Four Heroes, Two Cities: Yakuza 4 Review

Yakuza 4 is the fourth entry in the series and the first to follow multiple protagonists. Sega’s crime drama moves away from the single hero model of previous games, splitting its story between four men whose lives intersect across Osaka and Tokyo. The result is a sprawling, occasionally exhausting adventure that rewards patience and punishes hurry.

Trailer, via IGN.

Four Heroes, One Story

The game follows Kiryu Kazuma, Date Masamune, Saiga Shun and Majima Goro. Each character has his own story, his own district and his own enemies. Players switch between them as the plot demands, following a mission in one city before jumping to another. The structure works best when it lets the stories breathe, less well when it forces a shift mid-scene.

Kiryu returns as the familiar face of the series, a man who left the yakuza to live quietly with his wife. Date is a young heir forced into the family business he despises. Saiga is a former boxer whose career ended badly. Majima is the comic relief, a clownish fixer who gets beaten down and gets back up again. The game leans on these differences to keep its long hours fresh.

Battling Through the Streets

Fighting remains the core of Yakuza 4. Players can punch, kick, elbow and knee their way through crowds of enemies, or they can go wild with weapons like chainsaws and bats. The combat is fast, satisfying and forgiving, though it can feel repetitive over long stretches. The game also introduces a new system where players can build combos by chaining attacks together, giving the fighting a bit more depth than earlier entries.

Boss fights stand out. They are slow, deliberate affairs that test patience as much as skill. Enemies wait for openings before attacking, and the player who acts without thinking often loses. These set pieces are where Yakuza 4 shows its ambition, even if the pace of the regular street battles drags in comparison.

Osaka and Tokyo

The setting is divided between Osaka’s neon streets and Tokyo’s quieter, rain-slicked alleys. Both cities are rendered with a level of detail that rivals other open-world games of the period. Buildings are tall, cars drive on busy roads, and pedestrians walk with purpose. The game uses these spaces to tell its story, letting players wander between missions and find side content along the way.

Side activities include karaoke, mahjong, pool and driving. Some are fun, some are filler, and none of them are required to finish the main story. Players who want to see everything will spend far more time than those who simply want to progress. The balance is uneven, but the variety keeps the world from feeling empty between missions.

Story, Sound and Pace

The writing is uneven. Some scenes are sharp and tense, others are muddled and confusing. The game’s attempt to juggle four narratives means the pacing suffers in places, with long stretches of filler dialogue and repeated cutscenes. That said, the central mystery involving a missing heir and a conspiracy within the yakuza holds the whole thing together.

Voice acting is mixed. Japanese performances are strong, with Majima’s actor delivering the camp with genuine energy. English dubs are less successful, with some lines landing flat. The music is a highlight, mixing rock, jazz and traditional ballads to suit each scene. The sound design is also excellent, with footsteps, rain and distant traffic all adding to the atmosphere.

A Long Journey

Yakuza 4 is long. Its story takes dozens of hours to complete, and the side content adds many more. That length is both a strength and a weakness. It gives the game room to explore its characters and its world, but it also means the middle chapters can drag when the plot stalls. Players who want a quick fix will be disappointed; those willing to commit will find a rewarding payoff.

The game’s strengths are its characters and its world. Kiryu remains a compelling lead, Date brings a fresh perspective, Saiga carries real pathos and Majima provides genuine laughs. The Osaka and Tokyo districts are some of the most detailed open-world spaces Sega had built at the time. Together, they make Yakuza 4 a worthy entry in the series, even if it does not reach the heights of its predecessors.

Final Score

Yakuza 4 is a solid, ambitious game that stumbles in places. Its four-hero structure is innovative, its combat is satisfying and its setting is impressive. But the pacing is uneven, the side content is hit-and-miss and the story sometimes loses focus. It is a game that rewards patience and punishes hurry, a trait common to the genre but one that still frustrates after dozens of hours.

action-adventure · game review · open world · Sega · Yakuza