When Sega first announced the 7th entry into the Yakuza series, I was incredibly hyped. The Yakuza series of games is one of my favorites, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the newest game. When they later announced that the game’s frenetic and over the top combat would be replaced with a turn-based RPG combat, I was taken aback. The Yakuza series has some of the best “laugh out loud” moments in combat, and I wondered how they would keep it interesting. When the series creator explained why the combat was changing, I must admit that I laughed. Apparently, the new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, is a fan of the Dragon Quest series. This exactly encapsulates the spirit of the series, and I was back onboard the hype train.

Well, the game released in Japan on January 16th this year, and so far, the reviews seem positive. Japanese review site Famitsu gave the game a 38/40, which is great. Furthermore, the game sold pretty well, according to series overseer Toshihiro Nagoshi. It has thus far sold over 300,000 units in Japan. This is great news for a long time fan of the series such as myself. While I will certainly miss the whirlwind of destruction known as Kazuma Kiryu, I eagerly await the ridiculous fun that the Yakuza series always seems to bring. There is no official release date for Western audiences, so you’ll either have to order the Japanese version or read on here for more news when we get it!