Yakuza, a videogame franchise that’s popular on the Japanese market, but is still a niche title in the West. The series consists out of several main titles, spin-offs, and even Japan-exclusive titles. Sega, the Japanese developer and publisher of the franchise, is trying to broaden their western audience by releasing a remake of their original Yakuza game, calling it Yakuza Kiwami (which means extreme/ultimate). Yakuza Kiwami remakes the original title from the ground up and is made exclusively for the PS4.
Dragon of Dojima
The protagonist of Yakuza Kiwami is Kazuma Kiryu, AKA the ‘Dragon of Dojima’, a famous member of the Tojo Clan. After an imprisonment of ten years, he returns to his clan in his hometown, Kamurocho. After his arrival, he discovers that ten billion yen has been stolen from the Tojo clan and that the entire Yakuza community is after him. It is up to him to find out who stole the money from his clan and get the Yakuza off his back. As if that wasn’t enough trouble for Kiryu, there’s also a young child that is targeted by the Yakuza, who he has to protect.
The Yakuza franchise is known for its well-written stories and Yakuza Kiwami is a great example of that. While the story is largely the same as the original, Kiwami comes with extra cutscenes that give a little more detail about certain events. The most noticeable are the ones that are focused on Akira Nishikiyama, Kiryu’s former life-long friend. His cutscenes reveal some of his motivations after the events of Yakuza 0, the prequel of Yakuza Kiwami. It’s a nice addition for fans of the series, but I wish there would have also been some additional info about Akira’s sister, Yuko, who was somewhat important during the end of Yakuza 0 and the beginning of Yakuza Kiwami. But still, the extra story content is a nice bonus for those who’ve played the original Yakuza and Yakuza 0.
How remakes should be done
Many game companies nowadays have released a remastered version of one of their game(s). While re-releasing a game with upgraded visuals is not a bad thing on its own, it’s easy to notice that most of these remastered games don’t offer that much extra value to justify its existence. Sure, the framerate and output resolution is improved in most cases, but that’s about it. That’s why Yakuza Kiwami should be seen as the prime example of how a remake of a game should be handled. Yakuza Kiwami transfers the original title to a new game engine and makes full use of that. Highly-detailed characters and environments, re-recorded dialogue (with the original voice actors!), reworked side quests, new combat moves and an updated soundtrack are what makes Yakuza Kiwami such an improvement over the original title. Seeing the story being played out with high-def characters that are expertly voice-acted and performed with amazing facial animations and lip syncing will make you wonder if this is a remake of a decade-old game or an actual new AAA-title. If you’re a fan of the series and are wondering if Kiwami is a worthy remake, then yes, yes it is. Although there’s one addition in this remake that isn’t that great…
Majima Anywhere
One of the changes that Yakuza Kiwami comes with is the combat system. Instead of having only one combat style like in the original, Kiryu can now choose between four different styles. Three of them are available from the start, but require EXP to level up and unlock new moves in the style you choose. EXP is earned by progressing the story and beating up thugs in the streets of Kamurocho. The fourth style, which is Kiryu’s signature ‘Dragon of Dojima’ style, can only be unlocked and upgraded by completing certain encounters with Goro Majima. The ‘Majima Anywhere’ system basically places Goro throughout the city and gives you the task of finding him. The moment you spot Goro in one of his locations, he’ll come towards you and initiate a fight. If you manage to beat him, he’ll reward you with a new move for the fourth combat style. Sounds like a pretty good progression mechanic on paper, but in practice, it’s not that great. Why? Simple, there are 50 moves to unlock in the fourth combat style, meaning that you’ll have to fight Goro 50 times if you want to unlock every move. Fighting Goro is fun the first couple of times, but I already got bored with it after the tenth or so encounter with him. To make things worse, some encounters require you to first complete one of the minigames that are scattered throughout the game, making the process of unlocking all moves even longer. I think it would have been better if the fourth combat style moves unlocked the same way as the other three styles, with the exceptions of a few special moves that require the ‘Majima Anywhere’ system. It would certainly make the progression easier to handle. However, unlocking those moves or fighting Majima is completely optional and are not required to finish the story.
Conclusion
Yakuza Kiwami is a great remake of a great game. The extra story content and upgraded visuals alone should be reason enough for fans to pick up this title. The ‘Majima Anywhere’ is implemented more than it should have been, but it’s completely optional and doesn’t ruin the core gameplay experience. Whether you’re a fan of the series or a newcomer wanting to try it out, Yakuza Kiwami offers much bang for your buck and can easily be seen as one of the best titles in the franchise.
