Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties Bring Much-Needed Combat and Visual Upgrades

As a Yakuza fan, I’ve recommended the bid from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, different known arsenic RGG, to plentifulness of people, but it has agelong travel with 1 large caveat: Yakuza 3. It’s not that determination is thing needfully incorrect with it, but with high-quality remakes of the archetypal games successful the series, and the much modern and refined graphics and gameplay of the newer entries, it has stood retired a spot arsenic a spot of an unusual duck, looking and playing worse than the games earlier and after. However, with the just-announced Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties, a duplicate battalion combining a remade Yakuza 3 alongside a brand-new companion game, that mightiness each beryllium astir to change. I had a accidental to play some astatine Tokyo Game Show 2025, and I came distant impressed by however overmuch RGG Studio is trying to amended and grow connected the original.

Yakuza Kiwami 3

Yakuza Kiwami 3 isn’t conscionable an up-rezzed port; it’s a afloat remake. Everything is rebuilt, from the graphics to the combat to the caller chopped scenes and dependable acting – including immoderate modern question seizure to amended bring the characters to life. While it volition inactive travel the communicative of Yakuza 3, immoderate scenes volition play retired otherwise oregon expand. It’s an ambitious agenda, but astir apt the close 1 to bring the present 16-year-old crippled to modern audiences.

My hands-on begins with Kazuma Kiryu chopping wood extracurricular the Morning Glory Orphanage, wherever helium was raised and present runs, successful Okinawa. The modern graphics look large arsenic helium swings his axe, his sweat glistening successful crisp 4K (for those that are into that benignant of thing). After the events of Yakuza 2, he’s moved connected from being a Yakuza and is trying to unrecorded a peaceful beingness moving the orphanage. An eviction announcement arrives, and Kiryu heads into municipality to face the caput of the Ryudo family, the owners of the onshore connected which the orphanage is built. He runs into Rikiya Shimabukuro, a subordinate of the Ryudo clan and, naturally, a brawl ensues, giving america our archetypal sensation of the updated conflict system.

Kiriyu has 2 warring styles to employ. The archetypal is Dragon of Dojima, his classical brawling style, mixing punches, kicks, throws, and biology weapons similar thoroughfare signs, postulation cones, and adjacent the unusual bicycle erstwhile the accidental presents itself. It’s arsenic flashy arsenic ever, and charging Kiriyu’s Heat Gauge to execute brutal finishers similar smashing a seat connected an opponent’s (in this case, Rikiya’s) caput ne'er gets old. The existent magic comes erstwhile I power to his marque caller Ryukyu style, however. This benignant is rooted successful Okinawan culture, and portion utilizing it, Kiryu combos done 8 antithetic weapons, similar a brace of tonfa, a weighted chain, or, my idiosyncratic favorite, a vessel oar. I enactment distant my hostile with a premix of each of the above, which was capable to person Rikiya to nonstop maine towards wherever to find his boss.

This opened up an accidental for a spot of open-world exploration, which I took afloat vantage of, exploring a adjacent thoroughfare market, beating up immoderate ruffians with a crowbar, and taking successful a speedy circular of a play mini-game. Okinawa looks large connected the modern engine, and getting astir was a breeze acknowledgment to the caller Street Surfer Mk. 0, a Segway-like rideable that Kiryu seems to beryllium capable to summon retired of bladed aerial for immoderate speedy joyriding. Zooming astir connected that, hopping disconnected to bushed the snot retired of immoderate goons with my tiny shield (also portion of the Ryukyu set), past making a speedy getaway was truthful Yakuza successful the champion way.

Finally, I turned my attraction backmost to the main story. As Rikiya escorts maine to his headquarters, we are interrupted by a commotion arsenic a rival household trashes a section market, taking the store proprietor hostage. Kiriyu, saccharine feline that helium is, agrees to help, starring to a monolithic nine-vs-two melee, arsenic helium and Rikiya instrumentality connected the brag and his lackeys. This truly showcased however overmuch much refined the combat is, arsenic I was capable to instrumentality vantage of the creaseless question and dodging, creating windows to bash the atrocious guys and escape, with a slick double-team KO of 1 mediocre crony eating a monolithic footwear to the look from Kiryi portion restrained by Rikiya.

My clip successful Yakuza Kiwami 3 ended there, but I hardly scratched the aboveground of everything caller coming to it. There volition beryllium much idiosyncratic moments with supporting characters, clip dedicated to moving the regular operations astatine the orphanage and taking attraction of the kids, adjacent a caller squad conflict mode wherever you physique your ain biker pack to combat for turf with others.

Dark Ties

The bigger astonishment of the Yakuza Kiwami 3 announcement was the uncover of Dark Ties, an all-new companion communicative to the main game. This places you successful the relation of Yoshitaka Mine, the antagonist of Yakuza 3. Dark Ties covers Mine’s emergence from a disgraced businessman, driven from his ain tech startup, to the underworld brag that acts arsenic Kazuma’s foil successful Yakuza 3.

His communicative begins with Mine reflecting connected his beingness and the loneliness that drove him to prosecute wealthiness and influence. By happenstance, helium witnesses a deadly combat betwixt rival Yakuza families, and seeing the enslaved of men consenting to dice for their boss, Daigo Dojima, acts arsenic a catalyst, and helium sets retired to spot if helium tin find that aforesaid loyalty successful the transgression underworld.

My demo takes spot aboriginal successful the game, with Mine tracking down Tsuyoshi Kanda, an infamous Yakuza conscionable released from prison. Mine hopes Kanda volition beryllium his introduction constituent to statesman his ain rise, though arsenic is Yakuza tradition, you don’t spell much than a fewer aboriginal steps earlier immoderate punks determine to prime a fight. Apparently, Mine's suitcase looks expensive, and they privation immoderate is inside. A atrocious decision.

The halfway conflict strategy is astir the aforesaid arsenic Yakuza 3, but with a fewer important twists. Mine’s warring benignant is precise antithetic from Kiryu’s, relying heavy connected speedy boxing combos, method wrestling moves, and caller aerial attacks. He tin leap and works a ft connected the thorax of 1 enemy, past leap to another, dishing retired harm each astir arsenic helium delivers an array of flying moves, similar springboard leap kicks oregon mid-air tackles. They look precise cool, and marque for a amusive spot of readying up arsenic you scope retired which enemies to latch onto and leap towards.

In summation to the modular Heat Gauge that fills up to alteration peculiar moves, Mine has 3 chained hearts that capable up arsenic helium lands attacks. Once astatine slightest 1 is full, helium tin activate a almighty buffed mode called Dark Awakening. This functions similar a caller warring style, with a antithetic moveset unleashing highly almighty attacks. More than 1 chained bosom tin beryllium activated astatine once, expanding the potency of Dark Awakening. It’s a neat twist to marque Mine’s gameplay much distinct, and tapping into the rage down his calm exterior fits his quality well.

It rapidly became wide these punks picked the incorrect suitcase to effort to snatch, arsenic I knocked them senseless to the cheers of onlookers who witnessed the attempted robbery. With the ruffians handled, I’m fixed the enactment to caput to the situation to way down Kanda oregon termination immoderate clip exploring the city. This atrocious ngo seems important, truthful people I… instantly spell find a karaoke barroom to sing a song. Hey, it is Yakuza aft all. I rent the room, and Mine pours his bosom and psyche into his solo performance, which is truly comic fixed his usually highly stoic nature. I nail bushed connected my fastener presses, delivering a cleanable show befitting a antheral of Mine’s talents.

Buoyed by my outstanding singing, I determine it’s clip to get down to concern and effort to hail a cab to the situation wherever Kanda is being released. One much radical of punks tries to halt maine (nothing a fireman’s transportation followed by a speedy footwear to the look couldn’t solve), and I find myself extracurricular of the situation arsenic Kanda takes retired his vexation connected his paltry, two-man welcoming committee. Kanda is penniless, his subdivision of the Yakuza household disgraced. As Mine tails him done the streets of Kamurocho, my hands-on clip ends conscionable arsenic helium rounds a country to conscionable his aboriginal right-hand antheral for the archetypal time.

As a sucker for a bully organized transgression story, I’m decidedly intrigued to spot however overmuch we get to witnesser Mine transmission his interior Vito Corleone and physique his transgression empire from the crushed up, particularly if it means immoderate due bromance clip with Mine and Diago. The information that it comes arsenic portion of the bundle with Yakuza Kiwami 3 is great, and I’m excited to spot however it each turns retired erstwhile Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties merchandise connected February 12, 2026.