YAKUZA KIWAMI REVIEW

 

(The Turning Point of the Dragon)

INTRODUCTION

After the release of Yakuza 0, the game became a huge hit. Praised by both fans and critics alike for its gameplay and story, everyone was anticipating the next release in this long running franchise. And a year later, they got the answer. In 2016, Yakuza Kiwami was released on both the Xbox and Playstation consoles, and in 2019, a pc port was released. Utilizing the same game engine that was used for Yakuza 0, the differences are slight on the surface, but very noticeable during gameplay. And because of this, there was a slight split between the fanbase. Some very happy with the release of the game, some annoyed because it used the same engine and that important issues with 0's gameplay and story handling wasn't changed at all. Especially since Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the original Yakuza 1, which was released back in 2005. The original plan for the Ryu ga Gotoku Studio was to release the game in 2015, to commemorate 10 years of the franchise, but the project was pushed for the next year, seeing how 0 was in development. And after its release and praise, the studio went on to make Kiwami the following year. And did they deliver? 

 

PLOT

1995 - Kazuma Kiryu, the legendary Dragon of Dojima, is arrested for the murder of the family's patriarch, Sohei Dojima. In an attempt to protect his sworn brother and childhood friend, he did the unthinkable. Killing another person, something he has never done before and had no intentions to do at all. The question is now set: Was it all worth it? Or is he even guilty of committing the murder at all?

1995.10.1 - The day Kazuma Kiryu's life turned upside down

2005- 10 years since the incident have passed and life has changed. neither for the better nor for the worse. Kiryu Kazuma, now a free man, returns to Kamurocho only to find that the district that he once knew has changed. This is no longer the 80s or the 90s. It's the 2000s. Mid 2000s as well. Oh, and speaking of Kiryu, despite now being in his 30s, dude looks like he's in his mid 20s. Does he even get old? On top of this issue, 10 billion yen have gone missing, the Tojo Clan is on the verge of a war, and your sworn brother has turned a new leaf and is on the rise of causing chaos. BUT, worry not. We still have time for karaoke. And to deliver a final blow to this fate changing story of the Dragon of Dojima, a little girl is also involved with the "10 billion yen" incident: Haruka Sawamura. The two of them are now headed towards a path that will be full of hardships, loss and sadness; but for the price of embracing fate itself and becoming a part of something bigger than the life of the yakuza. The year is 2005. Shit has hit the fan. Will you be able to take it to the extreme and put an end to this massive problem once and for all?

2005.12.5 - Kiryu has never killed a man. HONESTLY!!!

GAMEPLAY

Just like Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami retains its former's gameplay elements in nearly every aspect. From the player movement, to the fighting, to the everything, it's identical to 0. The previously mentioned fighting styles also return, with a slight change: You no longer have to pause and go to the menu to switch to the legendary style. It is now placed alongside the other styles, and can be selected using the D=Pad. Good thing about this change is that equipped weapons can be selected by just pressing the same button for the current chosen style. Another slight change is that the fighting styles no longer have their individual themes that were found in 0. That doesn't mean they still don't beat you to death however. Disco, unfortunately, is absent. No longer will you be busting some moves and killing the dance floor like how you did back in 1988. The only new addition to Kiwami is a new special Heat move called... Climax Heat. The Climax Heat move (that in the end ends with the kanji 極 (Kiwami)、Extreme) is a special move that can be used on bosses only. During a boss fight, the boss will stop for a brief moment and start generating health. During this period, he can be attacked, but his health will rise regardless. To prevent this from happening, an aura will emit from the boss' body. The aura can be divided in 4 colors: Blue, Yellow, Purple and Red. This is a hint as to how to stop the regenerating moment, by selecting said fighting style, get close to the boss, press the heat button, and watch the boss getting bodied by Kiryu. With that being said, most boss battles will require the player to use the basic 3 fighting stances, and the 4th one reserved for the toughest of toughest and... Majima.

All Heat actions + all 4 Heat Climax actions

MAJIMA EVERYWHERE

Kiryu-chan!!! 😍

Yup, the new gameplay element introduced in this game is the "Majima Everywhere" system (どこでも真島, "doko demo Majima"). This part of the game is centered around Kiryu's fourth fighting style, the Dragon of Dojima. Reason being is that during his 10 years in prison, Kiryu has lost his ability to use that style. Completely has no idea how to use it, but he can use his previous ones with no issues. No idea why, but just roll with it. And since the Dragon of Dojima style is what made Kiryu a legend, Majima is determined to help our hero from start to finish. To regain his once lost skill and surpass it in the end. And the plan to do that is quite simple: STALK... KIRYU-CHAN... ALL THE TIME!!! From huge traffic cones, to trash cans, to being a cop, to being a zombie, to becoming a hostess... To literally no ends, this guy will follow you around Kamurocho and will demand you to fight him. And while you can run away from it, you can't escape it. He will find you, he will rush you down, and he will scream: KIRYU-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!! 💗😍💘 Oh, and the part about the red aura, yeah. Near the end, you'll be switching to the Dragon of Dojima style all the time to end this Mad Dog's career, only then to reappear again after the fight just ended and challenge you again. Luckily, his own Mad Dog of Shimano style is not always used. His previous styles: Thug, Slugger and Break are also utilized by this crazed handsome bastard. But that won't matter in the end, because all you'll remember from this is Kiryu-chan!
                                

                                                       

HE

IS

LITERALLY

EVERYWHERE!!! (Also Goromi best girl)

CONCLUSION

Like the previous game, Yakuza Kiwami doesn't offer much in terms of changes. Mainly due to how the gameplay formula from 0 is perfect that it just needed 1 single new feature to make things somewhat easier when dealing with huge threats. Soundtrack is memorable and funky, the story is dark and quite the opposite of 0. The grinding system, while tedious, is fun and rewarding. The game overall is very good, but it can get tiresome after the halfway point. But, fear not, for that Majima CAN and WILL appear from a random corner to surprise you with a fight and brighten up the mood.

VARIOUS SCREENSHOTS AND VIDEOS

All videos belong to the people that made them. The game and all rights reserved belong to SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.

TRIVIA

- The game is the first in the series to feature only one location, Kamurocho. As it was the first game in the series, the remake stays true to its origin

- The voice actor for Akira Nishikiyama, Kazuhiro Nakaya, stated that he had depression and anxiety attacks after the recording for the game was finished, stating that the script was the most tragic thing he had to act to date. He considered retiring from voice acting completely due to this.

- A couple of past events from Yakuza 0 are mentioned in frequent sub-stories and main plot moments

- When facing Majima, for some reason, his styles are named like Kiryu's, instead of his own ones.

- Lore wise, this is the game where the most broken move in the franchise is learned: The Komaki Tiger Drop.

- Snow and rain are introduced for the first and last time on this game's engine.

- To this date, Yakuza Kiwami has one of the hardest boss fights. That being the second to last boss fight against Kyohei Jingu.

関西の龍、だった。。。*

*Side note: Due to me still playing the game by the time of writing this, the review for said game will appear another time. Until then, take care and check your house before going to sleep. Majima may be lurking and wanting to fight you.

またあとで基龍ちゃん！😊