to do outside of the main story. There are so many side jobs and mini-games, it's easy to forget that you're a man on a mission. In fact, one of the few faults in Yakuza 6 is that experiencing all the extras the game has to offer can sometimes be more entertaining than actually moving the plot forward. Sure, you could spend every waking moment seeking out revenge against those who've wronged you ... but why would you when you could spend that same time playing Virtua Fighter 5 and Outrun in the arcade or rustling up stray cats so you can open up your own kitten-themed café? It winds up making the main crux of the entire game feel almost secondary and optional. That's not to say that there isn't some depth to Kiryu's predicament, but sometimes the siren's call of a random karaoke moment just proves too tempting to ignore.

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