Still, this is where the finer detail of each character is filled in. There's still the rather anachronistic way Yakuza breaks its lengthy cutscenes into sections, flitting from lavish, beautifully animated cinematics to stilted on-screen text conversations. But the nous to know when to administer a lighter touch, the sharp dialogue and strong performances from its Japanese voice actors (no dubs here) make it work. The larger than life storytelling often has a faint whiff of cheese and a penchant for the melodramatic. The bad guys are pantomime villains snake-eyed uncompromising and heartless. The good guys are honourable, warm-hearted and just a little vulnerable. The necessity to introduce four characters can lead to a slightly fractured narrative, but the writing in Yakuza has this uncanny knack of painting characters in broad strokes, laying it on thick to let you know exactly what type of person you're dealing with.

Akiyama, the first and most interesting of the new characters, quashes any fears within five minutes.

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