PS4's Yakuza 6 Video Shows Off Upgraded Visuals And Other New Features

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life isn't out for a couple more months, but we managed to get an early copy of the game, which we streamed for 90 minutes. Staying relatively light on spoilers, we showed off many features of this PlayStation 4 exclusive, devoting most of our playthrough by focusing on minigames and combat.

As the swan song to Kazuma Kiryu's series-long story arc, this 90-minute stream gave a preview of his last planned game, at least as a main character. It also showcased Sega's new Dragon Engine, which will be used for Ryu Ga Gotoku Kiwami 2, Shin Ryu Ga Gotoku, and presumably other franchise games for the foreseeable future. Yakuza fans should notice a host of visual upgrades like more defined character models and quality of life improvements. There's auto-saving, marking pins on the map, and easy task management through Kiryu's smartphone. In addition, you can also run from battle encounters and take the fight into convenient stores and restaurants, much to the disappointment of the businesses' cashiers.

We also previewed Kiryu's exploits in Onomichi, a real life locale within the Hiroshima prefecture. This charming small town offered its share of side content including spearfishing and the new clan battle strategy game. You'll also catch Kiryu in rare daddy form as he carries a mystery baby around town, trying out different ways to calm down the little tyke.

Those who want to a headstart on Yakuza 6 will get to play it on February 27 thanks to a demo. Better yet, this demo's save will be compatible with the full game when it releases on April 17.