Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is a single-player action-adventure game with role-playing and brawler combat elements. The story follows Kazuma Kiryu, a former yakuza who has just completed a prison sentence. Upon his release, he discovers that Haruka, the young woman he raised as a daughter, has fallen into a coma after a mysterious accident, leaving behind an infant son. Seeking answers, Kiryu journeys into the criminal underworld of Hiroshima and Kamurocho to uncover the truth about Haruka’s condition, the father of her child, and the larger conspiracies that connect her fate to rival clans and political power struggles. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is a direct continuation of the mainline series, taking place after the events of Yakuza 5.

Gameplay combines open-world exploration with real-time combat. Players can freely roam the districts of Kamurocho and Onomichi, engaging in street fights with rival gangsters, thugs, and other adversaries. The combat system uses a single fighting style, replacing the multiple stances of earlier titles, but emphasizes environmental interaction. Kiryu can grab bicycles, chairs, and other objects to use as weapons, while context-sensitive Heat Actions deliver cinematic finishing moves.

Progression is tied to experience points earned from combat, eating meals, and completing activities. These points are allocated into different categories that upgrade Kiryu’s health, strength, special moves, and exploration skills. This allows customization of combat abilities while also encouraging players to interact with the environment, such as restaurants and gyms, for additional growth.

Side content is a major feature. Mini-games include karaoke, darts, baseball batting cages, mahjong, fishing, and a hostess club simulation. Larger diversions include running a cat café, managing a baseball team, and competing in internet chat-based encounters. These activities provide rewards, stat boosts, and narrative flavor, while also reflecting the series’ mix of crime drama and lighthearted comedy.

Dialogue and story sequences alternate between cutscenes and in-engine conversations. Player choices in dialogue are limited, with the emphasis placed on narrative progression rather than branching paths. Relationships with allies and side characters are deepened through substories, optional quests that introduce eccentric scenarios and one-off conflicts.