Yakuza Kiwami

I am a new fan of RGG studios, if you’ve read my other reviews of the Yakuza games. You know I hold Lost Jugement and Yakuza 0 in high regard. This game itself is great but it feels a lot more like a DLC to Yakuza 0 than its own game. This is a remake of the 2005 game Yakuza, it refreshes the entire story of the first Yakuza to a more updated and expansive console generation. The adaptation is necessary, especially if you see how limited the first game was, you know this was much needed. The story is play by play to a tee to the first one but what this game lacks is its own individuality. It doesn’t feel standalone at all, but I will say I still had a lot of fun playing it. I still enjoyed this game and its story was very gripping. I definitely recommend someone still go thru this game to round out there Yakuza experience.

Yakuza on the PS2 is not looked back upon fondly these days and it's probably the worst in the series from a gameplay standpoint. Yakuza Kiwami aims to modernise the game hot off the heels of Yakuza 0 to maintain its audience. In doing this however it alienates old fans of the series and destroys the original gameplay systems to appease people that played Yakuza 0.

The story of Yakuza Kiwami is the same in the original, with extra Nishikiyama parts which reinforces reasoning his lust for power, but what is already there can't be improved, like the ending, but the plot is mostly great but doesn't hold a candle to Yakuza 2 and 3. Unfortunately, cutscenes haven't faired too well. everyone is angry all the time and lack emotions compared to the original. Constant angry eyebrows and a lot less expressive.

The main gameplay is entirely copy and pasted from 0 with improvements. It is pretty good since it's 0's brawler, rush, beast, and dragon either way, but your overall speed no longer increases with heat, making comebacks easier, beast's attacks can now all be charged quite early on, and Komaki's attacks have been added to the dragon style, however instead of the simple XP dumping unlock system of the first 3 titles, Yakuza 0's money upgrades are here but with XP, and the biggest failure in the series, Majima Everywhere makes you wander around Kamurocho for the chance to fight Majima just for the dragon style attacks. It's an RNG fest and totally ruins the experience of the game to the point where if you just want to complete the story you don't get anything in the dragon style. I'm fine without Komaki but just missing an entire style because I was so done with this game halfway through and wanted to get it over with is awful. Majima Everywhere should just be optional and unlock bonus Majima moves instead.

Arguably one of the most important parts of a Yakuza game is the fun and challenging boss fights. Imagine that but the challenge is agony and the fun is nowhere to be seen. Weapon based boss fights are the worst offenders here, having too much range and less of little chance to hit them. Every boss seems to dodge way too much, especially Majima's second phase when you fight him in Shangri-la. Combined with him just going way too all out, it's just too hard for most fights. I found the final boss to be okay fortunately.

In conclusion, I find with these aspects, Yakuza Kiwami is hard to recommend and I do think Yakuza on the PS2 is better but still the least enjoyable game that's not a remake.

L'originale è invecchiato malissimo ma questo gioco è divertimento puro, serie incredibile

A solid yet bleak at times canonical start to the Yakuza franchise. Having played Zero first, it made me appreciate Kiwami even more with tie-ins to the established lore in this game.

The infamous Majima Everywhere system does a nice job extending the original game's playtime but the boss fights are very very underwhelming outside of maybe one or two. Combat at times feels like a hard downgrade when compared to Zero but I personally think that's in part due to the wonky progression path in Kiwami if anything.

The writing wanes at time but it's impressive when you remember it's a sixth-generation video game at heart. The stark difference in the way Nishkiyama is presented in Zero compared to this does feel weird and unfamiliar. Kiwami's largest narrative issue is that in a vacuum, it hits every single trope a organized crime drama or Yakuza flim would hit. It certainly isn't a "paint by numbers" experience but some of the events that unfold will have smirking a little bit. Luckily, it hits its highest highs with its ending which will have you staring slack-jawed at your screen until the credits finish rolling.

A thoroughly enjoyable beginning to a franchise.

Laziest remake ever made, but still the best way to experience the original’s plot. The gameplay is the same repetitive loop as usual with nothing new, but I liked the overall grittier take on the story, the comical elements being mostly limited to side quests and Kiryu being not as soft as he is now. I was a bit disappointed to find out that Nishikiyama has been treated as a generic villain with extremely limited appearances. His relationship with Kiryu was one of the strongest points of “Yakuza 0”, and I was expecting that to be further developed in “Kiwami”. This was mostly about Haruka’s overly melodramatic parents (dad was terrible in particular) and the Kiryu/Date bromance. Really impressive storytelling for a sixth-generation console game, but at the same time, it’s hard not to notice how Yokoyama’s writing has improved over the years.

Funciona bem pois a base é sólida, mas tendo jogado Yakuza 0 - por mais de 100 horas e quase completando-o - esse daqui fica parecendo um irmão “menor”, com uma história e personagens menos engajantes.

As adições, como o Majima Everywhere, o novo sistema de skill tree e o golpe Kiwami são mais derivações que ideias propriamente novas.

Ainda assim, como remake, é muito competente e bem mais divertido de jogar que o original de PlayStation 2.