is a jidaigeki-themed spin-off game in the Yakuza series. The game was developed and published by Sega for PlayStation 3. It was unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show 2007 and released in 2008. A second Yakuza series spin-off set in samurai era, Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!, was released in 2014 on both the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4 systems. Ishin! is set two centuries later than Kenzan!, hence the plots are not related to each other since both games focus on different characters, the historical figures of Sakamoto Ryōma and Miyamoto Musashi respectively.
Gameplay
Adventure
The gameplay shows minimal evolution from the first two episodes except for the new item storage system which allows access to an unlimited number of items from savepoints. However the graphical engine's improvement is obvious during the numerous real-time 3D cutscenes.
Battle
There are four fighting styles in the game; fists, one blade, two blades and two-handed blades. There are also QTE-based special moves that the player can execute, known as 'heat action'.
Plot
Setting
This spin-off is set in Kyoto during the Edo period, in 1605. It is an account of the life of Miyamoto Musashi. The main adventure is completed with sidestories including minigames and a hundred "sub-stories".
Story
After being defeated by the Tokugawa clan at the historical Battle of Sekigahara which took place on October 21, 1600, Miyamoto Musashi retired from his great swordsman life to become a modest yojimbo in Gion, Kyoto. Five years after the battle, a little girl named Haruka comes to Gion seeking a local hitman known as Kazumanosuke Kiryu which is actually Miyamoto's new identity. After eventually finding Kiryū, Haruka asks for him to assassinate an impostor pretending to be Miyamoto Musashi. At first, Kiryu refuses, then when the girl goes as far as becoming an indentured servant in an opulent oiranbrothel in order to pay the assassination mission he accepts the one-ryō request.
Characters
This is the first game in the series where the games' main characters have their face modeled in 3D after their voice actors who are Japanese celebrities. Cyberware's color 3D scanner was used to analyze each actor's head & face in order to collect data on its shape and appearance, then this file was worked with the Softimage XSI3D graphics application.
Takaya Kuroda as Kazumanosuke Kiryu / Miyamoto Musashi
Two playable demos were released on January 7, 2008 via the Japanese PlayStation Store. The first demo included sandbox play, and the second had a collection of various combat and romantic gameplay segments. As part of the pre-ordering campaign, the Japanese first print was bundled with a limited item, a monography called Kamutai Magazine. Sony celebrated the Japanese release of the game with a 10,000 pieces limited edition Satin Silver 40GB model "PlayStation 3 Like a Dragon Kenzan! Pack" SKU including a "Rising Dragon" stickers set to customize the console case.
Asian and western markets
The Japanese version was released on March 6, 2008 in both Japan and South East Asia, while Sony published it in South Korea on March 25, 2008 with a subtitled script book. In late December 2009, commenting the opportunity of a western release, Sega Australia managing director Darren Macbeth said "there is nothing in the plan at this stage for Yakuza Kenzan. Right now we are focusing on the release of Yakuza 3. The feedback we get from this release will help us in making future decisions". In March 2010, Yakuza 3 had a western release as did in 2011 Yakuza 4. Then again, in 2012, a second spinoff was also released abroad and localized as .
opening theme: Bushido by Zeebra. Released in Japan by Pony Canyon as a dual-disc single on March 5, 2008. First disc is a CD including the title track and an instrumental version plus a B-side Lyrical Gunman featuring Rudebwoy Face and Chappa Ranks. Second disc is a bonus DVD with the music video for Bushido which includes cutscene footages from the game.
closing theme: Life is Beautiful by Ketsumeishi from their 2007 album Ketsupolis 5 published in Japan by Toy's Factory.
Marketing
Licensed products
Clothes manufacturer Cropped Heads collaborated with Sega to produce licensed Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan! tee-shirts, and Ace Cook produced Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan! cup noodles.
Reception
As of July 9, 2008, the game has sold 270,438 copies in Japan, according to Famitsu. As a best seller in Japan, the game received a budget re-release under the PlayStation 3 the Best bargain collection on December 11, 2008. It earned the Award for Excellence at the Japan Game Awards 2008, and the Japanese video game magazineFamitsu reviewed it 37/40.
