Yakuza / Like a Dragon series is one of the biggest hits that, under the auspices of the SEGA corporation, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has been releasing for the last twenty years.
Although a new title on Nintendo Switch, Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a remake of one of the most famous games in the Like a Dragon franchise from 2010, while the addition Dark Ties presents the story from the other side.
Yakuza Kiwami 3
The main protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, from Kamurocho moves to Okinawa and leaves behind his past life, in which he was the head of the Tojo clan. In Okinawa, he decides to run the Morning Glory Orphanage, to repay his debt to society, because he himself grew up in one.
Of course, he doesn't manage to escape from his past life there either. His orphanage is located on land earmarked by the government for the construction of a resort, and in his former clan there are battles for supremacy among the heads of families, so he is invited to bring order to the clan with his influence, charisma, and when necessary, with his fists.
You will walk around the city, discover new details of the story, use fists, clubs, swords and other weapons (eg a bicycle) to solve most of the conflicts on the streets. You will collect a bunch of various unnecessary trinkets, play games for children, make friends with people you meet walking the streets through the mobile application, buy various clothes, sing karaoke and much, much more.
It is possible to use a taxi for a quick transfer, but then you miss out on a lot of additional missions, loot and in general you will not experience the soul of the city.
U sirotištu ćete igrati brojne mini igre u kojima ćete rješavati zadaću, kuhati ručak, pecati, ili iglom krpati odjeću. Simpatično, ali nimalo opuštajuće 😉
Walking through the streets, you will come across many outlaws eager for a fight, which will serve as quick cash.
In battle, Kiryu uses the classic Dragon of Dojima style, which is based on combined punches and kicks and throwing enemies in a catcher's style. Numerous additional combo attacks can be purchased with money and training points earned by completing missions, capturing Reapers, rogue Yakuza members, or simply beating up bad guys on the streets. After inflicting enough pain, you can activate Dragon Mode, in which your strength is increased, your reflexes are accelerated, and the Dragon Finisher allows you to destroy the enemy with a devastating attack.
At any moment, you will be able to switch to a style where you will use various weapons that cause special statuses, such as clubs that stun, sickles that cause bleeding, or boxers that break the opponent's block.
Dragon finisher in full glory
Dark Ties
This is effectively a sequel to Kiwami 3, so the game itself recommends that you play the original first due to spoilers. Here you take on the role of Yoshitaka Mina, who is just starting his career in the Tokyo underground. There is enough money, and they will buy allies with it. Of course, after beating them up first.
Kanda becomes your ally and introduces you to the Yakuza world. But first you have to explain to him who is the boss.
He also relies on his own fists and a lightning combination of punches and kicks, but he can activate a Dark Awakening mode that is especially brutal, so you will sometimes knock an enemy headfirst into the floor and drag him face down on the floor, leaving a trail of blood behind.
Attributes and additional skills are upgraded with money or training points
Although Dark Ties was initially advertised as a complete game, it is quite short, so you will get through the three chapters in about 5-6 hours. However, there is Survival Hell, a set of arenas with four floors each, with increasingly stronger enemies on each floor and money you earn as you work your way to the top and face the main boss. If you die, you lose everything. You also have the option to exit each floor and spend money to buy better weapons or hire helpers, then start over. This will give you a certain amount of replayability and make you want to come back to the game a few more times.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 je sasvim solidan port, ali zbog tehničkih ograničenja Nintendo Switcha 2, moralo je biti nekih grafičkih kompromisa u odnosu na druge platforme. Gradovi su šareni baš kao što i moraju biti u Japanu, ali teksture zidova i automobila su nešto niže kvalitete – nisu loše, ali nisu ni previše impresivne. Animacije udaraca su šarene i blještave, Dragon Mode i Dark Awakening animacije su vrlo kvalitetno napravljene.
I u handheld i docked modu igra se vrti na stabilnih 30fps, ali ponekad prijelaz na animacije traje taman toliko dugo da pomislite da se igra srušila. Priznajem da me par puta “štrecnulo” kad se to dogodilo.
Animacije su zanimljive i većinu priče ćete saznati iz njih, ali traju i traju….
The voice acting in English is unimpressive, I would even say subpar, so I recommend playing in Japanese with English subtitles on.
The soundtrack, on the other hand, is excellent. You have a combination of aggressive beats during battles, smooth jazz while exploring the city, and you can also listen to music from some other SEGA titles through Kiryo's or Mine's phone.
Yes, summarized:
Is this a superbly made remaster? It's not.
Does it provide enough content to justify the price? I think it gives. And with frequent discounts on the eshop, you can get a game for a little less money that will keep you close to the screen long enough to justify every cent with an interesting story, colorful characters and excellent beat-em-up action.
A Nintendo Switch 2 copy of the game was provided by distributor Colby for review purposes.
I’m all about traveling and Nintendo, not necessarily in that order.
