Yakuza Kiwami is one of the best games in the YAKUZA series, now with its arrival on Nintendo’s great hybrid, the Nintendo Switch no doubt many will decide to put their credit card in the Eshop for this amazing game.
YAKUZA KIWAMI on Nintendo Switch is fascinating
Yakuza Kiwami’s story focuses on brotherhood and betrayal. After Yakuza 0, everything goes well for Kiryu. Things are going well with the woman he loves, numerous members of the Kazama family look up to him, and he will become the patriarch of his own family. When Nishikiyama, Kiryu’s brother in all but blood, kills the head of his Yakuza sect, Kiryu takes the blame to protect Nishiki and his ailing sister.
After a ten-year stint in prison, Kiryu returns to a changed world. Nishiki, after a series of depressing events, is a darker and crueler man, the chairman of the Tojo Yakuza clan is dead and it seems the world wants Kiryu dead. After taking in a lost orphan girl, Kiryu sets out to find answers. It’s a thrilling story from start to finish that drags your emotions through the mud more than once. Characters die, friendships are forged and destroyed and tears are shed. It’s rare that I get really emotionally invested in stories, but Yakuza Kiwami managed to grab me and never let go.
The main character change Yakuza Kiwami makes from Yakuza 0 is to simplify the story by making Kiryu the only playable character. However, Majima’s absence as a playable character is not a problem, as the focus of the plot on Kiryu would make such an addition jarring. Majima works even better in a supporting role, serving as a playful antagonist to the stern but caring Kazuma Kiryu.
Jumping between being a goofy nuisance and a real obstacle, Majima’s quirky behaviour keeps the story from becoming too melancholy, but in a way that doesn’t betray the tone of the overall story. The addition of ‘Majima Everywhere’, a feature where Majima can appear anywhere on the map to fight you, is both hilarious and useful, as it provides some solid experience points and is a lot of silly fun.
Speaking of which, Kiryu’s characterisation in Kiwami draws heavily on his Yakuza 0 personality, showing how Kiryu grows through the more tragic events of Kiwami. Kiryu’s struggles carry real weight to them, as he is forced to come to terms with how his brother has changed over the last decade, and how that is just one of his many pressing problems. Kiryu’s growth as a character and as a person is a highlight of the game, and cements him as one of my favourite video game protagonists of recent years.
Yakuza Kiwami’s gameplay is similar to other Yakuza games, split mainly between playing mini-games as you traverse Japan and fighting thugs and other enemies. Most of these street battles are optional and easily avoided. Combat is the real focus of the game, with Kiwami having an almost identical system to Yakuza 0. While it could be seen as derivative that these systems feel so similar, it’s not a problem when the core combat is so solid that few changes are required.
Kiryu has four different fighting styles at his disposal, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Rush style, for example, is fast and difficult to dodge, but its damage output and inability to grapple make it less practical than the slightly slower but stronger Brawler style. Each style works best in certain conditions and can be switched mid-battle with the press of a button, successfully encouraging players to switch between them to experiment with different enemies. It’s a deep enough system to enjoy for hours, without getting bogged down in extraneous mechanics.
Mini-games are an essential part of any Yakuza title, and for the most part they are as fun as ever. There are several card and mahjong games, but personally I’m more of a ‘karaoke and arcade’ kind of guy. The karaoke is glorious as expected, but unfortunately, the arcade only has the claw machine UFO Catcher, which is as fun and addictive as ever, and a new beetle fighting game that is more or less a slightly altered version of Yakuza 0’s catfighting mini-game.
While the included games are a lot of fun and a good way to gain more experience, side missions are always a highlight of the series, so I’m happy to report that a large number of them are scattered throughout the Yakuza world. This new Nintendo Switch release is definitely one of SEGA’s best and let’s hope to see more on Nintendo’s hybrid.