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Yakuza 4 is a big step up from Yakuza 3 in any possible way:
Greater scale, a plot with a lot more depth and it introduces new characters to the cast which since then have become fan favorites. Yakuza 4 is an icon of what every sequel should strive for.

After Yakuza 3 RGG was like: We have to rush out another game. Yakuza 4 was released one year after Yakuza 3. Which is way too short for such a game, if you could ignore the asset reuse.
Yakuza 4 completely reuses the whole area of Kamarucho which is the only city in Yakuza 4 but adds new areas to it which are somewhat relevant, but give the city a lot more depth and character. Always keep in mind that in Yakuza games the cities are as much characters as actual people.
In Japan every Yakuza game has a subtitle, in the case of Yakuza 4 it was:
“Successor of Legend” as they had the idea to replace Kiryu as the protagonist.
This got handily thrown out of the window, because one character could not be reused as the voice actor got accused of drug use. Additionally, RGG was afraid that not using Kiryu would alienate their audience which was probably the right call.

Yakuza 4 builds upon the foundation of Yakuza 3, but it impresses with quality and quantity. Featuring four characters with wildly different move sets, protects from fighting fatigue as fights actually feel different and provide variation in approach.
And RGG fixed the blocking problem:
Yakuza 3 suffered from enemies that block throughout the whole fight and forced you to use throws which dealt little damage. Yakuza 4 had to do one thing, and they did it:
Enemies block less and the characters are fast enough to circle effectively.
Although this does not mean that all characters are equal. Funnily enough, they are about as strong as in the story, but everyone still feels better to use than Kiryu in Yakuza 3.
The only real flaw is the amount of grabbing going on. It is still way less atrocious than blocking, but it becomes annoying real fast. While not every character has a way to escape or counter grabs.
Combat aside: Yakuza 4 does add some new mini-games, but not enough to actually warrant a new game.
Everything got refined so that the controls are actually working quite well, but it is mostly still the same stuff as in Yakuza 3. Most of the side content is forgettable, at least the scale of Yakuza 4’s story makes it bearable.

This was probably the high point of the Yakuza series in terms of storytelling, and it really shows. The story was written with a lot of fidelity and strong characterization for the newcomers while also integrating them well into the plot.
And then it committed the crime of the dumbest plot twist in the Yakuza series which to this day is infamous by fans and gets repeatedly brought up, when discussing the most questionable decisions in the series.
In spite of that, if you can ignore this one mistake and some weak side characters, what is left, is downright epic and fun. RGG is in on the tropes, but instead of subverting them, they play it straight and add their own twists to it. Although it is not groundbreaking, it has been refined to such a degree that no one ever will doubt that Yakuza 4 had not an ambitious story.

Yakuza 4 does not have the chill vibes from Yakuza 3 and Okinawa, it is more grim and less bright. A perfect fit for the general theme of the game. If Yakuza 3 was about the bonds between people, Yakuza 4 is about responsibility.
Every character carries burdens that they have to shoulder one way or another.
It is haunting to see people who had such hard lives needing to step up for others, at one point you may ask if this is fair, yet this question is irrelevant. At some point what needs to be done, has to be done. And this is when Yakuza 4 peaks, it uses the set pieces for mature discussions about life and how one ends up in their respective situations. An effective way to showcase of how the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Then the music picks up, and the player connects with the game, feels the flow, this is when Yakuza 4 becomes untouchable.
I have to stress that the music is fantastic, it contains some tracks which are the best of the franchise.
Apart from these mature discussions, a good amount of substories is still very funny and well-written. If compared to the almighty Yakuza 0, they are still worse (on average with some outliers) though.

Yakuza 4 is the point the series became great without any doubts or questions. While there are some hiccups, it is a captivating thriller that perfectly sets the precedent of how to utilize an ensemble cast.

Originally posted by author:

As of now, meme curators dominate Steam. So consider following me for reviews that actually cost me some time (and effort) to create. I don't think this will change much, but the majority of my readers are not followers. I am still going to pump my heart into these reviews.
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/31884377-If-It-Is-Insane/

[quote] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/31884377-If-It-Is-Insane/]Check out my curator page for more awesome reviews[/url] [/quote] [h1]TL;DR[/h1] Yakuza 4 is a big step up from Yakuza 3 in any possible way: Greater scale, a plot with a lot more depth and it introduces new characters to the cast which since then have become fan favorites. Yakuza 4 is an icon of what every sequel should strive for. [h1]Background[/h1] After Yakuza 3 RGG was like: We have to rush out another game. Yakuza 4 was released one year after Yakuza 3. Which is way too short for such a game, if you could ignore the asset reuse. Yakuza 4 completely reuses the whole area of Kamarucho which is the only city in Yakuza 4 but adds new areas to it which are somewhat relevant, but give the city a lot more depth and character. Always keep in mind that in Yakuza games the cities are as much characters as actual people. In Japan every Yakuza game has a subtitle, in the case of Yakuza 4 it was: “Successor of Legend” as they had the idea to replace Kiryu as the protagonist. This got handily thrown out of the window, because one character could not be reused as the voice actor got accused of drug use. Additionally, RGG was afraid that not using Kiryu would alienate their audience which was probably the right call. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Yakuza 4 builds upon the foundation of Yakuza 3, but it impresses with quality and quantity. Featuring four characters with wildly different move sets, protects from fighting fatigue as fights actually feel different and provide variation in approach. And RGG fixed the blocking problem: Yakuza 3 suffered from enemies that block throughout the whole fight and forced you to use throws which dealt little damage. Yakuza 4 had to do one thing, and they did it: Enemies block less and the characters are fast enough to circle effectively. Although this does not mean that all characters are equal. Funnily enough, they are about as strong as in the story, but everyone still feels better to use than Kiryu in Yakuza 3. The only real flaw is the amount of grabbing going on. It is still way less atrocious than blocking, but it becomes annoying real fast. While not every character has a way to escape or counter grabs. Combat aside: Yakuza 4 does add some new mini-games, but not enough to actually warrant a new game. Everything got refined so that the controls are actually working quite well, but it is mostly still the same stuff as in Yakuza 3. Most of the side content is forgettable, at least the scale of Yakuza 4’s story makes it bearable. [h1]Story[/h1] This was probably the high point of the Yakuza series in terms of storytelling, and it really shows. The story was written with a lot of fidelity and strong characterization for the newcomers while also integrating them well into the plot. And then it committed the crime of the dumbest plot twist in the Yakuza series which to this day is infamous by fans and gets repeatedly brought up, when discussing the most questionable decisions in the series. In spite of that, if you can ignore this one mistake and some weak side characters, what is left, is downright epic and fun. RGG is in on the tropes, but instead of subverting them, they play it straight and add their own twists to it. Although it is not groundbreaking, it has been refined to such a degree that no one ever will doubt that Yakuza 4 had not an ambitious story. [h1]Atmosphere[/h1] Yakuza 4 does not have the chill vibes from Yakuza 3 and Okinawa, it is more grim and less bright. A perfect fit for the general theme of the game. If Yakuza 3 was about the bonds between people, Yakuza 4 is about responsibility. Every character carries burdens that they have to shoulder one way or another. It is haunting to see people who had such hard lives needing to step up for others, at one point you may ask if this is fair, yet this question is irrelevant. At some point what needs to be done, has to be done. And this is when Yakuza 4 peaks, it uses the set pieces for mature discussions about life and how one ends up in their respective situations. An effective way to showcase of how the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Then the music picks up, and the player connects with the game, feels the flow, this is when Yakuza 4 becomes untouchable. I have to stress that the music is fantastic, it contains some tracks which are the best of the franchise. Apart from these mature discussions, a good amount of substories is still very funny and well-written. If compared to the almighty Yakuza 0, they are still worse (on average with some outliers) though. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] Yakuza 4 is the point the series became great without any doubts or questions. While there are some hiccups, it is a captivating thriller that perfectly sets the precedent of how to utilize an ensemble cast. [quote=author] As of now, meme curators dominate Steam. So consider following me for reviews that actually cost me some time (and effort) to create. I don't think this will change much, but the majority of my readers are not followers. I am still going to pump my heart into these reviews. https://store.steampowered.com/curator/31884377-If-It-Is-Insane/ [/quote]