Yakuza Kiwami Review

For a long time I passed on the Yakuza games because they started out on the PS2, a system that mostly had its lifetime when I was PC gaming and not actively console gaming. By the time the third one came out on the PS3, I felt like I had already missed two and it wasnt worth going back and playing them, so that was my history with Yakuza games until a prequel, Yakuza 0 came out for the PS4 in 2015. After hearing rave reviews about it, I picked it up and was blown away. The story, the atmosphere of 80s Japan mixed in with the minigames and side stories, it was all brilliant. So when I heard that they were remaking the first game in the series on the PS4 engine, you can be damn sure I preordered it and got it on release day.

If you played 0 and havent picked up Kiwami yet, ill first just say, do it. Its cheap right now on Amazon (I believe around $20) and its worth every penny. The biggest thing that changes is you will only be playing one character as opposed to two this time but past characters make appearances or are staples in the game. If you played 0 it takes off pretty much directly after it ended so you should easily be able to get right into the game without any hesitation. There are some small tweaks to the UI but other than that, everything should feel familiar.

The story takes place for a brief moment in the 90s and most of the game is played in the early 2000s. Without spoiling much, Kiryu the main character, goes to jail for a crime he didnt commit and comes out about a decade later to find that the life he once knew and the friends he had have changed dramatically. There are many things that happen within the game but concerning the story all I can say is wow. I hardly ever feel really affected when it comes to games, but something about Kiwami hit me hard right in the chest. Ill even admit at the end I shed a tear or two.

The side missions compared to Yakuza 0 are also in my opinion much better and more heartfelt, and even better have some returning characters from 0. While I usually avoid many sidequests in games im not completely feeling, I actively sought them out in Kiwami. The benefits this time around for completing them arent too great but they definitely are more connected to the main story than the side quests in the 0. The main story is where the meat and potatoes is though and with gorgeous realistic cutscenes and heart pumping beat em up action, Kiwami stands out from other games.

Overall Yakuza Kiwami is a gorgeous game that you play for the story and the action and gameplay mechanics are an added bonus. You can spend endless hours doing all the minigames, sidequests, ect but it isnt necessary to reach the ending. If you havent played 0, I would suggest playing it first and then moving onto Kiwami because Kiwami II, the remake of the second game is coming out in August and from reviews of the Japanese version, is going to be a blast as well. Yakuza is honestly my favorite series of the last few years and I cant wait until Kiwami II comes out because I have all the PS3 versions just waiting for me to play them. The 6th game in the series just came out but I want to play them in order so ill have to wait a little while for that one.

-Calaber24p