Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios·Released Jan 21, 2016·Single player
Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the 2005 open-world action-adventure game Yakuza.
No matter how significant the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series might have become, this first instalment is a mixed bag. At times Yakuza Kiwami is full of life and ambition. At other times it's as frustrating and seems too willing to draw things out in a slightly over-indulgent way. Experimenting with the battle system is satisfying for as long as the game gives you space to do it. But the game's pace-killing negatives, the difficulty spikes and the quickly diminishing returns of wandering the Tokyo streets, marred by random battles and fetching items, hold it back from being an easy recommendation. You may well enjoy yourself during your playthrough, but we'd bet a few thousand yen that some of the less-streamlined elements will test your patience.
The Yakuza series combine deep melodrama with exploration through vibrant city streets. Yakuza Kiwami is a remake that recreates the feeling of the
But besides all this, it is simply a good time. And there is an unmistakable, open-hearted joy to fixing problems for people as an intimidating agony uncle. Even if it usually involves hitting them with a bike first.
Suffers in comparison to Yakuza 0, but is still a compelling drama and an important part of the series as a whole.
Two Yakuza games within eight months? Maybe 2017 isn't so bad after all. Kiwami isn't a new game, however, but a remake…
This remaster gives the first game in the Japanese underworld series a quality makeover, but leaves a lot on the table.
Visiting the first entry, enhanced as it is, certainly gave me a greater appreciation for the strides that the series made later.
Yakuza Kiwami finds itself in a strange position. A remake that's technically a sequel to a much better game in Yakuza 0, it struggles to offer anything besides another engaging crime-drama storyline. Best described as a kind of expansion, Kiwami really shows its age in terms of narrative structure and gameplay design, but it's still worth playing through if you just can't get enough of Kaz. It goes without saying, however, that series newcomers are much better off starting with the far superior Yakuza 0.
This remake of the first Yakuza game has sparks of brilliance amid some major flaws
Yakuza Kiwami picks up where Yakuza Zero left off, upholding its dramatic storytelling, offbeat humor, and flashy yet frustrating combat.
