Yakuza Kiwami Reviews
As a relatively new fan to the franchise, Yakuza Kiwami offers another fantastic journey in the life of Kazuma Kiryu. From the serious to the outright wacky and perverted, I loved every second and thoroughly look forward to the next chapter in the experience.
An absurdly good game. The story, the world, the characters, and the distractions all add up to one thing: immersion. This is the type of game to invest tons of time in, and for those new to the franchise, it's all the better because there are so many other Yakuza titles waiting to be played! For returning fans, Yakuza: Kiwami gives the inaugural game new life. It's been long enough removed from the original release to feel special again, and, even better, it is released at a budget price. In fact, it's a shame that only the first title has received this remaster, but with some "big announcements" coming this month, hopefully, the others in the series will see similar rereleases on PlayStation 4. Until then, dig out those PlayStation 2s and 3s and get cracking on the rest of Kiryu's story. There may just be time to catch up before Yakuza 6 - billed the finale of Kiryu's story - arrives next March in the West.
SEGA's ... given us all something completely modern and "new" to play, and the entire Yakuza series continues to go from strength to strength.
The way Kiwami weaves itself into a symbiotic relationship with 0 enhances the pair as a sequential experience.
The story is addictive and keeps you at the edge of the seat. The general exploration and content is a step back from Yakuza 0 but the game is still a blast to play if you interested in more Yakuza games.
Yakuza Kiwami is a fantastic remake of the original PS2 game. It improves & expands Yakuza 1 to create an experience that is new & fresh for new audiences, while being familiar & nostalgic for the old fans at the same time. Being a faithful remake, Kiwami is not as good as the newer Yakuza titles and seems a bit outdated in some spots; but just like all the games in the franchise, is a blast from start to finish.
Review in Persian | Read full review
despite its drastic aging, Yakuza Kiwami is a welcoming game to both new comers and old fans. the game has been beautifully remastered and many of its elements have severely changed to be appealing to new comers.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Yakuza Kiwami may not have gameplay as varied as Yakuza 0 but the gripping story, solid combat, and rewarding progression make it a must-play experience for both new and long-time fans looking to either discover or revisit Kiryu's debut adventure.
Yakuza Kiwami is a highly recommended game for its narrative, originality, and minigames, but the Nintendo Switch port is the least ideal way to experience it. While playable, performance issues, unstable frame rates, and battery concerns make it better suited for larger screens with better image quality and smoother gameplay.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Don’t get me wrong; at the end of the day, this is still Yakuza Kiwami, and that means you can have a lot of fun with. I loved revisiting it, for instance. The great writing, characters, music, everything is here. But the Switch just isn’t the best place to enjoy this kind of game. From the unstable framerate to the short battery life, this immersive narrative brawler needs to be enjoyed on a big screen, with great visuals and framerate. Which you can do, if you play it on a PS4, PS5, or Xbox.
As a Switch title, Yakuza Kiwami is perfect and feels right at home on this hardware.
Yakuza Kiwami comes to Nintendo Switch with good, solid port that faithfully brings the lights and sounds of Kamurocho onto a handheld. Despite some flaws in performance, Yakuza Kiwami on Switch retains its smooth and fun combat system, rich and compelling story, and all the content of existing console and PC versions.
The Switch version of Yakuza Kiwami might not be the absolutely ideal way to play the first game in the Like a Dragon series, but it runs quite well on the system and remains an absolute delight.
I’ve ended a lot of reviews of Switch ports over the years saying some variation of this may not be the best version of the game, but it’s worth your time if the Switch is your preferred platform. That’s not the case for Yakuza Kiwami. This version simply isn’t worth your time and it doesn’t matter whether you have another way to play the game or not. It isn’t just inferior; it feels terrible to play. Hopefully, the team behind this port will keep working on improving performance because there’s still a solid title underneath this version’s issues. Still, there are too many great experiences on the platform to spend your time on a game that feels like this.
Yakuza Kiwami continues to be a great game. I had as much fun as I did the first time I played it, and I really think it's a good choice for both those who have never played it and those who want a good distraction to pass the time.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Yakuza Kiwami has really brought me back into loving the Yakuza series again by remaking the very game that made me drop it. Now that is exactly what a remake should do. Now I’m really looking forward to the sixth game and the remake of the second. In the meantime, I shall catch up on all that I have missed.
Yakuza Kiwami does a remarkable job of bringing a PS2 era cult classic to modern audiences in a fresh way, even if some poorly aged parts drag it down a little.
Now while I wouldn’t say that Yakuza Kiwami is a perfect experience, it’s damned fun and I can see where other brawlers got their inspiration over the years. With a solid story, great mechanics and characters that you actually care about, I regret having taken this long to get into the craziness of Kamurocho with Kazuma Kiryu.
Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the original Yakuza, which not only updates it in its technical section, but also knows how to implement all the improvements and possibilities of the most current Yakuzas. Without being perfect or as complete as the last installments, it is still the perfect entry point to the franchise, especially if we have never played any, or made it to its first installment so many years ago.
Review in Spanish | Read full review