Rhythm games are huge in Japan, and so is the Yakuza series. The two come together in the most recent bit of Yakuza 5 news, which reveals that it will feature dance battles.
These aren’t for Kazuma, but instead for his niece Haruka. She triggers a dance battle when talking to budding pop stars who can be found wandering the streets. The two will then play a rhythm mini-game and compete for points, each girl seeking to outscore and out-style the other. Haruka can execute Heat Actions in these battles, the same way uncle Kaz does in his fights. The dancing interpretation of this is that she boosts her own score while reducing her opponent’s, clearly making the Heat Action a devastating move.
More info has also come out regarding the actual battles in Yakuza 5. Previously in the series, there would be a slight transition into and out of battle, but now, fights are said to begin immediately without a transition or extra time of any sort. Depending on the way Kazuma fights, the thugs may try to call for backup. He’ll have to really scare their pants off by not being too one-dimensional and not being afraid to use weapons and Heat Actions to really intimidate them as well as pound them into the pavement.
Yakuza 5 does not yet have an official release date for any territory, but Sega is planning a live stage show featuring the game as part of its Tokyo Game Show plans. If any announcements are made, we’ll let you know. Images of the dance battles and Haruka are below.
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