Over a year ago, RGG Studio finally decided to publish its titles on Nintendo platforms, and it seems the move has paid off quite well. 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 in late 2024, leading six months later to the launch of a revamped Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut as a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Last November, they beefed up their pre-Christmas catalog for consoles (and updated other platforms) with more refined and modern versions of Yakuza Kiwami 1 and Yakuza Kiwami 2, ports I also had the honor to review and relive in an analysis.
But unlike all the titles I’ve played over the past 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 is a complete remake, which also includes a separate parallel adventure called Dark Ties, with an unprecedented appearance of the leading characters from this version. And I can already say that “Kiwami” (which translates from Japanese as “promoted”) really stands out as the definitive version of this chapter in Kiryu Kazuma’s life.
And how is it different in terms of gameplay from the titles similar to Kiwami I & II mentioned above? Well, by becoming more and better in its main aspects. Yakuza Kiwami 3 picks up the story of Kazuma Kiryu, who, after almost certainly ending his life as a yakuza in the Tojo Clan in the previous installment, prepares to leave with his adopted “daughter” Haruka to 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 the dream of a peaceful life as civilians, as well as the still weak Tojo Clan and its new leader, Daigo Dojima, who has been attacked. With many questions about who to trust, Kiryu must once again put his plans on hold to fight all kinds of criminals from the Japanese underworld to uncover the truth. And now he has more choices than ever.
This is an ad:
This is because Yakuza Kiwami 3 has completely revamped its combat system, matching and surpassing recent installments. Kiryu now possesses the Ryukyu fighting style, learned during his stay in Okinawa, which allows him to chain together countless attacks and combos with a wide variety of weapons. He also has new skills that can be gained with power-ups, either by paying for training or completing missions. And, of course, Dojima Dragon Style, or Kiwami Style, is a must, now allowing you to chain together more attacks and combos than ever before. The gangster kid probably didn’t hit the ground until he was knocked out.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 (and the series in general) draws not only on the drama of the story, but also on the comedy of the 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 karaoke (and these mini-games are still as difficult as ever!), as well as a new selection of arcade games for the SEGA arcades spread across gaming city, where we can play titles like 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 complicated, we also have the option of maximizing Kiryu’s rank as “father” of an orphanage in Okinawa, helping all the orphans with their problems and raising funds to support them. Mini-games like fishing, sewing or doing housework are a welcome relief when you know you have to return to the streets of Kamurocho to restore order. However, my favorite side quest is helping the gang bosozoku the women, with their over-the-top motorcycle outfits and decorations, that I love. You can customize your bike, choose members, and take part in races (and subsequent battles), which also adds variety to the action.
This is an ad:
Yakuza 3 (and its Remastered version) has always been considered a step below most installments in terms of technical completion, but that is almost completely compensated for here. Yakuza Kiwami 3 follows in the footsteps of the two most recent modern versions and the Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut to finally offer the fluidity and performance players deserve. I don’t know about the final results of other versions, but in the review version we used (Nintendo Switch 2), the results were perfect in the base game. Surprisingly, there are freeze frames (up to almost three seconds) in the transition between gameplay and cutscenes, both in Handheld mode and in Docked mode. The game doesn’t freeze or crash, it just seems to have trouble loading the next block of memory. However, it’s a pretty annoying bug to note here.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties also renews RGG Studio’s commitment to its fans around the world, especially in Europe, where it now has localizations in Spanish, French, German and Italian, but also in Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Korean, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. The dubbing has also been modernized, new lines have been added, and there are also new dubs in English, Japanese, and Chinese. A mammoth effort with new languages, especially in a series of games where there’s 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 required a post-launch patch.
Complementing this “definitive” version of Yakuza 3 is the addition of new content called Dark Tieswhich gives us a better perspective on how the other families in the Tojo Clan operate and, of course, the development of that “complex” antagonist, Tambang Yoshitaka. In a story that runs parallel to Kiryu and his return to Kamurocho, Mine goes from a wealthy civilian to involved and quickly rising through the ranks of Tokyo’s criminal underworld. His chain of missions is based on doing jobs for his partner, the vile Kanda, with whom he gradually takes control of the red light district. Mine uses a boxer style combat system and its own Single style meter, as well as its own skill tree. You’ll also have access to Hell’s Arena, a fight club that repeats the formula with multiple fight sequences against hordes of enemies and familiar faces from the series.
Dark Ties doesn’t add any 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 completing the game. Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties finally does justice to the third installment of the franchise, with graphics to match, a revamped and expanded battle system (setting a new standard for future Kiwami remakes), and new content, proof that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is happy to revisit its work and improve upon it, and we are, for now, happy with the results.
date:2026-02-09 15:12:00