Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Overview

During Covid I used to be out of labor for six months. During that point, lockdowns had been taking place and so I took that as an ideal alternative to compensate for my videogame backlog. Well, the backlog as soon as once more went unfinished as a result of, as a substitute, I performed a recreation referred to as Yakuza 0, which nonetheless to at the present time is one in all my favourite videogames of all time.

I fell in love with all of the characters, the storytelling, the setting, the music—all the pieces. I wanted extra. So, then I performed by means of Yakuza Kiwami after which Kiwami 2. Then the HD Remastered assortment got here out so I performed by means of 3, 4, 5, then purchased 6 and completed that. I performed by means of the entire Yakuza collection up until that time whereas in Covid lockdowns.

However, out of the complete collection there was one recreation which, to me, was a really tedious expertise. That was Yakuza 3. I liked Kiryu’s arc with the Morning Glory youngsters however wasn’t a fan of the way it was necessary all through the story. I performed by means of all of the video games on exhausting problem, and the enemy AI in Yakuza 3 is completely atrocious, to the purpose the place enemies will block all the pieces, forcing you to play the sport like Mortal Kombat 2 from the arcade the place you must cheese and exploit the enemy AI to be able to beat them.

I could not end this recreation quick sufficient. So, right here we’re in 2026, and RGG Studios has launched Yakuza Kiwami 3. Much like Code Veronica for the Resident Evil collection, Yakuza 3 to me was the one recreation within the collection that was in want of a remake essentially the most. Now that remake is lastly right here and, properly, we obtained an okay remake to an okay recreation. 

Picking up proper the place Yakuza 3 leaves off, already Kiwami 3 has me upset as a result of if you’ll retcon elements of this story, I’m very dissatisfied to see they did not retcon one of many greatest injustices with this collection and that is how the superb character from Yakuza 2, Kaoru Sayama, was utterly written out of the collection as quickly as Yakuza 3 begins by having her say her goodbyes to Haruka and Kiryu and have her get despatched abroad to work in America.

With her out of the best way, Kiryu is able to start his new life away from all of the Yakuza nonsense in Kamurocho to open an orphanage in Okinawa. Skip forward a number of months and Kiryu is doing simply that. Living in Okinawa, working an orphanage referred to as Morning Glory, and caring for a gaggle of orphaned kids. And boy would not you already know it, this small plot of land that the orphanage is sitting on simply so occurs to be half a brewing battle between Yakuza clans and the complete Japanese authorities.

Yeah, it was at this level within the collection the place the story, for me, turned secondary. The characters and their arcs and growth are nonetheless good, however when the story begins coping with international authorities conspiracies is once I begin to take a look at. Where I actually began to get annoyed within the unique recreation was with the Morning Glory orphanage itself. 

Now I completely adored seeing Kiryu being a father to those youngsters, serving to them with their issues, giving them life classes, however that wasn’t the problem to me. The difficulty is that the facet missions for the youngsters had been necessary for the principle story, which introduced the pacing of the sport to a screeching halt. Never do I need to play a Yakuza recreation the place, for a very long time, I’m locked out of with the ability to discover the city and do what I would like.

Thankfully that has been mounted in Kiwami 3. All of the Morning Glory stuff continues to be there however now it has been become its personal optionally available administration minigame. Around Morning Glory there are numerous actions you may take part in. You can plant greens in a backyard which then can be utilized to prepare dinner meals for the youngsters. You can even play Reversi with the youngsters and do bug catching contests. You can even promote a number of the greens and meals from the cows and chickens on the request of the native grocer. Doing so raises your “dad rating” and can unlock character tales for the entire youngsters. This is the place you may have your one-on-one sit-down with youngsters and assist them with their issues. 

Now it would not be a Yakuza recreation with out a lot of minigames and facet actions to do, and Kiwami 3 isn’t any exception. You’ve obtained your typical batch of minigames from each Yakuza recreation like Mahjong and Karaoke, so you may all the time have one thing to do.

My favourite addition to Kiwami 3, nonetheless, is Kiryu’s administration minigame “baddies battles” the place you handle an all-female gang in big battles in opposition to varied different battles across the metropolis. You can recruit new members to your gang by serving to them all through town. Afterwards you may participate in what are referred to as “Rumbles.” This is the place you’ve three or 4 squads of gang members in a Dynasty Warriors-style battle the place you must take strongholds and work your method as much as taking the enemy base. This is the place each gangs will conflict. These are superb as you should have upwards of 30 or so characters on display without delay all battling it out.  

Now essentially the most enjoyable a part of the Yakuza video games for my part was all the time the fight. Being capable of beat thugs to a pulp with flashy martial arts is all the time a blast, and you have nonetheless obtained that in Kiwami 3. One of essentially the most infuriating issues concerning the unique Yakuza 3 was horrific enemy AI that will block all the pieces, which made you must exploit the AI to be able to defeat them.

Well, that drawback will not be right here in Kiwami 3. But it actually feels just like the fight has been stripped again a bit right here. You nonetheless have your combos and whatnot, nevertheless it seems like you do not have a lot in the best way of selection, as I discovered myself doing the entire similar combos and assaults for many of the recreation. You nonetheless have your warmth actions as properly, however they’re sort of few and much between. You can unlock extra skills and warmth actions, that are completed by way of cash, and incomes cash is fairly fast and simple on this recreation, so you will not actually really feel the necessity to grind till you get to these last talent tree slots the place you may want a ton of cash for a capability.

My different large criticism is, I feel, one thing to do with the lighting system that they used. I’m unsure if this was intentional or not, however there may be this actually noticeable blue filter on the display if you end up strolling by means of town through the day. It’s not recreation ruining by any means nevertheless it certain is noticeable. 

Now to deal with the elephant within the room, which is among the greatest controversies this recreation handled because it was first introduced: Three of the characters from the unique recreation have been recast with new actors. Two of which I’m completely fantastic with, together with Rikiya. Yes, I do know which may be a spicy scorching take however, actually, his portrayal of the character did not trouble me in any respect.

What is actually regarding is the casting of actor Teruyuki Kagawa as Goh Hamazaki. For these unaware, the actor was accused in 2022 of horrific sexual assault allegations. So, the truth that they forged him on this recreation is fairly gross. Now, by way of this overview, I’m reviewing Yakuza Kiwami 3, not RGG Studios, so it may be as much as the patron to resolve if that is one thing they need to assist with their hard-earned cash, however I can completely perceive why anybody wouldn’t need to purchase this for that particular motive. 

But of any and all complaints I might have for this recreation, the largest comes after we get to the ending of the sport—which I will not spoil—however, for sure, I’m not joyful. The Yakuza collection is not any stranger to utterly wacky and ridiculous storytelling. This collection has the entire tropes and drama from even essentially the most off-the-rails cleaning soap operas. Over the course of this collection, we now have seen quite a few characters being introduced again to life, lengthy misplaced twin siblings, Kiryu bleeding out for like half-hour whereas the principle villain drops infinite exposition and rather more.

However, what they did with Kiwami 3 utterly alters the course of the collection canon to the purpose that, in the event that they proceed this remake collection, Yakuza 4 goes to be a very completely different recreation now. Worse, the best way they justify that is utterly ridiculous, even for this collection. And when gamers are rightfully confused are all asking, “How?!” the sport then has the audacity to inform the participant, “Is that really what’s important right now? Don’t think about it.” 

The recreation additionally comes bundled with “Dark Ties,” a a lot smaller prequel recreation that focuses on Yoshitaka Mine and his rise to change into the seventh chairman of the Tojo clan. Mine has his personal combating fashion and a system referred to as “Dark Awakening” the place the extra you assault enemies the extra you replenish your three coronary heart icons. Consume these to ship extra highly effective and brutal assaults.

Mine’s combating fashion is a mixture of boxing and MMA, so, not like Kiryu, he cannot decide up and use weapons or seize opponents, however he can Judo throw them to the bottom and comply with up with a floor assault. He additionally has arial assaults by holding down the circle button. Mine will launch a flying kick and you’ll combo that into extra assaults within the air. Honestly, I discovered Mine much more enjoyable to make use of than Kiryu, by way of the battle system, as I discovered there have been much more choices and freedom. 

Dark Ties is nowhere close to so long as the principle recreation. But if you wish to 100% this recreation, it is going to take a great chunk of time. Mine has his personal unique minigames, one in all which is a brand new underground battle membership very similar to the coliseum, though this one is a little more sinister. This battle membership is one thing straight out of The Hunger Games or Squid Game, the place the billionaire elites watch folks battle to the dying for the possibility to win a big sum of cash.

There are two completely different modes of play right here. One of which is rather a lot just like the Yokohama Underground from Like a Dragon 7 the place you make your method by means of procedurally generated dungeons, combating enemies, and in search of the exit so you may make your method to the subsequent flooring. The catch right here is that you simply get one shot to finish the dungeon. You will accrue lots of money and rewards as you make your method by means of the dungeon and in case you select to depart or beat the boss on the finish of the present part, you get to maintain all the pieces. Lose nonetheless and also you lose all the pieces. 

There can also be one other minigame unique to Dark Tides referred to as Kanda Damage Control the place you must assist Kanda restore his picture by doing a bunch of excellent deeds round city. That is the place you get your 100% completion record as lots of these duties contain simply serving to folks on the streets by beating up thugs harassing them, finishing minigames, consuming all the pieces at eating places, beating up random folks on the streets, and extra. 

Now it’s sort of gross that we are attempting to assist restore the picture of a person as completely despicable as Kanda, however figuring out his destiny in the principle Yakuza 3 recreation? Yeah, I do not thoughts serving to him out. He will get what he deserves ultimately.  

To be completely sincere, as I discussed firstly of this overview, Yakuza 3 might be my least favourite recreation within the collection, so I actually wasn’t anticipating a lot from Kiwami 3. I did, nonetheless, get considerably of what I wished out of this: I can now play a model of Yakuza 3 the place I’m not always tearing my hair out because of the always-blocking AI that forces me to search out exploits to cheese the AI for the complete recreation. And a recreation the place the Morning Glory stuff is now a facet quest that I can do by myself time as a substitute of being compelled into it.

The administration minigames included listed here are lots of enjoyable. The story, for essentially the most half—retcons apart—continues to be about the identical. I feel, nonetheless, with this launch, that Yakuza fatigue is beginning to set in. We have been getting these video games yearly for a while now and the system for the sport itself is beginning to put on skinny.

I’m used to those video games reusing so many property however, on the similar time, getting the identical minigames, just like the batting cages, mahjong, karaoke, the on line casino, and enjoying these video games time and again, recreation after recreation, is getting outdated.

So, is Yakuza Kiwami 3 a great recreation by itself, not taking into the account the unique recreation? Sure, however by that very same token, there are lots of different video games within the collection which might be a lot higher than this as properly. To be completely sincere, I am unable to actually be stunned. Yakuza 3 might be essentially the most divisive recreation within the collection and, actually, Yakuza Kiwami 3 simply looks like a mediocre remake of, for my part, an already mediocre recreation.