The Retro Yakuza Simulator: A Fading Afternoon Review

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC

When I saw Fading Afternoon pop up in a press release, I figured that it would be a beat 'em up in the style of River City Ransom. It bears a striking resemblance to that series visually, and many of the screenshots I saw showcased combat that might as well have been lifted from it too. Imagine my surprise when I found that it's only partially that. If anything, it's far more of an RPG type game, with combat thrown in. I'm getting ahead of myself though, so let's back up a bit. Fading Afternoon comes to us by way of the same developer behind The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa and Arrest of A Stone Buddha. Both are games that I've played in the past, and this one almost feels like it closes out a trilogy. Fading Afternoon recently released on the Nintendo Switch, following an earlier release on Steam, and we're going to be taking a look at that Switch version today. There's a lot to cover in this one, so we're just going to dive right in. Be sure to keep up!

Fading Afternoon places you into the shoes of one Seiji Maruyama. Maruyama is a middle-aged yakuza who was recently released from prison. His old yakuza family, headed by a man named Azuma, invite him back with open arms, but aren't able to give him much to help him get back on his feet. Times have been tough since Murayama has been in prison, and the family has fallen on hard times. They only have one territory to speak of, and it's not paying the way it used to. Maruyama takes all this in stride, and vows to help. Maruyama's first night of freedom is marked by another ominous event, as he suddenly wakes up coughing blood. It seems that his time on this world is limited, but he's determined to go out on his own terms. I honestly want to go more regarding what happens next, as there are some parts that rival even the best yakuza movie, but going even a bit beyond what I said already will probably go into spoiler territory. Without a doubt Fading Afternoon's best aspect is its story, and it drives all the other aspects of the game forward. Walking around what I think is a 1980s Tokyo is a delight sure, but that experience is made all the better once you realize the darkness that lies beneath the surface of everything in the city. Or you can just go fishing the entire time.

Straight to the point, Fading Afternoon is a very unforgiving game. It has no tutorial to speak of, and is rather unfriendly to new players, but there's something about it that kept me coming back to it. I guess that's as good as any opening to discussing gameplay, as I'm still not 100% sure I'm playing the game the way it was intended. You can go through the entire game and not actually complete any of its core goals. That's actually what I did my first time through, and wondered what I was doing wrong. Also, while we're on the topic, I played through the game a total of three times for this review. Far more than I usually do for most games, but this one needed it. The game doesn't really tell you this, but each in-game "day" is actually a week, and you can only visit 3-4 locations in any single week. That location count can actually go down if you go in and out of certain buildings, or if you do things like book a hospital visit or get a massage. I never really managed to kept track of exactly how many, but you only have a fixed number weeks before the game ends. I don't think this is a spoiler since it's revealed in the opening scene, but Maruyama is a very sick man who is doesn't have long to live. The fact that you start the game with only half his health available is a dead giveaway, as is the fact that your max health decreases as time goes on. You only have a limited amount of time to complete the game, but what exactly does that mean?

Okay, this is the part where I admit I had to get help in order to figure out the game. I was ready to write my review and give it the worst score imaginable after my first playthrough, and simply figured that this was just meant to be a joke game. Old Dying Yakuza Simulator if you will. Then I stumbled across a review (which you can check out HERE) that thankfully had a guide of sorts attached baked right into it. I won't go over it all for the sake of time and plagiarism, but your actual goal in the game is to reclaim land and power for your yakuza family. I actually skipped the first fight the game tries to give you since I didn't want to bother with it at the time. Little did I realize that I was basically ignoring the entire point of the game. You see, in order to reclaim territory, you have to take it from the people who hold it. This means beating up an army of random thugs in a very Double Dragon-ish way, and then assassinating their leader once you've done enough damage. The latter part requires the use of a gun, which I found out after the first leader I tracked down shot me when I tried to fist fight him in a bar. You then report back to Azuma, get some money, unlock other areas to explore, and set up yet more tasks to complete and areas to take over. From that point on you'll have to keep an eye out as to whether an area is at war, and decide what you’re going to do about it. You can choose to defend it yourself, or hire others to do so for you instead. While the game does open up from that first fight, I can't help but feel that the game giving you the option to simply skip that first fight is the epitome of bad game design. If it weren't for a random fan turning his review into the tutorial the developers couldn't be bothered to put in themselves, I don't know where I'd be now.

After I knew what was expected of me gameplay-wise, I suddenly realized how great a game Fading Afternoon truly is. Besides taking territory, there are certain characters you have to meet up with in order to move the plot forward. Some of these encounters happen automatically, or are marked on the map, but many of them are only hinted at in other conversations. It's up to you to take note of them and act on any clues given. Since the game has no tutorial, it makes sense that there's nothing resembling in-game notes either. No matter how difficult all of this was to keep track of, it did have a touch of realism to it. When not being forced to go through the random beat 'em up sections, you'll eventually learn a lot about each of the characters' motivations and backstories. You'll uncover details regarding Maruyama and Azuma's paths through life, Maruyama's youth and his old friends, realize that Maruyama is a man of another time and era, and maybe even get a girlfriend if you play your cards right. Besides all that, you can also gamble, buy a car and a house, change your outfit, and play several minigames. There's so much to do in the game, and no two playthroughs will ever be the same. It might sound weird since this is mainly an action game at its core, but I also feel like it's a great RPG too. I made that joke about Old Dying Yakuza Simulator earlier, but Fading Afternoon sort of lives up to that silly, overly-descriptive title too. I don't want to reveal more about the game's plot or gameplay since I think discovering it is half the fun, but I can say that it's worth going through the rough early sections to get to the amazing game beneath. I know that it may be asking a lot for less patient players to do so, but maybe that review I linked earlier can help you the same way it helped me.

Visually speaking, Fading Afternoon is perfect. It uses a pixel art style, but does so in a way that's so detailed and layered that it almost feels like it circles back around to realistic 3D. I really don't know how to explain it, but the game has to be seen in action to truly be appreciated. Each location is unique, nothing looks random and boring, and the character designs are all on point. I literally have no complaints at all when it comes to the graphics. Not only does everything look awesome, but all the sprites are well-animated too. You see this the most in the action sequences, but the very act of lighting up a cigarette shows off how smooth everything is. Then there's the cityscapes. Every single time Murayama crossed a street and I saw the city sprawled out behind him, I wanted to take a screenshot. I actually did fill up my Switch with them, and had to limit myself to only one for this review. The sheer scope of Maruyama's surroundings makes you want to explore the city on one's own terms, and it's a shame that there isn't a simple "walking around mode" to experience it all at one's leisure. That's of course asking for something very oddly specific, but that's pretty much all I can do here since the game fully delivers on everything else as it is.

It's not often when I say that the sound is the best part of a game, but that's exactly the case here with Fading Afternoon. This game features one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, and it's one that I'm definitely going to look into owning on its own. The music is a mix of jazz and light rock, but done in a way that completely accentuates the gameplay itself. Listening to the music I suddenly don't mind that Maruyama walks at a snail's pace, or that everything seems to be working against me when trying to completing the game, I just become one with it. If I were walking down a city pop-esque sidewalk, like those found in the game, this is the music I'd want to accompany me on the journey. I truly can't stress how perfect the music is, and my only slight complaint would be that I wish there was more of it. It's not that I feel that there's any scenes that are particularly lacking in music per se, it's just that I want more of what's already here. Oh, and just in case you're wondering, there is no voice acting to speak of in the game, but I think that's a given considering its aesthetics.

Discussing Fading Afternoon's replayability is an odd topic, as there are a couple layers to it that go back to its odd gameplay loop. A single playthrough of the game will take you about 3-5 hours depending on how much you decide to wander around and take your time, but this isn't a game you're meant to complete once and be done with it. There are several endings, lots of optional scenes that you can easily miss, and even optimal ways to min/max the game itself if you're that type of player. I actually doubt that most players will even see a true ending their first go around with the game. The fact that no two runs will ever play the same does make the game highly replayable, but I don't know if everyone out there has the patience to give the game the multiple playthroughs it needs and deserves. If you fall into the camp where you feel it's a masterpiece that has to be revisited multiple times, then its current $19.99 price tag might seem totally normal to you. On the other hand, if you're the type of player that can't stand the slow pace of the game, or its insistence on being as obtuse as possible at every turn, then you're going to think it's priced ridiculously high. I fall somewhere in the middle, but I must admit that I did get a bit of sticker shock when I noted its price. I still say it’s worth the experience though, but I do have some reservations.

Issues with price aside, I still have to give Fading Afternoon the highest of recommendations. It's one of the strangest games I've ever played, but it's also one that made me think, and it's had a lasting effect on me long after I've turned it off. Even though I lean towards this actually being one of the best RPGs ever, in the purest sense of the term, I can't help but feel that it seems to purposely chase away many of the people who might want to give it a try. I once again highly suggest that you stick with it though, as it truly is an unforgettable experience. Pick up it when it's on sale, and thank me later. See you in the next one!

Check Out Fading Afternoon on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/fading-afternoon-switch/

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Story: A+
Gameplay: B
Graphics: A+
Music/Sound: A+
Value: B

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A game that truly defies genre labels. It's part beat 'em up, part RPG, but all amazing!
+ You'll come to care about the cast over the course of the game, and the writing is truly spot on throughout.
+ The visuals feature some of the best pixel-based graphics you'll ever see, and the city skylines are downright impressive.
+ Has some of the best music I've heard in any video game in any genre. It's really that good!
+ Can be played in countless ways, with no two playthroughs being truly alike.
+ Going through a game as a badass yakuza is always a plus.

Cons:
- Does not have a tutorial of any kind. The game literally forces you to discover every aspect of gameplay on your own, or to look up information online.
- Can be quite difficult by the end, especially as Maruyama's max HP begins to decrease.
- Gets to be a bit to simulation heavy, where much of your time is spent juggling the various areas under your control.
- Feels priced just a bit too high at $19.99.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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Alcohol can be pretty expensive...