Great game, plain and simple. I have always loved the Yakuza games ever since I started with Yakuza 0. At first I was hesitant to buy this game when I heard it was going in favor of a turn based JRPG, but it fits not only with gameplay, but with Ichiban's character as well. Now, let us get into the meat and potatoes of the game...
The story is clear and every part of it was enjoyable. I loved the characters in it starting with the new protagonist, Ichiban. He has to be one of the most relatable characters I have come across as he isn't some invincible maniac or some throw-away henchman, but instead another person that wants to help others while trying to rise from the bottom, hence why he has the other party members to help him. The acting is phenomenal on Japanese audio and OK on English audio, but both ways are enjoyable. Me personally, I recommend playing with Japanese audio. It may be a bit confusing to new players who some characters are and why everyone looks up to them, but if you invest yourself into Ichiban's shoes, then you won't have to worry about being confused as he too is confused or knows little to nothing about them. I will say this, the cutscenes are LONG. If you plan to watch all of them, you could be playing this game for well over 36 hours; so maybe grab some dinner or popcorn while you play. Otherwise than that, we move on to...
Here I'm going to address 2 things and that will be the gameplay itself and the soundtrack as they flow together really well.
First off, the gameplay The gameplay consists of a turn based JRPG style more accustomed to old school Final Fantasy and Valkyria games. As addressed before, it does this in favor of the beat 'em up style of gameplay it previously had, but it fits surprisingly well as you can aid with the attacks by timing the correct button on both keyboard and controller to get crit hits or use that same method to block attacks and get a pretty good damage reduction. The game is perfect for anyone that wants to stick with keyboard and mouse compared to the controller. Since the game has many mini games, you can see yourself playing a wide variety of them and even experiencing some weird side quests as a result. 1 downside I had with the game was close to the end of the game, it kind of stonewalls you without telling a recommended level before it's too late so you will have to grind the game a bit to get to a good level, though they do introduce you to a fighting ring as well, so make sure to utilize it on your first playthrough.
Secondly, The Soundtrack The soundtrack is awesome, down right. If you love EDM, dubstep, or even some rock, you will love the game's soundtrack. Each song fits with a certain type of battle and will play that song depending on which battle you are in. It can get a bit annoying when you are just walking down the streets and constantly fighting people and hearing the same song over and over, but considering how much I love the songs, it never bothered me too much.
This game is good and actually works. I never really encountered a single bug, but if I did, I didn't even notice it. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a new game for the holidays or just want something better than the dissapointment that was a certain over hyped mess (not gonna name any names, but you know what it is.)
Overall: 9.2/10