Hood Story: Kaito Yamazaki

[h2] Enjoyable, but very dumbed-down version of the Yakuza or Shenmue series with the same characteristics but much shorter and more basic. [/h2] First of all, I would say the price level feels a little high for a four hour game, and the quality level doesn't match that of its price tag. The game was enjoyable, but it felt a little cheap and cut a lot of corners in both story and game play. The world is very small with only three territories, and the territories are very small also with one main street and a few side alleys. The main street is where you will find most distractions like the arcade, supermarket, bowling alley, karaoke, clothes shop, pawn shop, and restaurant, and in the alleys you'll usually find some illegal gambling operations like Pachinko or tortoise racing, and a taxi rank where you can visit the dojo. The arcade is quite a fun place to spend a bit of time, with a few mini games to enjoy, like the move it dancing game, a whack a mole type boxing game, a claw game trying to grab prizes, and a fortune teller. Most of these are for achievements but they also have high scores if you did want to repeat them, but they're very basic and mostly just involve quick time events, pressing the game pad in a certain direction periodically. The other mini games like bowling and karaoke are also very basic but fun nonetheless. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275299129 There are a few ways you can earn money to spend on new outfits, food to replenish health, or use to gamble. Either you can register at the job center and work as a fork lift driver, in another basic game where you load pallets on to the back of a lorry for a minute, or you can beat up rival gang members and steal their cash. A lot of items are very expensive to buy so you will need a few days of work if you want to kit Kaito out completely, and the gambling games are also quite expensive with the chance to double your original stake. These gambling games are quite difficult to win and mostly rely on pot luck and have the odds stacked in their favour. I must mention that sometimes it is difficult to know what option is highlighted, so I did do a bit more gambling than I wanted, as I didn't know if I was accepting another go or leaving due to the lack of clarity on the cursor. I ended up losing all my money. Apart from all the sideshows and random arcade games, of course there is a story, and it has two endings depending on the choice you make towards the end of the game. Every character you meet and talk to is voiced to a reasonable standard, but most encounters on the street only involve giving you directions to your current quest and they offer no backstory or even chit-chat. Only major characters offer a bit more interaction, sometimes with a few options to choose from, but I suspect they all end up with the same result, apart from the major one at the end. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275299398 There are a couple of side quests but again they are very basic and short. and the only real quest is the main story which is quite linear. It usually involves you being sent off to talk to someone and along the way beating up some people and partaking in some driving mini games. The story is quite entertaining, but don't expect an elaborate story with in depth character examinations and back stories. Again, it is pretty basic but the fact that there is voice acting helps a lot. The combat is probably the shining light in the experience with some fun beat em up style karate kicks and punches, but the arenas are quite small and cramped or just act like a side scrolling beat em up. There are finishing moves when your meter is full which are entertaining to watch, and the character looks and feels quite fluid in his combat moves. There are weapons to pick up from beaten foes like knives, baseball bats, and guns. These are quite powerful and will tear through opponents, but when enemies have guns it is almost impossible to defend against it and it will often be your demise unless you can get to them very quickly. If you do die, you'll end up in hospital and will have to repeat a few of the same fights you've already been in to get back to that position again. That can feel a little demoralizing and repetitive. You can upgrade your moves by visiting the dojo and performing another quick time event mini game by either kicking, punching, or blocking a dummy. Afterwards, I was awarded a new move to perform but there are no skill trees and again this felt like a very stripped down mechanic. [h1]🍳Conclusion🍳[/h1] [quote][h2][b] Hood Story: Kaito Yamazaki[/b] is fun to play as long as your expectations are kept to a reasonable standard. It is nowhere near in the league of the Yakuza series and more akin to the original Shenmue series but still not as elaborate. If you can pick this up on a heavy sale and you enjoy this type of game then there is entertainment value here but it is a bit rough around the edges and quite stripped down in almost every facet, but I enjoyed the ride so will recommend with these caveats. [/h2][/quote] [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/] Follow [b]IndieGems[/b] [/url] for more reviews like this one. [/quote]

オープンワールド風のベルトスクロールアクションゲーム 明確にシェンムーを意識した作りになっており 同作をプレイしたことがあればすぐにそれが分かるので リスペクトを感じて好感が持てる 日本語翻訳があり 舞台が大阪という事でキャラクターはちゃんと方言を使う 翻訳は誤字脱字のオンパレードだが 言わんとすることは理解できるし それが味となって独特のおかしみを醸し出している マップは狭いながらアクティビティは豊富で街をぶらつくのは楽しい そこで体験できるものは正直面白い訳ではないのだが 単純に ゲームセンターにおいてあるクレーンゲームで遊べる みたいな事が飾りじゃなくて嬉しい 戦闘はベルトスクロールアクションで 基本的な動作は揃っているものの 敵の種類や配置には個性が無く単調で シナリオを進めるための作業的な色合いが強い メインのシナリオだけなら3時間ほどでクリア出来る 街にはサイドクエストが幾つか存在するので コンプリートを目指そうと思ったらもう少し遊べる 個人的には海外からみたよく分からない日本が好きなので楽しかった 人を選ぶけどオススメします

[h1]期待ほどではない[/h1] この手の作品に手を出す人は独自の日本観や個性的な翻訳を楽しみたい方が殆どだと思うのですが(偏見)、本作は意外なほどに真っ当で、ツッコめるポイントはそれほどありません。 場面にそぐわないデザインや音声、モーションは多いですがそれはアセットの都合。 極端なバグ挙動も無く、普通に遊べるし、普通に面白い。 [b]「面白い」[/b]よりも[b]「変」[/b]を求めていた場合は期待ほどではないかもしれません。 [h3]魅力的な主人公と足りないドラマ[/h3] 舞台は大阪西成釜ヶ崎。 カラーギャング抗争のキーマン 山崎快斗はハゲ帽子サングラスという出で立ちに相応しい暴力性と、人を気遣える良識を併せ持ったナイスガイ。 物語では彼の心の機微が丁寧に描かれている一方で、他の登場人物たちの描写はすこぶる希薄。 巻き起こる事件の中、彼らの行動理念や関係性に共感することが難しく、ドラマに入り込むことができませんでした。 完結までかなり急ぎ足の印象で、登場人物たちの背景をもっと丁寧に掘り下げて欲しかった。 [h3]アセットゲー[/h3] 良くも悪くもアセットで構築された世界は平凡で、突出した点もない本作はいわゆるアセットゲーの域は出られてないように思えます。 しかしながらSteamに蔓延る有象無象のアセットゲーとは異なり、明確なビジョンを感じられるこのストリートストーリーは個人的には高評価！ でも他人には勧め辛いかなという感じです。 ☆面白かったところ ・道行く人と話すと次の目的地を聞けるのですが、自宅が目的地の場合、自宅の場所を尋ねる。 ・DDRのミニゲームで筐体からはみ出して踊る。

[h1]Summary[/h1] Extremely simplified, small, quite brief, indie Yakuza meets Shenmue lite, with simple side scrolling beat-em-up combat and some light side content such as mini-games. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3260946666 [h1]PROS:[/h1] [list] [*]Has a chill vibe and a good sense of what it wants to be. [*]Moves at a brisk pace. [*]Combat is incredibly simple, but that makes it fairly accessible. It's not something you have to struggle to master to get through at all. [*]Detailed, if small, environments. [*]Simplistic but workable mini-games including amusing homages to games like Shenmue and Yakuza. [*]Some light unlockable customization (outfits, combos, etc.) [*]This might sound silly, but neat little minor touches like a train that comes down a tunnel turning off from outside before pulling into the station made me smile. [*]Photo mode. [*]Price feels [i]mostly[/i] reasonable for the content to me (your own assessment may vary, of course, and you may wish to wait for a sale depending on how you feel about the info below.) [*]Ran well for me (120+ fps on a Ryzen 2600 and RTX 2070 in 1440p with everything maxed) and stable (no crashes, stutters, errors, etc.) [*]Controller support works well. [*]Although extremely simple and brief, the story serves its purpose and you get at least two endings. (Final save after completion also places you back at the key decision point, which is appreciated.) [/list] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3261584841 [h1]CONS:[/h1] [list] [*]Very brief, very small, and over a tad abruptly. [*]Some minor pacing snags and some instances of repetitive backtracking for a game that otherwise moves very quickly and isn't concerned with its duration. [*]Voice acting (at least in English, which is how I played - can't speak to other options) feels a bit too halting, rapid, and has erratic syllabic emphasis, at times making it feel like text-to-speech and rushed. [*]Sometimes enemies with ranged weapons can juggle you and you can get stuck until death (easy to avoid by jumping and moving out of their plane of attack, though.) [*]There's an issue with the game's reflections rendering (to be fair, the in-game menu notes that this is still in beta) where UI elements get reflected on object surfaces and people get reflected on NPC bodies at times. Only really noticed it in two highly specific spots, though. (A washing machine in a cellar, and on some NPCs sitting on a bench in a train station.) [*]The mini-games are extremely simple and minimally interactive, mostly consisting of QTE-esque inputs. You won't find any full on "games within a game" emulation here (though, to be fair, again, this is a very small project and that's far beyond the scope it was aiming for.) [*]If you're hoping for NPC scheduling or scripting with homes or jobs ala Shenmue, you won't find that here. Again, this is a very small in scope project. [/list] [h1]Who is it for?[/h1] People who are able to appreciate the indie game equivalent of just having a quick cup of coffee instead of a massive four course banquet meal sometimes. People who dig the vibe of the game based on footage and screens. People who don't mind the idea of a game "kind of" like Shenmue, but also not, and much, much simpler. [h1]Who is it not for?[/h1] Anyone expecting or demanding a full on spiritual successor to Shenmue or Yakuza. Anyone who wants an incredibly polished, fleshed out, content-rich AAA experience. The game's price reflects what it is and is not. Go into it knowing that. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3261584506 [h1]General Review[/h1] I've enjoyed my time with this game. It definitely has a distinct vibe and it does enough with what it has to offer to be fun for me. While it uses some free assets and is simplistic and rough around the edges, it manages to have its own aesthetic and atmosphere. Characters are simple and kind of archetypal, but serve their purpose. Combat is simple but fun, button mashy, and easy to grasp. I again must stress to prospective buyers that it's a very simple game. You jog through the game's fairly small zones (about the size of one street of one city block) asking NPCs (which are generic and repeat) for directions to your next destination. You enter glowing icons which indicate the presence of interiors and then engage in simple tasks inside small interiors. Those can consist of dialogue (which as mentioned can feel overly rapid and stilted a lot of the time,) shopping, and mini-games. The aforementioned dialogue can feel a tad off and too fast, but on the plus side, that means it's over quickly and information is conveyed rapidly. You then leave and jog to the next location. Which sometimes requires some backtracking through - while small - somewhat repetitive areas. As mentioned, you can play simple mini-games in an arcade, a karaoke bar, and a bowling alley, and these mostly consist of very simple inputs. I found them fun enough, though. And there's a claw prize game that is actually functional and seems physics-based which I found pretty cool. And a couple of other games can be found on the streets that are very much Shenmue inspired that I won't spoil. You can get a job (one Shenmue fans will find thematically familiar) to earn money, which consists of a sidescrolling repetitive task within a time limit. You can be jumped by enemies, or initiate combat with them, and some story elements impose lengthy combat sections. These consist of simple side scrolling beat-em-up combat with just a few inputs, and temporary ranged and melee weapons you can pick up if enemies drop them. You can take part in a QTE style training mode in a dojo to unlock a few additional combos, but they're all very simplistic and not really necessary strictly speaking. Upon defeat, you end up at the hospital. There's no real negative to that, other than having to backtrack again potentially. That said, the game is so simple that having a more severe penalty for loss would make it tedious, so I think the decision to let you get quickly back into what you were doing is a wise design choice. Enemies also sometimes drop items you can sell at the pawn shop for a little extra cash. You can purchase some light customization items with money, as well as food for restoring health or energy. There are a few varied sequences in the game that came as a surprise and were fun enough. One of them runs on a tad too long without much happening and no real challenge near the end, but it works well enough and helps break up the action. While the game is very simple (some might argue too simple) and I don't know if I can agree with the store page describing it as a "vast open world" (it's a handful of fairly small areas,) it moves fast and is over very quickly. I finished my first playthrough in about four hours. You can keep playing the mini-games or try to get all of the achievements to pad out your time with it, though. And I kind of like just wandering around getting into fights due to the game's atmosphere. I think adding more duration to the game or making things move more slowly - while perhaps truer to the methodical pace of games like Shenmue that it takes inspiration from - would be a disservice to this game, precisely [i]because[/i] of how simple it is. There's too little variety or depth to justify a 10 hour or longer narrative experience in my view, so being able to get through it quickly isn't a bad thing for me. It manages to avoid feeling tedious or overly padded out. It starts, does what it needs to fast, and then ends. And I think that's okay, especially for a game under 20 USD in my region. All in all it's a quick, fun, simple experience with a strong sense of vibe that achieves what it sets out to, albeit a tad unpolished and rough around the edges. Your mileage may vary and if you want something deeper or more content-rich, it won't be for you. But I dig it personally.

This game takes a lot of inspiration from the Shenmue series of games imo. The openness of the world, mini games, the beat em up style etc all lends itself to this inspiration I believe. The story revolves around gang member Kaito whom wants to leave the life but sticks around to punish his foes for a while longer due to a personal vendetta. The game ran well and I didn't run into any bugs. The graphic style suits the game well also. I mean the stripper dance is animated nicely haha. It also features voice over work and it is welcomed even if it may be AI. The combat is fun and feels weighty. Ya can feel the damage of those German suplexes and backbreakers haha. The best part of the game for me is the soundtrack. There's a lot of bumpin' tracks featured here. I want to buy it but it's not for sale right now unfortunately. I've enjoyed my near hour spent with the game. Lookin to continue it. Gameplay Impressions: https://youtu.be/c0gWD-Z6tDg

Kenzo was very kind to give me a code following some Beta testing I did on this game well over 18 months back. Looking back to when I tested this game and to now the difference is stark. It is a solidly built game which is optimised well - runs smoothly and captures the spirit of Shenmue and Yakuza. The mini-games are fun and engaging. The story fits nicely and the fighting engine is fun - I do like the special Batista Bomb rage move which made me laugh. Considering this has been put together by (mostly) one person it speaks volumes about the time, effort, love and attention that has gone into this and it shows in an engaging video game. I should also mention the graphics which are stylised but look really nice. Think Anime style and you're in the ball park. Sure there's some small quality of life issues (please let mini-games be paused and maybe show the controls for each of them at the start of each game) but this is me really nit-picking here. A great Indie game made by someone who understands his own vision and has largely executed it well. Congratulations Kenzo. You should be very proud of this.

I've been following the development of this game from the very beginning. So far, I am thoroughly enjoying the game, be it story, or side content, such as Hello Work and hobby activities. I must praise the game's creator for providing us with useful information and simply cannot wait for what the future holds.

wow this game is charming I just started but it reminds me of games like shenmue and fading afternoon, cant wait for what kenzo games has for new projects will defo buy any games released by them

I heard that this title is inspired by Shenmue and Yakuza. To be honest, I didn't have high expectations, but the game turned out to be quite good and exceeded my expectations. Congratulations to the developer, he put a lot of work and the game is a lot of fun to play.

クリアはしたのでレビュー 昔の横スクロールのアクションゲームですね・・＋ミニゲームみたいな感じでした・・ 面白いは面白いですが・・おすすめにはしましたが・・ 60点ぐらいかな・・・マップもそんな広くなかったです。 いろいろとマップもあると思っていた ミニゲームも少し遊んだらもういいかなってぐらいでした・・ ストーリーはうんって感じですw 昔のアクションゲームをやりたい方はセールの時にいでも試しに買ってもいいかなって感じでした・・ 不満は ベットでねたら回復できるんですが・・・ まぁずっと回復できるとゲームバランスが崩れるからだとおもいますが・・・ 自由にねれなくて自分の部屋でスタミナが減って寝れるようになるまで放置するのが苦痛と感じました。 ストーリーでも寝てすすめないといけない時があったのでスタミナがきれて眠くなるので待つのが・・不満でしたね・・ 以上です