Yakuza Kiwami

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 673 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 512 out of 673
  2. Mixed: 95 out of 673
  3. Negative: 66 out of 673
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  1. scruffy_77
    Dec 7, 2017
    10
    Just brilliant... the story of these games are brilliant, the game is brilliant and perhaps I should mention it is brilliant. I am just sad I have to wait until March for Yakuza 6. A masterpiece!
  2. HTGamer
    Nov 22, 2017
    9
    Yakuza Kiwami is a great remaster of a great PS2-era Sega game, made for PS4.

    The Yakuza series (known in Japan as "Ryū ga Gotoku") are story-based brawler games, with a variety of mini-games to spice things up. Sadly the series isn't well known outside of Japan because of its focus on japanese culture, but in recent years Sega have been making a serious effort to promote these games to    Yakuza Kiwami is a great remaster of a great PS2-era Sega game, made for PS4.

    The Yakuza series (known in Japan as "Ryū ga Gotoku") are story-based brawler games, with a variety of mini-games to spice things up. Sadly the series isn't well known outside of Japan because of its focus on japanese culture, but in recent years Sega have been making a serious effort to promote these games to the West. They even remake some older games such as the original game, which has been re-launched as Yakuza Kiwami ("remaster") for the PS4 (there is also a PS3 version).

    Yakuza Kiwami is a brawler game set in an open map (not open world, mind you) for you to walk through and do all sorts of yakuza things, from fighting punks in the street to eat burgers in restaurants and undertake missions (both main and side ones). The story may be serious but there is always a subtle comical side to this game.

    The combat system is quite complex at first because it includes 4 different fighting styles and features many upgrades, but you 'll get used to it after a bit. You can mash buttons against typical goons but you won't succeed against bosses, you have to take advantage of combos and special moves to beat them. Thankfully the game is super smooth thanks to its 60 fps frame rate, and even when fighting against many opponents at once there are no drops to frame rate.

    This game's strongest characteristic is its storytelling. Most characters are great and memorable, including the protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. The plot centers around Yakuza/Mafia things and I won't spoil it. But Majima steals the show due to his frequent out-of-nowhere attacks against Kiryu, with bizarre motives. But that's fun, he's not attacking you randomly every 5 minutes to be a nuisance. He attacks you after completing a mission, and you are rewarded with a new upgrade for defeating him.

    I have complaints about the existence of a few invisible walls here and there (come on Sega, really?), plus the camera inside closed rooms is problematic. Also, on Hard Difficulty some boss fights are very cheap, so prepare to be frustrated.

    Yakuza Kiwami is my first experience of this series and I instantly loved it. I picked up the Steelbook Edition at a very low price and I don't regret it. I can't wait to play more Yakuza games, like Yakuza 0 and the upcoming Yakuza 6!    … Expand
  3. joaopontesvaz
    Nov 4, 2017
    8
    Graphics: 8.4 Sound: 8.2 Gameplay: 8.1 Fun/Story: 8.2

    A unique game with nice plot and level design. SEGA at its best, with very consistent graphics and art conjugation.
  4. RuslanDZE
    Oct 5, 2017
    8
    After my first game in this series which was Yakuza 0, Ive became very interested at this world. I love story driven games with cool characters so that is exactly my type. I was anticipating Yakuza Kiwami. I picked this game up without a secind thoughts, especially for 30$ is a very decent deal.

    After finishing this game, this is my thoughts. If you played Yakuza 0, Kiwami will feel    After my first game in this series which was Yakuza 0, Ive became very interested at this world. I love story driven games with cool characters so that is exactly my type. I was anticipating Yakuza Kiwami. I picked this game up without a secind thoughts, especially for 30$ is a very decent deal.

    After finishing this game, this is my thoughts. If you played Yakuza 0, Kiwami will feel like an add on/expension. Same engine,same graphics, some aspects of the game tweaked but not drastically. Main story is fine, not better than 0. I was slightly dissapointed in sub stories, they did not have fun/unique stories and most of them would end up by a fight. Overall, game feels repetative sometimes but fun is still there. You wanna know how story will end so you keep playing even if you tired with a gameplay. Game mechanic with Majima is a nice feature that I hope we will see at the next game.

    Summary: must have for a Yakuza fans and Beat Em Up enthusiasts.    … Expand
  5. monokuma888
    Oct 3, 2017
    10
    This game is great, and I reached this conclusion after a few hours of playing. I've had the game for a few weeks now and I've periodically picked it up here and there. For me, that is how I have gotten the most out of Yakuza Kiwami. I play for a few hours, set it down for a few days, and finally come back to it again. This is my first Yakuza experience and after having gotten more thanThis game is great, and I reached this conclusion after a few hours of playing. I've had the game for a few weeks now and I've periodically picked it up here and there. For me, that is how I have gotten the most out of Yakuza Kiwami. I play for a few hours, set it down for a few days, and finally come back to it again. This is my first Yakuza experience and after having gotten more than half way through it, I was prompted to buy Zero because this franchise is amazing. Just an amazing brawler that is extremely underrated. It's ridiculous that it took me this long to get into the series, but now that I am, it is a pleasure to play.… Expand
  6. AfroThundah
    Oct 3, 2017
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Everyone says it's been rebuilt from the ground up but, well, it still plays like a PS2/3 era game, with the same stupid camera and all, don't get me wrong, swinging a reception lounge chair (yes, a 3 seater chair) is stupid and hilarious, but the camera does nothing to help you in fights (I'm dwelling on the terrible camera). And those climax battles, that **** can just leave, seriously. The story is the only reason this doesn't get a 0, it looks a little bit prettier than the original but not enough was done to modernise this to make it a "remake", it has to be remade, not given another lick of paint.

    **** stupid seamed to be the word of the day I started playing..........and it owes me a new controller and headset (Shimano you cheap ass sack of **** and button mashing X can **** off back to 2005)    … Expand
  7. GamingNinja
    Sep 23, 2017
    9
    A solid game priced the right way.
    Feels like an expansion for Yakuza Zero.
    My only problem is that it feels like a downgrade from Yakuza Zero,
    Which came out before Kiwami.
    Bring those Yakuza games to the rest of the world quickly now.. having the rest wait years only damages the product.
    Looking forward to Yakuza 6 and Kiwami 2.
  8. hasan_oddeyes77
    Sep 12, 2017
    10
    omg this game is so good i liked the story-characters -music very much and i am so excited to play yakuza 0 thank you Sega for this masterpiece wooooooooow
  9. marshallu2018
    Sep 10, 2017
    8
    This was my first game in the Yakuza series and I now know what I've been missing. This game is a ton of fun and I'm glad I got it.

    The combat is satisfying and I like that you can switch between four different combat styles to mix it up a bit. There's the brawler style, which is a mix of fast and powerful attacks. Then there's the slow and powerful beast style. Next up is my    This was my first game in the Yakuza series and I now know what I've been missing. This game is a ton of fun and I'm glad I got it.

    The combat is satisfying and I like that you can switch between four different combat styles to mix it up a bit. There's the brawler style, which is a mix of fast and powerful attacks. Then there's the slow and powerful beast style. Next up is my personal favorite, the rush style, that is great for quick punches and still packs a powerful punch. Lastly, there's the dragon style; dragon style is similar to brawler, but it's more powerful and a little slower, but not quite as slow as beast.

    The mini games in Yakuza Kiwami are arguably its strongest (and, at times, quirkiest) feature. The mini games are a blast to play and there is a great variety, from bowling and billiards to more obscure things like pocket car racing with little kids and rock paper scissors in the form of bikini clad women dressed as bugs. No matter what you like, Yakuza Kiwami probably has a mini game that suits you.

    Great features aside, Yakuza Kiwami isn't perfect. First, there's the Majima Everywhere system; at first it's kind of fun and it's quirky enough to give the game some extra life, but after a while it gets annoying having to fight Majima, your rival, so often. Another weak point of this game is the way that most missions and sub stories end up feeling like fetch quests, where you find yourself running all over the map from point A to point B and back to point A again. The in-game city of Kamurocho isn't all that big when you compare it to other games such as Grand Theft Auto V's Los Santos, but it can take a while to get from one end of the map to the other.

    Overall, I highly recommend this game. While it isn't perfect, it brings some charm to the table and has an interesting story that's rifled with betrayal and plot twists. The mini games can keep you busy for hours if you get interested in them and they offer a fun, light hearted escape from the serious story.    … Expand
  10. Gandalf44
    Sep 8, 2017
    10
    This game is incredible. The Value is excellent. If you love a good story, lots of drama, turns, twists, and plots that rival game of thrones, then you might love this game. Im a developer, and i really, really appreciate what Sega has done with this series. I hope they take this game style and gameplay, and bring it to other genres and themes. If the developer is reading this, you'veThis game is incredible. The Value is excellent. If you love a good story, lots of drama, turns, twists, and plots that rival game of thrones, then you might love this game. Im a developer, and i really, really appreciate what Sega has done with this series. I hope they take this game style and gameplay, and bring it to other genres and themes. If the developer is reading this, you've earned a fan for life!… Expand
  11. Zeydlitz
    Sep 8, 2017
    5
    This game could be almost perfect Yakuza game, but one piece of crap made it pretty mediocre -- it's Climax battles. This stuff SHOULD be removed from games .
  12. Shincy
    Sep 6, 2017
    10
    As many players gave comment how good the main story is, I would like to highlight sub-stories are very entertaining, as funny/weird/bizarre as it sound, many of them are realistic situation in Japan.
    It is of the few games that I really enjoy to read those conversation, and the voice/conversation/test of the game is what really gave soul to characters and the game.
  13. ShadowPeter
    Sep 5, 2017
    9
    Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami (in Japan), better known as Yakuza Kiwami in the West, is a remake of the first Yakuza. It is a game of action and adventure and that has as protagonist the monstrous, invincible, fighting against evil person's and always with the good people, Kazuma Kiryu.

    As in all other titles of the Yakuza series, Kamurocho, based in the royal city of Kabukicho, Japan, is always    Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami (in Japan), better known as Yakuza Kiwami in the West, is a remake of the first Yakuza. It is a game of action and adventure and that has as protagonist the monstrous, invincible, fighting against evil person's and always with the good people, Kazuma Kiryu.

    As in all other titles of the Yakuza series, Kamurocho, based in the royal city of Kabukicho, Japan, is always present. How could it not be, the story is told by long cutscenes, with the Japanese voices (which I say right away, listen to the voice of Takaya Kuroda, aka the one who gives voice to Kazuma Kiryu ... it is impossible to remain indifferent) and with Subtitles in English, which are very well planned and with dramatic touches, which in most moments leave us curious and eager to progress the story.

    For those who come from Yakuza 0, the gameplay is identical, taking the fact that in this Kiwami there is one more fighting style and a few more heat moves. During the heat of the fighting, Kiryu has 4 types of fighting style: Brawler (balanced); Rush (fast movements and mobility); Beast (Slow but powerful) and the Dragon (similar to the Brawler, but with some different movements).

    Continuing to talk about the fighting, under the Kiryu energy bar there is something (blue) called the Heat Gauge, if the main bar is filled up (do not forget that if we take blows from the enemy, the bar will empty), gets on fire and means that we can perform "Heat moves", which are powerful and rewarding strokes, so to speak. And the blows are very varied and it's cool (even better if it's against Goro Majima, but later I'll talk about this funny guy), step on the face of the enemy, remove the nail or the tooth from our opponent with pliers etc etc etc...

    As we defeat our opponents, we gain experience points, which can be used to purchase upgrades. Upgrades are divided into four categories: Soul (improve Heat Gauge, add Climax Heat Moves that are slightly stronger moves than heat moves, etc.), Tech (add new hits, quicksteps, quich evasions, Healt bar, boosting the attack, etc.) and Dragon (with this, Kiryu can relearn the techniques of the Dragon of Dojima). But to acquire certain abilities, we have to look at the requirements and fight (and defeat) against (believe it you will fight against him so many times...) the Goro Majima or complete the challenges of Sotaro Komaki.

    The crazy Goro Majima decided on his own to help Kiryu to relearn some techniques of the Dragon of Dojima, most often walks the streets of Kamurocho to call (with a touch loving and wailing lol) Kiryu, or walks in certain bars, clubs, etc. And as such... as soon as we come face to face with him, we have to defeat him in a fight or a mini-game. After we defeat it, the bar of the ranking (initially we will stay in rank F) will gradually increase and when the bar is filled, we have to do a special event, that to the terms success, we go up rank (E, D, C, B , A, S, SS and SSS) and ... as obvious, in doing so, the difficulty (in fights) increases. The only complaint I point out at this Majima Everywhere is ... listening to Goro's "Kiryu-chan" call for Kazuma over and over, either after we've left the pause menu or in some store, it becomes a bit annoying. But don't worry, fortunately doesn't spoil the experience that we are having in the game.

    Yakuza Kiwami is also a kind of semi-open world, always on the go and no cars to drive. We can take some taxi to get to some distant street, as well as go to discos, restaurants, bars, hostess clubs, Club Sega's, karaokes, etc. In the streets of Kamurocho, we find people who are in trouble with henchmen, Yakuza's, etc. And we have the power to decide whether we should intervene or not. If we choose to help, we will have to offer punches and leave these useless with bruises. If we succeed, the victim will give us any reward. Just as we can find on the streets those useless individuals who persecute us and who want to give us annoyances, and if we get caught, we are forced to fight and give them some beautiful blows. Sometimes Yakuza's, punk's and gang's bump our way (especially in narrow places) to the destination we want to go, and in Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 we just kept the R1 button (slow steps) to go unnoticed by them. In this Kiwami this no longer happens, and as soon as they come, we have to run to get away from them. Let's say it's a frustrating rather than a negative point.

    And as it could not fail to have, the game has a Coliseum in which we can fight against the best fighters. Don't forget the huge amount of mini-games. In technical terms, what do you think of this game with 1080p with 60 FPS's without having a single framerate break?? Beautiful, right?? Even though it is not as spectacular as Yakuza 4 and 5, the kiwami soundtrack is good. In short, whoever liked the rest of the Yakuza, will like this Kiwami and when you have the game, have this spirit of Kazuma Kiryu to the enemies: "If you want to die, come at me!!".    … Expand
  14. ultimatesoll
    Aug 31, 2017
    10
    Latest Yakuza game finally came to the west after it’s localization thanks to Sega. This game is remake of original Yakuza (“Ryu Ga Gotoku” in Japan) game which released in 2005.

    The very first Yakuza game was badass, fun to play and had awesome scenario. But 2017 version offering much more than that. Highly detailed next-gen graphics, new camera view, enhanced framerate which is    Latest Yakuza game finally came to the west after it’s localization thanks to Sega. This game is remake of original Yakuza (“Ryu Ga Gotoku” in Japan) game which released in 2005.

    The very first Yakuza game was badass, fun to play and had awesome scenario. But 2017 version offering much more than that.

    Highly detailed next-gen graphics, new camera view, enhanced framerate which is perfectly run at 60fps and re-mastered Kamurocho area will bring your memories from past as well as great experience.

    Kiwami has offering new gameplay for our main hero: Kazuma Kiryu. Like in “Yakuza 0”, the character has 4 main gameplay set which you can upgrade throughout the game.

    The in-game sound is awesome, all stage tunes are good and supporting the action. All VAs had great job on this remaster.

    Boss battles, fighting locations, secret locations, secret missions, upgrades, fun parts, cut-scenes, main characters, side characters..they all great. Yakuza 1 is clearly my favourite Yakuza game in entire series in terms of story telling and ending.

    Finding secret “side-missions”, Nishiki’s (who is Kiryu’s old friend) campaigns (which is not included in old version but added to this version), cage matches and lots of action surely make you happy during your walkthrough.

    Literally Sega is making one Yakuza game each year and localize them after a period. Yakuza Kiwami released in Japan long ago but glad we have this game on our market now. Not to mention Yakuza 2 Remake (Ryu Ga Gotoku 2 Kiwami) will be on stores in Japan at the end of the year.

    Brawls in Kamurocho streets will never end!

    Have fun and play on.    … Expand
  15. badgerryan19
    Aug 31, 2017
    9
    Yakuza Kiwami returns as the first game in the series worked from the ground up and oh boy is it a blast. Along side Yakuza 0 this is starting to pick up some big momentum towards Yakuza 6. Heck there could be two Yakuza games in my top 10 games of the year so far. Great game. I do feel like 0 is just a tad better though, but besides the point the game has great characters, writing, storyYakuza Kiwami returns as the first game in the series worked from the ground up and oh boy is it a blast. Along side Yakuza 0 this is starting to pick up some big momentum towards Yakuza 6. Heck there could be two Yakuza games in my top 10 games of the year so far. Great game. I do feel like 0 is just a tad better though, but besides the point the game has great characters, writing, story ridiculous fun action. Do yourself a favor and get this and Yakuza 0 if you haven't.… Expand
  16. OrochiamruSama
    Aug 29, 2017
    10
    As A long time yakuza fan,yakuza 0 was the best game ever for me and kiwami is the perfect sequel for it,if you want games with the best story and huge amount of content, yakuza games are for you
  17. shiftyman
    Aug 29, 2017
    9
    Yakuza games are the best, not only do they have great engrossing main stories, main characters you can really get involved with, plus all the crazy side quests and mini games, Yakuza Kiwami is no exception.
  18. 17_jrpg
    Aug 29, 2017
    10
    Yakuza Kiwami returns the first game of the series back to life in a way that is completely rebuilt from ground up for the PS4. This open world action-adventure game with role-playing elements follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, whose life changes because of the incident that occurred in the Dojima Family office. In Kiwami, the original story gets an extension thatYakuza Kiwami returns the first game of the series back to life in a way that is completely rebuilt from ground up for the PS4. This open world action-adventure game with role-playing elements follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, whose life changes because of the incident that occurred in the Dojima Family office. In Kiwami, the original story gets an extension that adds a new depth of story which tells us about friendship, love, respect, loyalty, sacrifice, greed, betrayal and revenge. New additions to the story further explain certain parts of the story that may have been unclear in the original.

    In Kiwami, they also improved gameplay. Battle system from the original game has been enhanced by adding the battle styles from Yakuza 0. Now you can choose one of four battle styles: Brawler (balance), Rush (speed), Beast (power) and Dragon (ultimate). Each style has its own benefits and weaknesses, so it's up to you to choose the battle style that suits you best or that you currently need in a particular fight. All four battle styles are unlocked and you can train them all to the maximum by using experiece points (EXP) earned from battles and solving side quests (substories and romance with hostesses). To power up the Dragon style you have to fight with Goro Majima everywhere in Kamurocho. They have also improved other aspects of gameplay by adding new substories, two new ladies to romance, MesuKing: Battle Bug Beuaties, and much more nightlife spots. All this gives the player to enjoy even more in Kamurocho.

    Sega has done a very good job with this remake and has demonstrated to other video game developer how to make a real remake of old game. I'm glad they decided to make a remake of the original Yakuza game which is one of my favorite games on PS2. I hope that Sega will also do a good job with Yakuza Kiwami 2, and I also hope that they will decide to make Yakuza Kiwami 3 as well because I only did not play Yakuza 3.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Best PS4 Game of 2017
42
#42 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
84
#84 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 70 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 70
  3. Negative: 0 out of 70
  1. PLAY! Zine
    Apr 27, 2018
    85
    Yakuza Kiwami is a fine example of how a remaster should be done. Graphical changes and fixing some story plot holes are pretty well done. Majima everywhere is sometimes a nuisance, but all in all, it's a solid addition for an already great game.
    Read full review
  2. GameCritics
    Nov 17, 2017
    65
    Overall, Yakuza Kiwami isn’t a bad game despite several issues that drag it down. No, its real problem is that Yakuza Zero is a significantly superior product in every way that matters. Fans of the original release will likely dig the modernization, but for any newcomers thinking of jumping in, I’d recommend starting with the infinitely better prequel.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Nov 16, 2017
    75
    Yakuza Kiwami is so much more than just a remake of the first game in the series. Sega rebuilt the original from scratch using a much more powerful engine, with the help of completely new artists, and enriched the script with tons of references to subsequent Yakuza releases. It’s not a perfect game but it does a great job at tying up loose ends from Yakuza Zero. [11/2017, p.50]
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