Yakuza Kiwami 3 - and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios in general - may be coming under fire with the Like a Dragon fanbase of late, what with the refusal to remove a controversial VA, the mixed reception to the upcoming remake's character faces, and the bizarre delisting of the original Yakuza 0. But that doesn't mean there aren't some more positive things for fans to look forward to. Like, I don't know, the revelation that Kiwami 3's new spin-off side story will tease the overarching franchise's future direction.
Dark Ties follows Yakuza 3 antagonist Yoshitaka Mine as he, as RGG says it, "[spearheads] a major PR campaign" for the ethically unhinged Tsuyoshi Kanda. Which is cool and all, but let's not bury the lead. Dark Ties is much more than that in the grand scheme of the sprawling series' next steps.
An evolving statement.
In an interview with Japanese publication GameWatch (credit for the catch goes to the always-excellent Automaton), Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio legend Yokoyama Masayoshi credits Yakuza Kiwami 3 in general with being vital to Like a Dragon's ongoing endeavours. But Dark Ties is particularly prescient, labeling the side adventure's events as "extremely shocking." He even...
