Yakuza 5 releasing in Japan in December

May 24, 2012

Another year, another Yakuza game. Not that I mind, despite this year’s release of Dead Souls being the weakest of the (localised) titles. Perhaps Yakuza 5, which will be released in Japan in December, will make up for it.

According to Siliconera, this will be the biggest Yakuza title so far, with five locales and five playable characters. Yakuza 4 protagonists Kazuma Kiryu, Shun Akiyama and Taiga Saejima are all confirmed to be playable, along with Kiryu’s adopted daughter Haruka and a new character, a baseball player turned gambler named Tatsuo Shinada.

The story of Yakuza 5 takes place after Yakuza 4, and how things have changed. Haruka has left the Sunshine Orphanage in the hopes of becoming an idol; Saejima is in prison yet again; Kiryu is a cab driver (!) and Akiyama is traveling to Osaka. Sega is also reported to have made many improvements to Yakuza 5, including a revamped control scheme and seamless transitions.

If the past is any indication, Yakuza 5 will make it over to PAL shores as well. All in due time, but for now, you can check out the official website.