Yakuza Kiwami - Review
The Yakuza series has been one that I’ve long hoped for a port over to the Switch, if not at the very least to be given the chance to play through the games on the go. For some reason I had put it in the “maybe on a more powerful Switch successor” basket, forgetting that even the Kawami versions of these games are pretty old now too! Kiwami was even released on the PS3. So then it becomes why shouldn’t they be able to get these games running on a Switch? But finally they have, and now it’s time to be Like a Dragon.
After a brief introduction into the world of Yakuza, Feared Yakuza Kazuma Kiryu also known as the “Dragon of Dojima” takes the fall for the murder of a clan patriarch to protect his best friend. After a 10 year stint in prison Kiryu is free to walk the streets of Kamurocho, only to find himself behind the times and not the Dragon he once was. Despite being expelled from his “Family”, Kiryu is immediately pulled back into the underworld as there are betrayals, intrigue and scantily clad insect lady battles galore. Not only must Kiryu contend with warring factions, but a chance encounter with a mysterious girl with a connection to his past and present. It’s a story that leans into the underworld drama, while being a bit silly in how over the top it can be. But that is a part of the series charm and while it is a little more grounded than where the series gets to, it is still a good Yakuza outing.
A word of warning to newcomers - the game does little to ease players into the world, there’s a lot of hierarchy and characters thrown at you initially and it can feel daunting. Overall it doesn’t hinder being able to follow what’s going on, but it feels a little abrupt, especially with how series antagonist and sometimes protagonist Goro Majima is introduced. While Kiwami is a remake of the first game in the series, it feels out of place when the prequel Yakuza Zero exists.
My experience with the Yakuza series had me starting with Yakuza Zero, a prequel to the series. It introduced the four fighting styles Kiryu could switch between Brawler, Beast, Rush and Dragon styles, which were carried over into Kiwami. What I didn’t expect was that the game would do the absolute bare minimum to teach you the benefits of utilising the different styles. It has been a few years since I played Zero but I remember it being quite good with educating the player on learning the styles and where they can be useful. With Yakuza Zero on the Switch this is an experience newcomers miss out on, which undermines the inclusion of the styles.
Along with the different styles also comes an upgrade path across the different areas to help rebuild Kiryu back into the fearsome dragon he once was. As you fight and eat and drink you build up experience points for sinking into your upgrades, whether it’s health or more moves across the various styles. There is also one upgrade section that is only unlocked through engaging with ‘Majima Everywhere’.
Majima Everywhere is a new addition not in the original. As you roam around Kamurocho Kiryu’s rival Goro Majima may show up at any time to take on Kiryu. Majima Everywhere is a fairly goofy aside to the more serious main story, discovering the different ways Majima is looking to catch out Kiryu to push him for an excuse to fight. These fights also serve the purpose of regaining abilities for Kiryu’s Dragon mode. Although without the game really giving much attention to the benefits of engaging with these styles, and Dragon style is a little more involved to get anything out of it, it feels like a mechanic that got dropped in because it was already made for Zero. It is nice getting more time with Majima throughout Kiwami, although after a few hours it can be tiring running around the town only to trigger another health item draining fight if you’re just looking to keep the story going.
Unsurprisingly Kiwami shows its age, while it is a remake of the original game there is additional content to flesh out the story. Although once again when coming from Yakuza Zero it feels like a step backwards in a way, and it is a shame that Zero hasn’t been released on the Switch too. While the story may not take as long to get through and the SEGA Club Arcade is lacking compared to other titles in the series. There is still plenty to do, there’s Darts, Mahjong, Pocket Circuit, Karaoke, Crane Machines and there’s a ‘horny’‘rock, paper, scissors’ game played through an arcade game and collectible cards. There’s enough distractions along the way to keep you from plowing through the story, depending on how much you enjoy playing these little diversions.
Outside of the dramatic and sometimes goofy Yakuza story, the substories are definitely more on the silly side. While they add some brevity to proceedings, they can tend to fall into repetition. Whether it’s another form of someone looking to con Kiryu or wanting to send him on a fetch quest, problems are often solved the same way they are through every other part of the game and that’s with your fists.
Kiwami isn’t a port of a current gen title and technically released on older tech than the Switch so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the game runs fairly well on the Switch. The frame rate isn’t 60fps or anything, but it holds up and when it briefly struggles it’s never an impact on the game. It gives me hope that some of the titles that were released/remade around the same time might still make an appearance on the Switch, but currently it’s pretty great to be able to play Kiwami on a handheld/hybrid console.
It’s great seeing Yakuza Kiwami finally on the Switch, but it’s still a shame that it came without the series prequel. Yakuza Zero serves as a great companion piece that it makes Kiwami on it’s own feel incomplete, especially for newcomers. All that said it is still very much Yakuza and I’m not going to turn down some more time with Kiryu, a very serious man in an offbeat world. It’s worth checking out Yakuza if you’ve wondered what the fuss is about for this long running series, if not to see how it all started, keeping in mind the best is still hopefully to come for the Switch or its successor.
The Score
7.5
Review code provided by Sega
The Pros
Yakuza is finally on the Switch
Even as a shorter Yakuza title it is still a good time
The Cons
Kiwami feels lacking when it can’t be paired with Yakuza Zero
Kiwami does little with the different fighting styles
