![]() ![]() The use of the “-chan” honorific for the protagonist, which implies closeness and a sense of fondness, immediately denounces the hostess’ identity as being Majima, as he is one of the only two characters, the other being old friend and bartender Reina, to address Kiryu as such. It’s a segment of the secondary game mode Majima Everywhere, where resident and much-beloved franchise antagonist Goro Majima occupies himself with finding a variety of ways through which he can make excuses for fighting Kiryu - and the player is rewarded with new skills and overall battle experience.īasically, one of Majima’s underlings informs Kiryu that there is a very insistent hostess at SHINE, who won’t leave unless she is assigned to “Kiryu-chan”. But it is through that same cabaret mechanic, in that same SHINE club, that the game sets the stage for what struck me as a very uncomfortable sequence. Sure, one of the cabaret club hostesses, Rina at SHINE, the protagonist to a very refreshing storyline for LGBT+ players, is a woman who loves women - the game never calls her a lesbian, bisexual, or pansexual, but she is very much an enthusiast of cute girls. Whether through a very much NSFW mini-game that has Kiryu collecting cards of women in bug costumes and racy poses the opportunity to chat girls up in cabaret clubs or through the game’s, pardon the bluntness, absolutely garbage writing of women in contrast with the in-depth characterization offered to men this is a game about men, by men, and for men. One of the main things about the Yakuza series is that its games are primarily targeted at adult Japanese men - and the game will not allow the player to forget that. And to put it shortly, they are far from reaching the zenith. Though, it still falls short in other aspects - especially concerning representation, which RGG Studio has tried to perfect over the years, from removing transphobic side quests to peppering later entries with social commentary. The legwork done to expand the world of Yakuza is impressive: it goes the extra mile to include new game modes, characters, and 20 minutes of cutscenes that, coupled with prequel appearances, provide some much-needed characterization to the otherwise bland main antagonist Akira “Nishiki” Nishikiyama. Cover art for Yakuza Kiwami (credit: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/SEGA)Įleven years after the release of the original Yakuza (2005), the world’s introduction to the Dragon of Dojima, Kazuma Kiryu, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio put out the new-and-improved remake Yakuza Kiwami.
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