Developers Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios have been on a roll in recent years with brilliant new titles, along with beautifully remastered action classics. Can they strike gold again with Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties? Or should this game have stayed in the past?
The Black Sheep
Yakuza 3 is a sensitive subject for fans of the series. Long regarded as the black sheep of the titles, the third game left fans with mixed feelings and is often claimed to be the biggest misstep made by the developers. Now with the release of this Kiwami version, packaged with a brand new prequel expansion, Dark Ties, RGG had a chance to rectify their past mistakes. Unfortunately, this remaster is just not up to the high standard the studio has set itself. Ultimately, despite there being some real positives here, I’m left feeling like this remake is just not needed.
Yakuza 3 Kiwami stars Kazuma Kiryu once again, trying to carve out a peaceful life in Okinawa. Attempting to leave his troubled past behind him, he is again pulled into a life of crime and mystery. Kiryu has decided to dedicate his life to raising orphans and in doing so, he becomes entangled in government interference on his land. There are government plans to either use the orphanage land for a military base, or to transform it into a luxury resort. Thus Kiryu is forced to take action to thwart these plans. It’s a convoluted mystery story; it gets significantly more bizarre the further you play, like all Yakuza games. All in all, it is a rather wacky, crime action thriller with a lot of heart, along with some questionable aspects.
Troubling Developments
The story of Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a tightly woven experience that the developers have decided not to alter drastically. However, there are some significant issues affecting the enjoyment of the narrative. First of these is the developers’ choices when it comes to the cast. The minor characters of Yakuza are what makes these games so great. So I applaud the decision to recast and redesign the Yakuza captain, Rikiyanow; he now seems so much more complex and layered. But I am aghast at the fact the team decided not to recast antagonist Goh Hamazaki. The voice actor for this character has a checkered past; he has been accused of some terrible things. Therefore, for him to still be performing in the game is a great disappointment.
Furthermore, the new animations and cutscenes in Yakuza Kiwami 3 really hinder the impact of the storytelling; they feel too stiff and subdued. The charm in the Yakuza series is the characters’ larger than life personas. However, this remake has made characters seem more wooden and restrained; this is hugely disappointing. Without spoiling things, the new story additions to the main narrative are also so minimal; they add virtually nothing and are downright bizarre. That being said, if you have never played the original game, this is still a worthy action story to unravel and discover.
A Brief Affair
The game launches with the Dark Ties expansion. It it is the biggest addition to this package but it’s also the most forgettable. You step into the shoes of antagonist Yoshitaka Mine, a member of the Tojo Clan family. Essentially a tale of his rise up the ranks of the clan, the story just feels rushed and far too formulaic. It’s a very brief tale as it only took around five hours for the credits to roll. It tries to humanise these villains and fails, it’s a real snooze fest.
Action Reimagined
Thankfully, I am more pleased with the additions and changes to the game’s combat system and minigames. Yakuza 3 Kiwami & Dark Ties is a third person action game which focuses on brawling combat. It’s the series iconic formula of brawling along the streets of Japan and this game is no different. Combat is fast and fluid. It’s a tried and tested system that RGG Studios have mastered. Now, with all their experience, Yakuza 3 feels so much smoother and responsive. Kiryu can pick up items to use and attack enemies with; this makes the environments feel important and reactive. There is also a new fighting style, named Ryukyu, which allows you to engage with different weapons for greater effect. This really helped keep the action feeling fresh.
Along with gameplay updates, this remake launches with a plethora of new minigames and side quests, a huge component of what makes Yakuza so beloved. The Morning Glory Orphanage has been vastly expanded, allowing more tasks to be completed. This results in a much more engaging and dynamic experience. Both the base game and the DLC content come with hilarious mini games; they really add great replayability to the overall package. My personal favourite is the “Baddies Battles” in which you manage an all female gang in huge battles across the city. Dark Ties adds a fight club mode which does exactly what you think it does. Minigames really enhance these titles and I’m pleased at the effort the developers have made, polishing old ones and adding new ones into the fray! Gameplay remains king in Yakuza.
Head Scratching
When it comes to visual presentation, this game is a real mixed bag. On the one hand, some areas look fantastic, as everything has been rebuilt in RGG Studios modern engine. But in other areas, oh boy! Textures seem to be the main culprit of the issues as some environments look downright terrible. Lighting is wildly inconsistent and drastically affects these textures; in some of the more open ended areas it can look very very poor on the eye. It just feels off. Add in the poor facial animations and animations in general and it feels vastly disappointing for a remake.
Thankfully, sound design and musical score remain solid from the original game, with an updated soundtrack in particular the highlight of the package. Sound design is bombastic and cartoonish during fights – just the way I like it! It captures the wacky and bizarre nature of these games, perfectly encapsulating the mood of the over the top action.
Verdict
To sum up, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a real mixed bag. An interesting story, with great combat will entice new players to try this classic game. Sadly, muddled visuals, not enough new content and terrible animations drag the overall package down. Remakes are meant to be a vast improvement on the original and this has failed to deliver. Still there is a great game to be found if you can see past the problems. Check out the page here- Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties PS4 & PS5
