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Beckett vs Yakuza: Kiwami

Yakuza Zero, being the first entry I played in the Yakuza series, was one the best games I played in 2017. As a newcomer, Zero subverted my expectations entirely. I had no idea that what appeared to be an arcade brawler on the outside, held such a powerful, emotional, and complex story underneath, carried by two protagonists that almost appear to take on lives of their own. After completing and reviewing Zero (the review can be found here), I found it hard to not pick up the continuation of the series, Yakuza Kiwami – while Kiwami does not match the scope or size of its predecessor, it is an excellent remake of the original Yakuza for PlayStation 2, and the perfect follow up to Zero in every way. Instead of being a straightforward remake, the game was remastered using Yakuza 6’s engine, and additional story content has been added to provide more depth to certain characters. If you enjoyed Yakuza Zero, I assure you there is no reason to read further – Yakuza Kiwami is right up your alley. However, for those on the fence, read on – Yakuza Kiwami is a chapter you won’t want to miss.

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Since Yakuza Kiwami acts as a remake of the original Yakuza, its story and scope are noticeably smaller when compared to Zero. There is only one playable character and the main campaign lasts about ten to twelve hours, depending on how fast the player progresses. This time the story centers only on Kazuma Kiryu – as usual, Kiryu remains one of the most endearing characters in a video game. He possesses an utter heart of gold, is very soft-spoken, yet at the same time has a reputation for demanding respect, and being one of the strongest and most notorious Yakuza in Japan. Without much reference to the events of Yakuza Zero, Kiwami begins with Kiryu, now a Yakuza Lieutenant, deciding to take the blame for a murder committed by his Oath Brother, Akira Nishikiyama. After a decade passes and Kiryu is released, the landscape that was once familiar has now radically changed – Nishikiyama is now a powerful crime boss, someone closely tied to the events that led to Kiryu’s incarceration is missing, and Kiryu’s prior organization is on the warpath in search of ten billion yen they claim was stolen from them. Kiryu then takes it upon himself to find the answers, no matter how ugly the truth may be.

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Kiwami is quite similar mechanically to Yakuza Zero – brawling remains familiar, with Kiryu having the ability to switch between four fighting styles on the fly to change his combat speed and attributes. Upgrading skills also remains the same, with the player “investing” in themselves to upgrade the skill trees of each fighting style. As expected, there is an excess of sub-stories and mini-games for the player to experience that are completely optional, but often end up being extremely entertaining. When not completing these sub-stories, the player has the option to explore mini-games like pocket racing, underground fighting, and blackjack. There are even more sultry options, in the form of women dressing up as scantily-clad insects that wrestle each other.

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Since Goro Majima’s presence in Yakuza Kiwami is not as strong as in Zero, Sega has filled this glaring Majima-shaped hole in the form of the Majima Everywhere mini-game. While randomly walking on the streets, Kiryu will be attacked by Majima and will be forced to drop everything and defend himself. As a reward, fighting moves from the “Dragon of Dojima” style will be unlocked after each encounter. As the player fights through more and more encounters, the ways Majima attacks Kiryu begins to vary – he’ll hide behind cars, in potholes, or inside oversized traffic cones. All of this is incredibly comedic and always preceded by a passionate exclamation of “KIRYU-CHAN!”. After 20 hours of gameplay, this becomes a regular and welcome occurrence.

Yakuza Kiwami functions excellently as both a remake of the original Yakuza, as well as a modern continuation of Zero. Due to its source material, the scope is smaller than of its predecessor. Despite these restrictions, Kiwami provides not only the original narrative but an expanded version, in addition to integrating Zero’s combat system. Due to borrowing heavily from Zero, the graphics leave a little to be desired when looking at supporting NPC character models, or at buildings during the day when they colour palette shifts to many grays and browns. Other than those minor issues, Kiwami is a faithful remake of the original Yakuza that brings the beginning of the series onto a modern platform for more newcomers to enjoy – and it would be a criminal offense to not experience it.

Disclaimer: Images were taken from Google Images, I do not own them nor do I profit from them.

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©2023 by beckett van stralen. all written content within belongs to the writer.

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