Yakuza: Dead Souls

Yakuza: Dead Souls is a bizarre spin-off of the main series, in which the developers took the familiar streets of Kamurocho and, without ceremony, unleashed a full-blown zombie apocalypse on them. Instead of fistfights on the streets, players now fight for survival against hordes of the undead while trying to figure out who is behind the outbreak, why their home district of all places became hell on earth, and what happened to the people they know from previous entries in the series. The narrative is delivered with the same straight-faced seriousness the series usually reserves for its mafia dramas, creating a distinctive contrast between the absurd premise and the pathos with which it is told.

In terms of gameplay, it's the most radical departure from the rest of the series – combat is built around firearms, ammo collecting, and third-person shooting instead of the traditional fistfights, although the game still keeps elements of melee combat and special abilities for each playable character, among them familiar faces like Kazuma Kiryu, Goro Majima, and Shun Akiyama, each with their own weapon type and combat style, ranging from shotguns and submachine guns to improvised weapons cobbled together from street trash. Kamurocho's open world remains practically the same as in the rest of the series, with the same shops and landmarks, but in the nighttime zombie-infested setting devoid of civilians it feels completely different – the streets are darker, quieter, and more dangerous, creating a striking contrast to the usually bustling, overcrowded city drama that fans of the series are used to.

Why play it: Dead Souls is an interesting curiosity for series fans who want to see the well-known Kamurocho in a completely different light and don't mind the significant genre shift toward a third-person shooter. It isn't essential for understanding the series' main story, but as a light-hearted spin-off with dark humor and exaggeration it works surprisingly well and offers a perspective on the series you won't find anywhere else.