The open world Yakuza prequel is set to launch on the 24th, but we have been playing for hours and have a little taste of Japan for you.

Read on for our preview

Sega’s Yakuza series (known in Japan as Ryū ga Gotoku (龍が如, Like a Dragon) has been around since 2005 with Yakuza 0 being its sixth title released. Up to this point, all of the titles had been released chronologically but Yakuza 0 takes a step back in time to give us the origin story of the main characters. These two characters are Kazuma Kiryu of the Kantō region and Goro Majima of the Kansai Region.

This just being a preview, all we can say right now is that the story is deep, well thought out, and well written. The backstories for these guys are not only intense, but emotional as well. There’s a depth that one usually only sees in movie scripts. With that being said, the game’s audio is all in Japanese so be prepared to read a lot of subtitles.

The game is open world, but the world isn’t all that big. Really it’s more open map than open world, but we have found more than enough to keep us busy. There are mini-games galore that will keep you occupied, with one game that will not only entertain you, but can win you some Yen as well. We have a video below of our first Cat Fight match for your viewing pleasure.

Other mini-games will have you talking to hotties on the phone trying to snag a date, or maybe catching fish down at the local pier. With more than a handful of these games to keep you busy, apart from the story line, Yakuza 0 should more than make up for its limited area of operations.

Check out our full review of the game, as we dove deeper into the title and give you quite a bit more info. In the mean time, check out the video above and check out some of the screenshots below. Drop a comment and let us know what you think of the series.