Yakuza Kiwami 3 + Dark Ties Hands-On — The Dragon Engine Can Still Provide Beautiful Remakes

I still can’t believe this is really happening. Longtime Yakuza fans can finally delete all their sad tweet drafts after the recent Ryu Ga Gotoku Summit, because Yakuza Kiwami 3 is real and, from what we’ve seen, it offers way more than anyone expected.

I played the original Yakuza 3 after Kiwami 1 and 2 because I wanted to experience the series in chronological order, but going back to a time when the series was less technically capable right after the two gorgeous Dragon Engine remakes ended up being a challenge. Yakuza 3 was released back in 2009, and the gameplay now feels considerably broken and outdated from a modern standpoint. The difficulty scaling in boss fights felt unfair and most of the time, I ended up intensely button mashing through battles, hoping to finally break blocks before getting annihilated with just a few hits. Outside of fighting the game felt slow and clunky. I wanted to enjoy Kiryu’s downtime in Okinawa, but the dragged-out interactions almost ruined the experience for me, not to mention those early ’00s face models when the gaming industry couldn’t quite figure out what a child looks like.

However, the game managed to save itself for me by having one of the most heartfelt stories in Kiryu’s saga, with memorable characters that fans still gush about today. My experience may have been frustrating at times, but those rare, peaceful moments Kiryu spent with the orphans and his relationships with other Yakuza 3-exclusive characters are still some of my biggest highlights in the whole series.

Since my playthrough, I desperately wanted Yakuza 3 to be remade because I knew if the studio could just update the graphics and gameplay, it would easily end up one of my favorite titles. When I finally got to sit down and demo this remake, I’m not gonna lie, I teared up. Not only does Yakuza Kiwami 3 finally get the Dragon Engine treatment it deserves, but the added content proves once again that RGG puts a lot of love into its remakes.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 Hands-on

Admittedly, our demo was short lived, but it gave me a glimpse of what changes to expect in Kiwami 3. We started with one of the opening moments of the game: Kiryu has removed himself from the Yakuza entirely and is now living in Okinawa with Haruka, taking care of orphans at Morning Glory, the orphanage where Kiryu grew up. However, constant eviction notices from the Ryudo family push Kiryu to the Ryudo Family office in the city, where he encounters Rikiya and Mikio, who’ve been spying on the orphanage. This takes us straight to the battle tutorial.

Since this is a remake, the game takes us back to its beat-’em-up roots with Kiryu’s signature Dragon of Dojima fighting style but also features a new Ryukyu Style inspired by Okinawan martial arts. In the new fighting style, Kiryu is equipped with eight different weapons, each of which has a charged attack. The combat is largely similar to the previous Kiwami games, but it was fun testing out new weapons and combos with the Ryukyu style. Of course, nothing beats my favorite classic Kiryu power move: beating up every single enemy with a bicycle.

After the battle sequence, we were free to roam the city for a few minutes, and it was nice to indulge in some nostalgia while walking the streets of an Okinawa that has been updated in the new engine. There wasn’t much to explore in the demo except basic activities like karaoke and eating at different restaurants. I did, however, spend most of my time with the new cell phone customization. I love that Kiwami 3 kept Kiryu’s “Razor” phone, and this time, you can add charms, jewels, and customize the background. I made his phone pink with jewels and a heart charm, which will add a nice touch when getting all those hilarious Revelations again.

One change in the remake I’m still on the fence about is Rikiya’s new face. In the original Yakuza 3, Rikiya had more of a youthful, somewhat innocent visage that complemented his naive personality and Okinawan roots. His soft and more casual appearance compared to typical Yakuza characters was more fitting as an islander, but it’s now been replaced with his new voice actor Sho Kasamatsu’s face. It’ll be odd to get used to his new look now that he resembles a rugged, attractive Japanese actor, but hopefully the playful (and painful) interactions between him and his “aniki” Kiryu will deliver the same emotions. I’m really looking forward to how they play out a certain hotel scene. After getting a glimpse of the remake, it was time to check out the biggest surprise from the studio: Yoshitaka Mine getting his own game called Dark Ties.

Dark Ties Hands-on

Finally, a Yakuza game where you play as an actual yakuza! On top of a full remake, Kiwami 3 also features an entirely separate game that focuses on the main antagonist, Yoshitaka Mine, and the events that lead up to Kiwami 3’s plot. Comparable to the Majima Saga in Yakuza Kiwami 2, this is a separate story that is accessible in the main menu but it’s an actual full-length game. I don’t think anyone expected RGG to give a one-off villain from 15+ years ago his own entire playable story, but the studio continues to impress me with how consistently they are at putting out meaningful content and give lots of exposition and love to its fanbase’s favorite characters.

In Dark Ties, Mine is a businessman who wants to grow connections in the Yakuza world. We got to watch one of the opening cutscenes, where Mine is having an existential crisis about where his life is headed after leaving his current business. After witnessing the loyalty of Tojo Clan members to their chairman and our boy Daigo Dojima, Mine decides he will do anything to connect with him. He then receives a tip from a private investigator about a yakuza recently released from prison who has connections: the arrogant, perverted antagonist from Yakuza 3, Tsuyoshi Kanda. The first thing I thought during the opening cutscene was, “Wow, Mine is so beautiful in this game.” His face design is slightly different from Yakuza Isshin’s, but Mine fans will definitely be spamming the timelines with fan edits, myself most likely included.

Shortly after the cutscene, we tested out Mine’s fighting style in the battle tutorial. Mine’s style is a unique blend of aerial and “shoot boxing” moves that can trigger his Dark Awakening. This mode is triggered by building up the shackled hearts below his health bar through combos and, when activated, makes Mine more powerful. I couldn’t help but laugh at the silliness of calling his specialty “Dark Awakening.” Mine is jokingly known for being a bit emo, so it only makes sense his moveset would have an edge to it.

After the battle tutorial, we were free to explore Kamurocho. Like all Yakuza protagonists, Mine also gets to participate in minigames such as golf, baseball, and gambling. I was so happy to hear Shido Nakamura’s voice as Mine again, so obviously the first thing I did during the free-roam session was head straight to karaoke. I can’t tell if RGG making all the protagonists VAs sing karaoke is a perk or a punishment for them, but damn did Mine sound beautiful singing Bakamitai, even if it was to a photo of Kanda. Sorry to disappoint the MineDai fans with this one.

We were left on a cliffhanger after Mine finally met with Kanda, but I cannot wait to see what additional content we will be getting in his story and how it leads up to Kiwami 3. Considering we are getting the full backstory of Mine’s relationships with both Kanda and Daigo, it will be wild when we finally get to witness their conclusions in Kiwami 3. More importantly though, I am really looking forward to the Mine and Daigo shippers’ reactions and memes when the games are finally out.Out of every title RGG has released in the last couple years, this is the one I’m most excited about.

Spending time with Kiryu in the orphanage and witnessing him in a more peaceful setting in that beautiful Dragon Engine is something I greatly look forward to, on top of all the silly side content and moments with my favorite Yakuza 3 characters. Normally, I don’t care for video game remakes–it’s very rare they offer anything different for me aside from updated graphics, but RGG continues to pump out beautiful, re-crafted titles with new content. We are getting closer to having remakes of the studio’s full library, and while there are minor, sometimes-questionable changes, these Kiwami titles prove RGG cares about its fanbase and wants newcomers to have the best experience with Kiryu’s full story.