Yakuza series games

Yakuza

— a series of action-adventure games from SEGA, dedicated, as the name suggests, to the Japanese mafia Yakuza and inspired by films in the corresponding genre. As of 2019, it includes 7 main games (the eighth is expected to be released in 2020), two remakes, and eight spin-offs. The main games were predominantly released on PlayStation, with only Yakuza 0 (2017) available for Windows and Xbox.

The main games take place in an open world where the player has to deal with three modes — "Events," which include the main storyline missions (they can be quite diverse), "Battles," where you need to fight with fighters from rival clans, and "Adventures," which involve various mini-games. The abundance of additional mini-games is one of the most original features of the entire Yakuza series; these games can range from simple competitions in darts or bowling to crafting weapons or equipment (with searching for blueprints and components), visiting hostess clubs and cabarets, and even working as a manager of such establishments. Some of these activities require just a few minutes to complete, while others take several hours.

The Yakuza series games have consistently received high ratings both in their homeland, Japan, and from Western critics; and the main protagonist of most games, Kazuma Kiryu, is considered one of the unofficial mascots of the entire PlayStation platform.