Let's start with a preface: Yes, I only came because of the memes. But I stayed for everything else. What I didn't realise was that this game would quickly become one of my favourites in a short amount of time. So what's the big deal with the Baka Mitai meme game?

It's honestly kind of crazy how unknown the Yakuza series was until 0. Yakuza 0 is a prequel to many years' worth of games in the series, and it does a really impressive job for being a prequel game. This was my first, and you should definitely start with this one to really become a Yakuza fan through and through. The only problem with 0 is that it's too good, so temper your expectations especially going into Kiwami.

While 0 was originally intended to be more enjoyed with prior knowledge of the previous games, or at least the first game, times have changed to make it so that this is the best possible starting point in the series as of late. Though the appeal of seeing a young Kazuma Kiryu or Goro Majima will be lost to newcomers, what is gained is substantially more important, fleshing out the protagonists of this game and giving them more depth for the later games.

1980's Kamurocho is such a joy to revel in, with the bubble economy making money one of the top resources in this game, using money to quite literally give yourself more skills and become more powerful. It's only a shame that Kiryu seems less interesting gameplay wise and character wise in this prequel, as Majima absolutely steals the show with a side that is rarely seen in later entries, from what I hear.

The story is rather engaging and manages to pull a lot of strings should you become invested in it. The substories are also more or less memorable in their own right, making almost every one of them a blast to experience, with the humour of the mundane (and sometimes extraordinary) contrasted with the seriousness of the overall story, so that you can switch between either should you get tired of either one. 0 manages to have simultaneously one of the best and worst minigames ever, that being the Cabaret Club being a shining star, and Catfights being one of the worst.

The combat is simple but flashy enough with the Heat moves to keep combat engaging. However, you will most likely only ever stick to one style for each character as you get them, the game never quite necessitates style switching as much as Kiwami, so enjoy using the Beast and Breaker style in all of their unbridled glory.

And of course, the mainstay reason why many of us are here: the karaoke and disco are bomb. If the sometimes long cutscenes and dialogue aren't quite your cup of tea, at least the memes are worth the price of admission. Soundtrack is quite nice to listen to as well, with many tracks hyping up combat encounters or dressing up virtual women to perfection.

If you're going for 100% completion, you will have your work cut out for you, but if you like the game enough to do it, then it's not all bad. Though some minigames will be frustrating, at least Mahjong's not hard to learn. Yakuza 0 is a classic in the making, the perfect entry point to such a crazy, serious, and off the wall humorous series perfectly blended into something of its own. Truly this game made me a Yakuza fan, and I can't wait to continue Kiryu's story.