Yakuza Kiwami Reviews
In essence, Kiwami is a remake of the original Yakuza, released for PS2 in 2005. Rather than porting, Sega has pushed the story into the new engine, giving the feel of the newer games but retaining most of the narrative from the original. For those who have not played Yakuza before, this means you take on the role of Kazuma Kiryu, a member of the Tojo Clan who spends far less time being a yakuza than you would think in a game with the word in its title.
Kiwami doesn’t replace the original. The original Yakuza is an interesting retrospective, featuring a somewhat more down-to-Earth depiction of Kamurocho. However, Kiwami serves as a brilliant follow-up to Yakuza 0 in its own right. It was honestly really hard to put down in order to even write this review. Yakuza Kiwami is just an absolute blast.
Yakuza Kiwami was like a rollercoaster ride with the most satisfying combat, the mini games were fun and exploring Kamuroch was a blast. There’s never been a better time to try out the Yakuza series and Kiwami is definitely the best game to start with.
Twelve years after its original release on PS2, Yakuza Kiwami is still a great adventure set in modern Japan. Some mechanics such as invisible walls or certain fighting elements feel outdated, but the story, setting and minigames are awesome.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Even if it can't quite measure up to Yakuza 0's near-perfection, Yakuza Kiwami is still a thoroughly enjoyable experience for series veterans and newcomers alike.
Twelve years ago, in 2005 to be more exact, SEGA launched a game on the market based on the fearsome mafias that hit the Japanese slums, it was a game with an excellent story and an impeccable narrative that combined hand to hand combat, excellent graphics and endearing characters in a solid package that started a successful saga that remains in force until now.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Yakuza Kiwami is everything a proper remaster should be. Instead of just plainly expanding ratios, this 10th anniversary version of the adventures of Kazuma Kiryu is a success in every aspect, with a complete rework visual and audio, new activities and minigames, a modernized combat system and more than 30 minutes of new cinematic features, Yakuza Kiwami is what other publishers should follow when trying to revive their old icons.
Despite Yakuza Kiwami sharing a near perfect reflection of 80's Kamurocho from Yakuza 0, there's still an important story to tell. The city of Kamurocho welcomes all with a wide array of minigames, sidequests, and the most Majima cameos of any Yakuza title to date.
Long time franchise fans and newcomers will find plenty to like with Yakuza Kiwami, even if it falls slightly short of its later entries.
Yakuza Kiwami is a sprawling adventure, but – as enhanced as it is – it's clearly a foundational entry in the series
Some signs of aging are inevitable counting the 12 years from the original game, but nowadays few remakes are well done like Yakuza Kiwami.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The start was always the best, and this extreme edition is a reminder of how fantastic this series has always been.
This newcomer thinks that Yakuza Kiwami is a blast. I can't speak to how different it is from the first game, but the sheer amount of content and personality makes it worth checking out. Though the fights could get repetitive at times, the combat system kept things interesting on the whole.
As a remake, Kiwami is a triumphant success. Not only is it leaps and bounds more playable than the PS2 original, the additional scenes help flesh out character motivations. This all makes the story of Kiryu's rise feel more special, and it's a perfect continuation for those who recently played Yakuza 0. There are some disappointments, though, as just roaming around Kamurocho feels like a step backwards from previous games that featured multiple cities to explore, but that's just an unfortunate side-effect of being a remake of a much-less ambitious title. The new bells and whistles make Yakuza Kiwami a worthwhile time no matter if you've played the original or not.
Yakuza Kiwami is a blast! Play as the no-nonsense badass Kazuma Kiryu as you take back your city. Be the hero and you crush enemies or spend your time eating and visiting the racetrack, the options are all yours. The combat and story come together perfectly to make a game you will not want to put down. If you are looking for something completely over the top, then you will love Yakuza Kiwami.
Yakuza Kiwami shows how developers should remaster their games. It's better than the original in every aspect and that makes a must-have even if you're not a fan of the series.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Having a lovely time at the hostess club with Majima crossdressing, fishnets and all, before he started a fight.
With Yakuza Kiwami we can finally live the birth of Kiryu Kazuma even on PC
Review in Italian | Read full review
Yakuza returns to its roots with this pitch-perfect remake of the series’ debut title, brought kicking-and-punching into 2017 with a total facelift and a raft of new content
A concise and emotional story that cuts out the filler and perfectly mixes in varied and interesting combat. At its core, Yakuza Kiwami is still a PlayStation 2 game, but its short and sweet nature doesn't hold it back in the long run.