Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties

Just over a year ago, RGG Studio finally decided to publish its titles on Nintendo platforms, and it seems that the move has paid off handsomely. We already know that Yakuza Kiwami 1 on Switch, a simple port that adapted the 2016 title to the first hybrid console, was a bestseller that completely changed the studio's publishing strategy at the end of 2024, which six months later led to the launch of the revamped Yakuza 0 Director's Cut as a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Last November, they reinforced the pre-Christmas catalogue for the consoles (and updated the rest of the platforms) with more polished and modern versions of Yakuza Kiwami 1 and Yakuza Kiwami 2, ports that I also had the honour of reviewing and reliving in an analysis.

But unlike all these titles I've played over the last year, here I am, for the first time, with something new. Because Yakuza Kiwami 3 is more than just a revision of Yakuza 3 Remastered: it's a full-fledged remake, which also includes a separate, parallel adventure called Dark Ties, with an unprecedented view of prominent characters from this version. And I can already say that "Kiwami" (which translates from Japanese as "promoted") truly stands out as the definitive version of this chapter in the life of Kiryu Kazuma.

And how does it differ in terms of gameplay from titles as similar as the aforementioned Kiwami I & II? Well, by being more and better in its main aspects. Yakuza Kiwami 3 picks up the story of Kazuma Kiryu, who, after almost definitively ending his life as a yakuza in the Tojo Clan in the previous instalment, is preparing to leave with his adopted "daughter" Haruka for Okinawa, where he plans to run the Morning Glory orphanage, just as his "father" Dojima did for him in his childhood. However, a new conspiracy threatens that dream of a peaceful life as a civilian, as well as the still-weak Tojo Clan and its new leader, Daigo Dojima, who has been attacked. With many questions about who can be trusted, Kiryu must once again put his plans on hold to fight all kinds of criminals from the Japanese underworld in order to uncover the truth. And now he has more options than ever.

This is because Yakuza Kiwami 3 has completely revamped its combat system, equalling and surpassing that of recent instalments. Kiryu now has the Ryukyu fighting style, learned during his stay in Okinawa, which allows him to chain together countless strikes and combos with a wide variety of weapons. He also has new skills that can be obtained with power-ups, either by paying for training or completing missions. And, of course, the Dojima Dragon Style, or Kiwami Style, is a must, now allowing you to chain more strikes and combos than ever before. That gangster brat may not touch the ground until he's knocked out.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 (and the series in general) draws not only on the drama of its stories, but also on the comedy of its interludes, and now we have, of course, a good selection of mini-games that will keep us hooked for almost more hours than the main plot. There are now new songs in the karaoke (and this mini-game is still as hard as ever!), as well as a selection of new arcade games for the SEGA arcades scattered throughout the game's cities, where we can play titles such as Galaga 2, Fantasy Zone Gear, Sonic Drift, and Streets of Rage in their Game Gear versions from start to finish.

If we want something more elaborate, we also have the option of maximising Kiryu's rank as "daddy" of the orphanage in Okinawa, helping all the orphans with their problems and raising funds to support them. Mini-games such as fishing, sewing or doing homework are a welcome relief when you know you'll have to go back to the streets of Kamurocho to restore order. However, my favourite side quest is helping the female bosozoku gang, with their exaggerated outfits and motorcycle decorations, which I loved. You can customise your bike, choose the members and take part in races (and subsequent fights), which also add variety to the action.

Yakuza 3 (and its Remastered version) has always been considered a step below most instalments in terms of technical finish, but that is almost completely compensated for here. Yakuza Kiwami 3 follows in the footsteps of the two recent modernised versions and Yakuza 0 Director's Cut to finally offer the fluidity and performance that players deserved. I don't know about the finish of the other versions, but in the review version we used (Nintendo Switch 2), the result was flawless in the base game. Surprisingly, there were frozen frames (up to almost three seconds) in the transitions between gameplay and cutscenes, both in Handheld mode and in Docked mode. The game did not freeze or crash, it just seemed to struggle to load the next block of memory. Still, it was an annoying enough bug to note here.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties also renews RGG Studio's commitment to its fans around the world, especially in Europe, which now has localisation in Spanish, French, German, and Italian, but also in Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese. The dubbing has also been modernised, new lines have been added, and there is also new dubbing in English, Japanese, and Chinese. A titanic effort with the new languages, especially in a series of games where there is a lot of talking and reading, but we still found some errors and spelling mistakes, at least in the Spanish version we used for this review, which would need a post-launch patch.

Rounding off this "definitive" version of Yakuza 3 is the addition of new content called Dark Ties, which gives us a better perspective on how other families in the Tojo Clan operated and, of course, the construction of that "complex" antagonist, Yoshitaka Mine. In a story that runs parallel to that of Kiryu and his return to Kamurocho, Mine goes from being a well-to-do civilian to becoming involved and quickly rising through the ranks of Tokyo's criminal underworld. His mission chains are based on doing jobs for his partner, the vile Kanda, with whom he gradually takes control of the red-light district. Mine uses his own boxer-style combat system and Single-style meters, as well as his own skill tree. You'll also have access to the Hell's Arena, a fight club that repeats the formula with different sets of fights against both hordes of enemies and familiar faces from the series.

Dark Ties does not add new mechanics to the story, but it does add a few extra hours to the main story, continuing to satisfy your hunger to rediscover this stage of Kiryu Kazuma's life. It can be enjoyed separately from Yakuza Kiwami 3, although it contains spoilers about the ending, so it's best to enjoy it after finishing the game. Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties finally does justice to the third instalment of the franchise, with graphics to match, a revamped and expanded combat system (setting a new standard for future Kiwami remakes), and new content, proof that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is more than happy to revisit its work and improve it, and we, for now, are delighted with the result.