Being a Yakuza fan is a commitment. It’s like signing up for a service where you are given emotional trauma and a minigame about managing a cabaret club as part of the subscription. We show up, we cry over shirtless men punching each other, and we hold out our hands asking for more. But with Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has found itself in an odd space, sitting between the Kiwami improvements we have come to expect and puzzling decisions that detract from the experience. It’s a weird package. On one side, you have Kiwami 3, a from-the-ground-up remake of the 2009 classic that fans have been anticipating. On the other, you have Dark Ties, a brand-new, standalone chunk of story starring the villainous Yoshitaka Mine. It sounds like a dream scenario. And it could have been just that.
Let’s start with the main draw: Kiwami 3. If you played the original, you know Yakuza 3 was always the dad simulator of the series. That hasn’t changed. You still spend a solid chunk of the game as Kazuma Kiryu in Okinawa, running the Morning Glory orphanage. The remake lets the Dragon Engine flex its muscles in these familiar spaces. The ocean looks sublime, the tropical shirts look like closer to actual fabric, and even the food is brought to life well enough to make your mouth water. Watching Kiryu meticulously prep a meal for the kids in the new cooking minigame is oddly hypnotic.
In Kiwami 3, the combat is miles better (more on that in a moment), but you are also going to spend hours solving playground disputes and finding lost dogs. It’s charming, yes, but it’s also notably scaled back. The abundant substories have long stood as part of Yakuza‘s identity. That’s not to say every substory is a narrative masterpiece; there can be a fair bit of filler. That’s why the massive decrease from Yakuza 3‘s 119 substories to Kiwami 3‘s 31 substories brings much internal conflict. Purists will absolutely despise this amount of cut content, especially since there are some gems that fell victim to the chopping block. Others may find this streamlined list of substories to be more easily tackled, even if the cherry-picked remainder aren’t all winners.
Half Dad, Half Ninja
The combat is a massive win. Gone is the “Blockuza” nightmare of the PS3 era where enemies guarded everything. Kiryu now feels even more fluid and dangerous, unimpeded by momentum-halting defensive strategies. They’ve also added a new Ryukyu Style inspired by the Okinawa setting, allowing for eight different weapons to be weaved into combos. You can slot a staff, tonfa, said and more and go to town with a completely different moveset. It’s gloriously chaotic, and it feels distinct from his classic Dragon style. Smashing goons as half dad, half ninja is as absurd (and awesome) as it sounds.
Then there is Dark Ties. You go from the sunny, heartwarming vibes of the orphanage to the cold, corporate cynicism of Mine’s Tokyo. This is the wild card everyone was waiting to see how it stacks up. Playing as Mine is a trip. Compared to Kiryu, Mine’s combat is even faster, bringing new levels of precision to the brutality. He doesn’t just brawl; he dissects people. Using his Dark Awakening mechanic, he becomes enveloped in an edgy red aura and his attacks get faster and regenerate health. It is pure dopamine, which is exactly what you want from every bareknuckle brawl in a Yakuza game.
The story in Dark Ties acts as a prequel/interquel, showing Mine’s rise to power and his relationship with Kanda. This leads to a strong addition: Kanda Damage Control. Basically, Kanda needs help boosting his reputation, and you, as Mine, have to spin the PR. You’re running around town, tearing down embarrassing posters and bribing journalists, all while Kanda is in the background screaming about massages. It’s hilarious, and 100% the kind of tone you’d expect from a series that balances bloody betrayals and diaper-wearing crime bosses. It’s that specific brand of RGG humor that continues to define every installment.
A Lesser Kiwami Remake
The Hell’s Arena in Dark Ties—a dungeon-crawling combat mode—is an entertaining, albeit thin, mode awaiting Mine. In Survival Hell, you fight through waves of enemies in these gloomy, underground corridors to earn cash, and at times it feels like padding. But it’s hard not to smile as you’re busting heads using all the new, flashy moves Mine bears. That’s primarily why the allure doesn’t wear thin as quickly as I expected. Even if it’s not the standout addition to the remake, it adds time to this side of the Kiwami 3 package.
And of course we have to address the elephant in the room: the story changes. Without spoiling the ending, RGG Studio made some choices here. They retconned a few key events to make Dark Ties fit, and it’s going to divide the fanbase. Some people will love that Mine gets more depth; others are going to scream that it cheapens the original tragedy. I have a feeling more people will lean toward the latter given how the developer chose to handle the narrative shakeup. Further problematic choices, primarily the use of Teruyuki Kagawa as a voice actor, may not sit well with players. The many sexual misconduct allegations surrounding this actor are upsetting, and his appearance in-game is likely to be distressing and/or off-putting for some players for these reasons.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Review Verdict
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties: If you are a die-hard fan, Kiwami 3 is almost an easy recommendation, but it comes bundled with some caveats. Seeing Mine get his time in the spotlight is nearly worth the price of admission alone, and the visual glow-up for Okinawa is stunning. Dark Ties offers enough new mechanics to justify its existence, and the combat in Kiwami 3 continues the trend of iterative and fun improvements. Questionable castings and cut content make it a weaker remake than the first two, but there is still that one-of-a-kind Yakuza charm embedded within. – Joshua
[Editor’s Note: Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties was reviewed on PS5, and a copy was provided to us for review purposes.]
