Should I play 6 now?

[Maahniac]

I have gotten three Yakuza platinums, and I loved playing through all of them. Yakuza 0 in 2018, Yakuza Kiwami and Kiwami 2 in 2019. I'm now in the rather awkward position of wanting a bit more Yakuza in my life, but also being a bit fed up with all of the grinding, mini-games etc. And I'm one of those weirdos who just have to clear every game 100%, so there's no way I can just play a Yakuza game casually That's why Yakuza 6 seems like a perfect game right now. It's the ending to Kiryu's story, it's the least grindy game of the series, and it's relatively short.

HOWEVER... That would mean I'm skipping three big games.

Would Yakuza-veterans recommend me not doing this? Story-wise, I guess it's not that big a deal. Sure I'd miss out on great stories, fun missions, and weird characters from those games, but I got the impression that 6 does a pretty good job of catching up the player. 

3, 4 and 5 all have horrifying Platinum journeys (perhaps not so much 4) according to trophy guides, and I guess I just rather want a more easy-going Yakuza game right now. But would this, ultimately, be a shame?

What are you opinions of the three games I'd be missing, as well as 6?

[JavaNext]

Im pretty much in the position as you. But the thing thats stopping me from playing 3 through 5 is that I was expecting the Kiwami treatment, and Im dissapointed with their remasters. So Im interested in other peoples opinions.

[Undead Wolf]

Yakuza 6 won't have the same impact if you skip the three games that lead up to it. It's supposed to be the end of Kiryu's story (at least as a main character), so of course it should be experienced last. That way you'll feel the proper emotional weight of it all. There's no good reason to play them out of order like you're suggesting. Yakuza 6 assumes you've played the other games - it definitely *doesn't* do a good job of catching you up. If you don't feel like playing a grindy game right now, then just hold off playing the series until you do. Besides, Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 are all far superior games to Yakuza 6 in my humble opinion. Yakuza 5 in particular is one of my favourite in the series, right up there with Yakuza 0. It would absolutely be a shame if you skipped them!

[Baker]

I just did that. Playing 6 after 0, Kiwami & Kiwami 2 and my advice is to not do it and play the Remasters first. I felt like I was missing a lot of the backstory and therefore Yakuza 6’s story became very uninteresting to me. Which resulted in me skipping all cutscenes about halfway through the game.

Edited May 12, 2020 by BB-BakkerJ

[Maahniac]

Thanks for your replies!

A follow-up question; Can I at least skip Yakuza 3? I get the impression that people are really frustrated with the game, find it the dullest in the series and so on. But of course, if the story is important, i understand that it probably should not be skipped.

[StacFace92]

3 hours ago, Maahniac said:

A follow-up question; Can I at least skip Yakuza 3? I get the impression that people are really frustrated with the game, find it the dullest in the series and so on. But of course, if the story is important, i understand that it probably should not be skipped.

 

Yakuza 3 is the game that really built up Kiryu's relationship as a father figure to the orphanage kids, placing more focus on them & Kiryu's interactions with them, which I think changes how you view parts of 5 & 6. I definitely wouldn't skip it, but then I liked the change of pace.

[Asimb0mb]

If you're playing the games for the story, you have to play all of them because Yakuza 6's story is much better if you know what happens prior to it.

Yakuza 3 has the orphanage stuff, which is a big deal for Kiryu as a character. Yakuza 4 introduces Akiyama and Saejima, who are pretty important characters. Yakuza 5 is literally the prequel to Yakuza 6. You'll miss out on too much if you play 6 before 5.

 

Also, imo Yakuza 3's platinum isn't all that hard. It's Yakuza 5 you should be FAR more worried about. That game is way too bloated and will be the true test to your patience. It's up there with Yakuza 0 for me as the hardest Yakuza platinums.