I’m a sucker for the Yakuza/ Like a Dragon franchise, and feel that as of lately, they’ve been offering an awesome blend of variety for different types of gamers to latch onto, or invest in for the very first time. You’ve got the newer, more nuanced RPG approach from Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, or something a little more traditional, but equally off the wall in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
The Yakuza Remastered Collection brought Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 to the last generation of consoles only a few years ago, so it’s safe to say we’ve had our fair share of variety recently. The decision to essentially remake Yakuza 3 in the form of Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is certainly an interesting one. Sure, the original game had its flaws, from the brutal enemies to the frustrating pacing, but I feel it’s still very playable by today’s standards.
For most fans, however, these differences and additions will feel much more noticeable and therefore welcome, while I would still admit to newcomers that it’s probably the best way to play Yakuza 3, even if you have to jump between various versions and collections of games within the franchise to get here.
The addition of the Dark Ties story was, for me, the most alluring, and one I probably valued most, as someone who has played through Yakuza 3’s mainline story a couple of times now.
Beachside Walks (Or Brawls)
Let’s hit the ground running with Yakuza Kiwami 3’s mainline story and its newer alternations. I don’t think it does much to the overall story, as many of the main beats, conversations, and chases return here. In that sense, Yakuza Kiwami 3 never really loses its wacky identity, or it’s over the top characters, but now understands what to cut, or at least leave as optional, to new and returning players.
I’m sure the Morning Glory Orphanage segment in Okinawa still makes fans of the original game both tired and frustrated at the same time, but here, it’s certainly more palatable. Here, this segment, which was initially forced upon you through a series of drawn out custceens, now takes the form of optional side missions and locations that feel much more natural to the pacing of the story, strengthening your relationship with the children of the orphanage. It’s such a welcome and natural evolution to that part of the story that it feels like this should have always been the case.
The introduction of the Bad Boy Dragon storyline, however, feels like a missed opportunity. Here, you’ll essentially flex your muscles against a new gang of biker enemies on a much larger scale, taking on more enemies at any given time, akin to a Dynasty Warriors-scale battle. You’ll then recruit enemies and use them to take on even larger groups in Turf-Wars. They’re fun as far as the combat is concerned, but the motorcycle mechanics feel a little stiff as you ride around each of the larger maps.
The Revelations system ditches Kyriu’s blog and replaces it with a fresher social media system that gains popularity from various NPC characters, while plenty of the game’s side-stories and additional missions have been trimmed down to rid the content of its admittely repetive nature, which was an issue in the original Yakuza 3.
Without spoiling the story, there are a couple of character conclusions and backstories that have been slightly adjusted here, but I do believe it’s all for the better. Given that Yakuza Kiwami 3 has fixed the outright boring Okinawa portion’s pacing, I don’t really have much more to say about how it holds up, other than really well.
That being said, the core story doesn’t do much to change the overall outcomes within the context of the franchise, so if you weren’t really a fan, I’m not sure this would win you over.
There’s definitely a fresher feel to the more relaxed Okinawa and the more vibrant city of Ryukyu, thanks to more detail and some neat lighting effects, which have helped this game feel that much more modern on the newer hardware.
Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy
The Dark Ties portion of this package, however, was something I was particularly excited to experience, which highlights the backstory of the main game’s villain, Yoshitaka Mine. While Yakuza Kiwami 3 interstitially alters Mine’s fate, which I personally prefer, and will not spoil here, the Dark Ties storyline serves as an interesting prologue as he enters the criminal world and forms a unique relationship with the Tojo Clan’s Tsuyoshi Kanda.
While I really enjoyed the overall pacing of Dark Ties in the sense that it’s essentially a ‘Gaiden’ or side-story experience that trims off much of the fat of the longer, more traditional Yakuza games, I will admit that I didn’t really want it to end so soon, as I clocked my time with this at around 6 hours.
The general core and structure of the Yakuza games remain here, with plenty of activities to mess around with, civilians to chat to and hidden areas to explore. The pacing isn’t perfect, however, as the game takes a small dip in its middle chapters, which essentially require you to complete errands for civilians in order to boost Kanda’s reputation, but I’m willing to forgive it as this really only translates to an hour-or-so in-game.
There’s also a cool dungeon-crawling mode called Survival Hell, which sees Mine taking on five underground arenas of varying enemies and floors. You’re essentially testing your endurance against increasingly difficult waves of enemies as you gather money and collectibles to increase the effectiveness of abilities and weapons on your next run.
Boss fights are also generally brutal here, and you’re definitely going to lose large sums of cash at one point, but it does bring out the best in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties’ mechanical upgrades, which we’ll touch on shortly.
I feel selfish for judging Dark Ties on its shorter length, as I feel this had a little more to give. And given it takes up half of the cover art, it’s just a shame it’s not really worth half of this overall packaging.
Chaotic Combos
Combat in the original Yakuza 3 was decent enough, but it’s definitely better here. The introduction of the Ryukyu fighting style is a huge win, as it essentially combines your weapons into one cohesive set of attacks. Sure, you had a wealth of weapons to choose from in the original Yakuza 3, but given how often theyr broke, they felt more like a hindrance than an advantage.
This, in turn, makes you feel like an absolute badass, with very minimal balancing and choosing of various combinations and controls. The intended effect is well worth the simplicity, and while it’s an addition I never thought to ask for, am now glad it exists here.
Overall, the combat is just as solid as you remember it otherwise. Enemy encounters out on the street now feel much smoother an orgnaic, allowing you to jump straight into the action, and I found myself avoiding confrontations less as as reuslt. Attacks, dodges and special moves feel just as satisfying, and I’m in favour of the cool coloured flames and fireworks that spring from your hands as you smash faces in.
The Dark Ties portion of this package does limit Mine to one fighting stance, but I can’t really blame the tighter mechanics as they exist in a much smaller world and story. That being said, Mine’s Dark Awakening abilities are especially brutal, which builds in the form of three hearts as you attack enemies. To activate these attacks, you can hold the button longer to access each of three hearts, with a short hold for an attack that only uses a single heart, or a longer hold that uses all three.
Look the Part
I’m glad that Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties got the full remake treatment in this department, because it’s a noticeable improvement. Character models are more detailed, environments are brimming with incredible lighting effects and improved contrasts that bring out the diversity and variety of the streets and their various shopfronts and locations.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties also run at a solid clip, and on the PlayStation 5 Pro, come with some slightly nicer textures and steady performance to boot. The game stays pretty much locked at 60 FPS, and I struggled to pick up on any real frame rate drops, which is impressive.
Final Thoughts
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a decent package that might not reinvent the wheel, but certainly refines it. While I wish the Dark Ties storyline were a little longer and denser, I do appreciate the addition of new fighting styles and game modes across both stories.
While this feels like more of a treat for returning fans, there’s still plenty to warrant playing through this again, or for the very first time.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Improved combat, visuals and performance: Dark Ties storyline was fun
Lowlights: The Dark Ties storyline is quite short; The story generally remains the same, which includes long, drawn-out conversations at times
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: SEGA
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 Pro with a launch code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
