FAQ

Find answers to frequently asked questions about The Lullaby of Life. Learn about the game's rating, starting points, and unique features.

Q: What is _Yakuza 6: The Song of Life_?

A: _Yakuza 6_ is the seventh mainline game (counting _Yakuza 0_) in the series of the same name by SEGA, otherwise known in Japan as " _Ryu ga Gotoku_" (" _Like a Dragon_"). The game was released in late 2016 for the PlayStation 4 in Japan and in 2018 for other territories. It was then later released in 2021 on Xbox One and Steam.

Q: Is this is a good game to start the _Yakuza_ series with?

A: As the final chapter of a seven-part story, I wouldn't suggest this as the best place to start the series, no. That being said, _Yakuza_ games are designed so they _can_ be played individually without necessary knowledge of prior events. If you don't particularly care about the past games and want to just check out the series at its most current, then obviously I won't stop you from beginning here. If you're looking for a better place to start, I would suggest _Yakuza 0_, also available on the all systems that this game is on. It is a very well-made prequel to the first _Yakuza_ game and can serve as a great introduction to the series. Alternatively, you can also choose _Yakuza Kiwami_, also available on the same systems. It is a modern remake of the very first _Yakuza_ game.

Q: What is this game rated?

A: This game is rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB. It includes the content descriptors of: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, and Use of Alcohol. In this game, you enter the world of Japanese organized crime, which includes a lot of illegal stuff. The combat in this game can be brutal, especially the "Heat Actions" you perform in combat, but while blood sprays out a lot, it's never too overt. There is no gore; everyone keeps all their parts. As far as sexual content is concerned, there is a live chat minigame where live models can take their shirt off, revealing a bikini underneath, but it doesn't get much worse than that.

Q: Who do I play as in this game?

A: You play as series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, and only Kiryu. This is his final chapter, after all.

Q: What is different about _Yakuza 6_ compared to previous games?

A: Here's a list of new things you can expect to encounter:

1. The game is now built around a new engine, known as the Dragon Engine. This has led to an upscale in graphic fidelity, and a level of detail never before seen in the series. The only trade-off is that they didn't quite iron out all the kinks in time to get this game out the door.
2. Saving the game is automatic now. You can still save manually from the Settings Menu, but any current file will constantly be autosaved over.
3. There are no transitions between streets and storefronts. Walk to the door of a store and you walk inside with no loading screen. This also leads to some situations where you can trace paths through buildings, over then, and under them.
4. Kamurocho itself has been slightly reduced. You cannot explore the Champion District, nor the majority of Park Boulevard around Kamurocho Hills.
5. There's a new district to explore in Jingaicho, Onomichi, in the Hiroshima prefecture.
6. The experience system has been overhauled. Instead of base experience, you now accrue five types of experience points which you can apply to your stats in a varied manner of ways.
7. You now have a "hunger meter". You can eat as much as you want whenever you want, but once your hunger meter is full, you won't get experience benefits from the food.
8. You can buy drinks from vending machines. These drinks can give you temporary effects that can help you in the game.
9. Minigames have been overhauled. While several classic minigames still exist, many have been removed in favor of brand new ones.
10. There are no keepable weapons in this game. You still have Gear that you can equip, but weapons are limited to those you can pull off enemies in combat, and they disappear at the end of battle.
11. Lockers and Locker Keys have been replaced with Safes, with a far smaller amount of them in the game.

Q: How do I save in this game?

A: The phone booths of old are now gone. The game will now autosave for you constantly. If you want to create a file that you can go back to, you'll have to use the Save function in the Settings menu and create a new file. Say, for example, you want to save before spending money on Mahjong in case you lose big, go to the Mahjong parlor, create a new save file, then play. If you lose and want to go back to your old save, quit the game, then Continue from that previous file. It should be noted that when you save to a new file, you are essentially assigning that new file as your autosave. It's a little different from the industry standard.

Q: What is in the demo for this game?

A: In the free "Prologue" demo for _Yakuza 6_ that you can download, you can see the first hour or so of cutscenes and will begin Chapter 1. The game will prevent you from progressing the story when you are told to go to Little Asia. Beyond that, you can explore Kamurocho, begin a few Substories, eat at any of the restaurants, shop at any of the stores, play a few Minigames, including Karaoke, Mahjong, and RIZAP, and beat up any jerks wandering around the streets. You can also spend experience to directly upgrade your base stats, but you cannot buy any skills. Your save file will be applied to the full game when you play it. Most trophies that you can get will also be applied shortly into playing the game. Be warned that the demo is large: over 36 gigs, basically the size of the full game.

Q: I found a photograph on the street! What can I do with it?

A: Check out Spirit Photography.