| Yakuza | |
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&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Yakuza-sega.jpg) North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | New Entertainment R&D Dept. |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Ryuta Ueda |
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| Series | Yakuza |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | PlayStation 2PlayStation 3
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| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Yakuza[a] is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 2. It was released in 2005 in Japan and in September 2006 internationally. The story follows Kazuma Kiryu, a yakuza who spent ten years in prison for a crime he did not commit. After being released, he learns that the criminal underworld is searching for 10 billion yen that has been stolen from the Tojo clan. He comes across an orphan named Haruka who is being targeted by the clan. She is believed to have the key to their lost money and Kiryu resolves to protect her. The game takes place in Kamurocho, a realistic recreation of Tokyo's Kabukicho district.
Yakuza takes place in an open world and makes use of role-playing elements. The player gains experience from combat which is used to improve Kiryu's fighting capabilities. In order to finance the game's expensive production, Sega contracted a tie-in campaign with famous Japanese companies. A sequel, Yakuza 2 was released in Japan in 2006. The game, along with its sequel, received an HD remaster, released in Japan in 2012. A remake of the first game, Yakuza Kiwami, was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in 2016, and later ported to Windows, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Critical reception was generally positive; its presentation and story were praised while its controls and mechanics were criticized. Yakuza was a commercial success and sold over one million units on PS2. Its success spawned a titular game franchise.
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