Tokyo 1988, neon everywhere, and two men with nothing left to lose.

First signal, and it feels good: when the community picks on gut instinct, Yakuza 0 already lands ahead of nearly nine games out of ten. The rest follows, though on few votes, so take it as early. The art style and the fun climb ahead of 95% of titles. The sound close behind, ahead of more than nine games out of ten. The one calmer note is the feel in the hand, solid without breaking the ceiling, ahead of roughly two thirds of games. That tracks with the beast: a game that grabs you with its world and its energy more than with pure combat precision.

In the landscape of open-world Japanese action-RPGs, this is exactly what the series promises. Crime drama tipping into wild mini-games, the gap in tone fully owned, it leaves a mark as much as the big Western open worlds, but with its own flavor.

So, who is it for? For you if you love a district that breathes, a story that hits the gut, and side activities that go everywhere. Much less if you want first and foremost the mechanical rigor of a pure beat'em up.