Yakuza Kiwami

I'm not dead, I promise.

I got distracted and forgot to write this back in like... February? My b. I'm trying to get back into this blog again.

Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the original Yakuza released on the PS2 in the early 00s. I ran through it earlier this year when I was in the throws of a Yakuza hyperfixation. It runs on the same engine as Yakuza Zero and released roughly a year after Zero (Kiwami Jan 2016, Zero March 2015). Despite this, I enjoyed my time with Zero more than Kiwami due to a myriad of factors that I'll go into later in this post. 

Story - No spoilers

Our story kicks off years after the ending of Yakuza Zero. Kiryu, after being redeemed, has been climbing the ranks of his local branch and has gained enough favor to start his own branch. These plans get thrown in a wrench when Nishiki kills the head of the local family in a crime of passion, and Kiryu (being the good friend that he is) takes the fall for him and goes to prison. Kiryu gets excommunicated, does the time for said crime, and when he comes out a free man he finds the streets of Kamurocho much different than when he left. What's more is that Nishiki is now a ruthless head of his own family who is seemingly responsible for the death of the Yakuza Clan President in what looks like a coup attempt. On top of that, Kiryu also finds a mysterious little girl named Haruka that needs his help! Can Kiryu keep Haruka safe and solve the mystery of the president's assassination?

Gameplay

If you've played Yakuza Zero, then you'll know what to expect here. You run around the streets of Kamurocho, get into fights with thugs and level up your skills. The real meat is the quirky characters and side quests you'll encounter. One of the most annoying, yet beloved of these are the fights against fan favorite Majima. Who greatly respected Kiryu before he went to jail, and is upset that he's no longer as strong as he once was. These constant fights are the way Majima attempts to train and test Kiryu. Sometimes he does this by breakdancing you in the face, sometimes he dresses up like a cop, and sometimes he puts on a dress. You never know what you're going to get with that man. And that's why the people love him so much.

 

That all sounds great, right? Honestly for the most part it is. I'm just not as into it as I was with Yakuza Zero. I didn't enjoy the combat as much. Honestly, in Zero I much more enjoyed Majima's fighting styles. Kiryu's much more of a slower brawler. And in Kiwami you need to switch up fighting styles much more often. From what I can tell online, the general consensus seems to be that the combat is less freeform and less enjoyable overall, but your results may vary. I also didn't enjoy the side activities as much as the ones in Zero. Pocket Racers really didn't do anything for me. I might be weird, who knows.

Closing thoughts

Honestly, Kiwami is a great remake of the original Yakuza. The leap in definition is fantastic. The presentation is great. The combat is... just ok. I still recommend people start with Zero first. If you like Zero, then play Kiwami and see if you like it. If you didn't like Zero then maybe the series isn't for you? Maybe try the newer Like a Dragon RPG games and see if you vibe with that.