Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Reviews
There is a lot of fun to be had with Yakuza Kiwami 3. But the cracks are really starting to show with this series, and it feels stale in a lot of areas. On its own, Kiwami 3 is lot less fun than other entries in this series, despite some good new management games here. As a remake, however, it certainly isn't good enough to justify the original being delisted and for this to now be the definitive version of Yakuza 3.
This pack not only honors 20 years of history, but also demonstrates that the saga continues to look back without being stuck in the past. Two games, two protagonists, and one shared conclusion: the bonds we forge define who we are, even when all seems lost.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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Review in Italian | Read full review
Does Yakuza 3 need a remake? It's already been remastered, and, I'd argue that the game holds up rather well, having originally released fo...
While I wish I could recommend Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, there's too many odd choices and caveats here to list. While it's always been a black sheep, the identity that feeds its reputation feels lost in this remaking, and it's new content additions feel out of place and in some cases, undermine what came before it.
The remake treatment of one of Yakuza’s more underrated entries gets marks for its story, world and fan service to the great Kazuma Kiryu, but all of that praise and credit only comes from the original Yakuza 3. What’s within Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a regression in the timeline, as it resets and retcons crucial parts of the world and greater with its new story. Additionally, unoriginal and reskinned minigames that become a bore, along with the messy politics of disastrous recastings, simply make this an inferior version. The dark horse of the series didn’t get its time in the sun here, and that’s a damn shame.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is the biggest misfire in RGG Studio history, filled with baffling and offensive decisions that genuinely makes me worried about the future direction of the franchise.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a delight of a remake, retaining the core story that you and I love alongside a new combat system that makes battles more fluid and frenetic than ever before. Dark Ties is an excellent side story, albeit one far darker in contrast to Yakuza's tried-and-true storytelling thematics.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a great way to experience one of the more fun stories in the series thanks to the new and improved gameplay.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is the third instalment in the Kiwami series, roughly translating to ultimate, peak or extreme
While the main story does feel a bit shorter compared to the other Kiwami games, the sheer volume of “stuff to do” in the world more than balances that out. By the time you’ve cleared the main story, bested the Coliseum, completed every bizarre sub-story, completed the photo rally, fought every beatdown target, unlocked every costume item AND forged a deep, emotional connection with every child in your care? You’ll wonder why Kiryu ever left the life behind.
A superb remake that ups the stakes of the original with clever gameplay tweaks.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties may still be bound by some unavoidable legacy frameworks, but its renewed focus on classic yakuza storytelling-devoting more time to character development and the emotional weight of major story beats-recaptures the feeling of first getting into the Yakuza series.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Yakuza 3 + Dark Ties is much more than a mere commercial venture, as it might seem to the less attentive: it is a bold remake that refreshes a solid but flawed title and resolves nearly all of its issues. While some longtime fans might grumble over the recasting of a couple of characters and a few cuts here and there in the interactions, the vast majority of players will inevitably appreciate the changes in pacing.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a successful retelling of one of the series' less-understood titles, massaging it into something that's a touch homogenous but ultimately more agreeable. But some off-putting choices and a fumbled focus on Mine in both the main game and Dark Ties stop it from sticking the landing.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a solid entry with an interesting expansion. It patches some flaws from the past, but adds some new like different casting choices, animations, slighty different structure and side activities. But it also adds new additions and deepens relations within the series.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Fun revamped take on Yakuza 3 along with an extra side story to take on
Long-time fans of the series will be disappointed by the story changes, but for new players it's just another good Yakuza game.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Yakuza Kiwami 3 takes two steps back for every step forward, and it's unclear who it was made for or what purpose. Making some questionable, pointless changes, removing a lot of content, and rewriting some important narrative parts has resulted in a game that not only doesn't carry the identity of the original version, but also violates its own sequel, and therefore will likely discourage many long-time fans.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Yakuza 3’s most ardent fans will find much to be disappointed about with this highly anticipated remake of a game that deserved better. It is difficult to ignore the wealth of cut content, and the Dark Ties side story fails to make up for it. Yakuza Kiwami 3 is still Yakuza, though, and for anyone that hasn’t played the game since the PS3 days – or at all – it will more than satisfy. There are few series that so successfully manage to mesh the serious with the outrageous, but Yakuza pulls it off every time. While much has been lost, plenty has been improved, making for a far smoother version of Yakuza 3 with incredibly fun combat. If Switch 2 is your only means of experiencing the game, don’t pass it up.