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Shout-out to the typewriter noise in the Yakuza gamesThey deliver a different sort of punch
They deliver a different sort of punch
Yakuzagames are rightfully praised for their brilliant localisation, legendary side-missions, and stellar voice acting. Good, great. But I reckon there’s one aspect of these games which deserves a solid pat on the back, and it’s something I will now aggressively tap into the limelight with my clacky mechanical keyboard. And that’s the typewriter-y noise thatun-voiced NPCs make in conversation. I can’t get over how good it is.
Yakuza Like A Dragon - Sweet, sweet typewriter sounds.Watch on YouTube
Yakuza Like A Dragon - Sweet, sweet typewriter sounds.
Not everyone inYakuzagames is actually a stack of typewriters wearing a trenchcoat - although I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the next game, the patriarch of the Tojo Clan’s retainers fall out mid-smirk, only to reveal a row of keys that spell out “MUSCLE”. Anything, I repeat,anythingis possible in these games.
Shadow Hulk liked compliment, because Shadow Hulk felt all bubbly inside, but Shadow Hulk could not hear jack-shit, so Shadow Hulk bubbly inside-ness was not as strong as could be.
In FFXIV I am “Shadow Hulk”, a grey titan who lives for a fight, but often it feels like I actually roleplay as a barcode scanner, someone whose eyes bleep after I’ve read a paragraph, while my character stands stock-still, eyes unmoving.
In Yakuza, text doesn’t quietly slide onto boxes like a leaf falls on pavement. Instead, it confidently clacks onto screen. The magic is that each clack is pitched differently for whoever’s squaring up against you, or fleeing from you, or asking for your help. For a burly thug the words thunk onto screen, matching the forcefulness of the aggressor before you. Oh, this cute kid has dropped his wickle teddy bear? Their words will tip-tap far more gently, like the sound of someone thrumming a Pukka Pad with their fingers.
This makes a huge difference, not only in holding my attention, but also in giving me a greater sense of the person before me. Even if I can’t hear their voice, these clacks, clicks, and thunks help form my sense of who they are. I often find my attention wavers when I’m forced to scan a block of silent text in a cutscene, because I read it in my own voice and with a sense of detachment. But the punch of Yakuza’s typewriters keeps me anchored to whoever I’m interacting with, because they imbue text with a sense of character.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon’s RPG Combat Is Ace | My Favourite Thing In… (Yakuza: Like A Dragon Review)Watch on YouTube
Yakuza: Like A Dragon’s RPG Combat Is Ace | My Favourite Thing In… (Yakuza: Like A Dragon Review)
