Ryu ga Gotoku Studio's latest game after the disappointing Kiwami 2 is Hokuto ga Gotoku, a mashup of Fist of the North Star and Yakuza series of games. The Yakuza series is no stranger to spin offs set in someone else's story such as Kenzan! which was about the Miyamoto Musashi story and Ishin! which was about Sakamoto Ryoma and the Shinsengumi.
Both Kenzan! and Ishin! featured Yakuza characters as historical characters and it was fun figuring out who was going to play which famous character. Hokuto ga Gotoku has the Yakuza voice actors portraying the famous anime characters without changing their appearance.
Alas Hokuto ga Gotoku happens to be the worst spin off Yakuza game ever, not counting Kurohyou 2 on the PSP.
THINGS I LIKED
+ Kiryu kills people or rather we have a RGG game where the main character kills.
+ The Bounty Hunter Reaper story.
+ Kenshiro's exploding moves look nice.
+ Befriending the shopkeepers by pouring them drinks though the storylines feel half assed.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
- The most grindy RGG game ever. There isn't that much content and budget so they made it this super grindy look for parts and bolts festival.
- They've turned the fun cabaret club management sim from Yakuza 0 into a boring grind fest.
- They made it very hard to get skill points which are essential to unlocking moves or rather its not very balanced such as needing to perform poorly during the music game in order to attain them.
- Inability to skip exploding scenes with a button.
- The city of Eden does not feel very alive.
- Stupid ending with twists and turns that defy any logical explanation. If you thought Crystal Skull was bad....
SUMMARY
Disappointing game. I think Nagoshi said they went with the old Yakuza engine cause it was easier and the team was younger but this plays like a game made with no vision that was hastily slapped together. Stay away.
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