Reviews// Yakuza Dead Souls

For fans of Yakuza or those with a passion for zombies, there's plenty here to get your teeth into. This is a well-done play on Yakuza's serious tone, absolutely packed with all manner of undead mutants, boss fights and some hilarious moments.

Some of the Yakuza series' memorable returning characters and the game's freedom from canon makes Yakuza: Dead Souls feel like a fresh, fun take on a familiar and well-known premise.

The game brings us back to Kamurocho, the fictional Tokyo district where most of the Yakuza series is set.

A zombie infection is spreading throughout the city, slowly pushing back the quarantine barriers while most of the citizens are still trying to live there. The game stars Ryuji Goda and Shun Akiyama who we've met in previous Yakuza games , along with Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima from throughout the whole series. We follow these four men as they're thrust back into the limelight to defend Kamurocho.

Although the control set-up isn't the most intuitive at first - left stick to move AND to aim - it doesn't take much getting used to. Once you get a grasp on them you realise they're useful in all kinds of ways, like dodging and pushing your way through crowds of shuffling zombies.

This is all part of a winning survival formula and that's the kind of thing this set-up was made for, but the shooting side of it just seems like an afterthought. The camera has a mind of its own and having to stand still to free aim is something that needs to be put to rest.
Zombie Apocalypse
As you'd expect during a zombie apocalypse, there's a lot of junk lying around. You can pick up just about anything you find, including bikes, bins and mannequins, to bash your undead enemies with. I found that picking up an object the same size as your character and swinging it around as if it weighs nothing was highly amusing.

As you unlock abilities and upgrades you can increase your strength to pick up and use heavier objects like motorbikes and barrels. Then after some further melee upgrades, your unarmed skillset means that you are able to slay zombies without guns almost as efficiently as with!

Beyond the usual shufflers you find everywhere, there's a wide variety of zombie types. A couple of them could pass for cameo appearances from other games; for example we have Boomers from Left 4 Dead and a boss fight with something akin to a Licker from Resident Evil.

All of the special zombies have unique abilities and weaknesses. Each time you encounter a new type, the game pauses and gives you a full explanation of what they can do and how best to kill them. While possibly a good thing for the newer gamer, for me it spoils the flow a little though, since half the fun should be figuring these things out. Another gripe I have is that, well, the zombies just take to long to kill. They appear to be a stream of boring mini-bosses.

Prototype Too?
That said, the real boss battles with the 'Prototypes' are lots of fun. Most of them are the typical old school routine of watching the pattern and working out where to strike at the right time and, for me, that's just how boss battles should be.

Talking about how things should work, there is a satisfying selection of guns. Among these are shotguns, sniper rifles, a grenade launcher and a Gatling gun. Each weapon has its own pros and cons to balance out usefulness depending on your situation and preference.

This way lots of different weapons get to dominate lots of different situations. Any handguns, for example, have infinite ammo, but to use the Gatling gun for more than a few waves of zombies you'd need to start filling your inventory with lots of spare bullets.

Weapons and armour can both be upgraded using money and valuable items. Once you reach the hideout you get to invest as much of your cash as you'd like on the side. This goes towards renovating the hideout, which adds new weapons and items for you to buy.

And... Relax
When you're in the city between missions you can catch a break from all the action, giving you chance to relax and maybe do some gambling. Casinos are a great way to take a break, kill some time and multiply your money.

There are lots of NPCs to chat to, and most of them will give you handy advice and some XP while many will activate side missions. Use these side missions to earn extra XP and money. As you progress through the story and switch from one character to another, all of your XP, items and abilities are yours to keep. They stay with you so there's no need to share or spread anything.

As for abilities, Heat Sniping is one you get at the beginning, and is my favourite feature. It allows you to shoot explosive barrels and the like from great distance with any gun. There are always plenty of targets in any given area that you can use to your advantage. Just press the button, pick a target and a short action quick-time event begins!

This will either cause an explosion with massive damage or have another useful effect like creating an electrified barrier that staggers and damages foes while preventing them from passing through.

Even your own grenades and other throwables can be Heat Sniped while in the air! If you succeed with this, the item is multiplied as you throw it, rewarding you with lots more damage. You can Heat Snipe in tandem with your AI partner where they will throw a bunch of grenades and you take them out, creating an even bigger explosion!

This is a definite must-have for any Yakuza player, and worth a look if you have a zombie obsession. If you're new to Yakuza then give it time, get yourself absorbed in it and it will be sure to have you hooked.

Pros:
+Big variety of weapons and lots of upgrades
+Great boss battles
+ Lots of content to keep you busy

Cons:
- Bad controls for shooting
- Fiddly and slow menus and dialog
- Camera is annoying

SPOnG Score: 8/10