Yakuza spin-offs and remakes are nothing new to the series, with games like Judgment taking a step away from the series' core story, and Yakuza Kiwami remaking the game that started it all. However, the news of a Yakuza crossover with Streets of Rage is likely something that most wouldn't have imagined being in the future.
However, that's exactly what Sega has done to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary. The game and console developer released several games for free to help boost festivities, and even created a new game to celebrate: Streets of Kamurocho.
Anyone who has played the Yakuza series knows that Kamurocho is the main city featured in all the games thus far. As such, even without a Yakuza subtitle, the game's name should give most players an idea of what to expect. Streets of Kamurocho is effectively a demake of Yakuza, bringing it back to a 2D side-scrolling beat-em-'up style, just like Streets of Rage, from which it takes its name.
The best news for fans of Yakuza here is that the game is completely free. However, its availability is quite limited. Players can only pick up the game on PC via Steam, and it's only available for the remainder of the weekend. After that, the game will be pulled from Steam, though it remains to be seen if it will make a reappearance in the future, perhaps for consoles or actually being sold.
Streets of Kamurocho is fairly limited in scope, though as a free game with local co-op, there's little reason to complain. There are three playable characters: series mainstays Kiryu Kazuma and Goro Majima, and a secret third unlockable character: Ichiban Kasuga, the protagonist of the upcoming Yakuza: Like a Dragon. As such, the game serves as a nice teaser for those who are still awaiting the newest Yakuza game, while also celebrating the series' roots, as the game is based around the events of the first Yakuza game in the series.
While a retro-style 2D sidescroller may not be every Yakuza fan's idea of a good time, it's a nice way of celebrating some of the classic beat-'em-ups that no doubt had an impact on the game series during its initial development. More recent Yakuza games have also featured a 3D side-scroller beat-'em-up of sorts as a mini-game, so even Yakuza fans who haven't tried the classics won't be on entirely unfamiliar ground here.
Streets of Kamurocho is available for free on Steam for PC until October 19.