Yakuza Kiwami Image
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Be the first to review!

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: In 2005, a legend was born on the PlayStation 2 - the legend of Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, in his video game debut with Yakuza. Now, 11 years after that release, a new generation of players will be able to experience the incomparable action and drama of the Yakuza series with theIn 2005, a legend was born on the PlayStation 2 - the legend of Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, in his video game debut with Yakuza. Now, 11 years after that release, a new generation of players will be able to experience the incomparable action and drama of the Yakuza series with the rebuilt-from-scratch HD remake, Yakuza Kiwami.

    "Kiwami" means Extreme, and the game takes that concept to heart. It's not an HD-remaster or up-rezzing of PS2-era textures. Yakuza Kiwami was recreated from the ground up. That means every visual element was optimized for the 1080p/60fps environment, every line of the script was re-recorded by series actors and for the first time in the West, gamers will be able to hear the original Japanese language track.

    Then there's the game itself! The PS2-era brawling gameplay is refined for the current gen with Kazuma Kiryu fighting his way through the ranks of Yakuza, only to wind up protecting a young girl whose aunt (who also happens to be Kiryu's childhood sweetheart) is missing...along with 10 billion yen.
    Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 23
  2. Negative: 1 out of 23
  1. Dec 19, 2024
    100
    Kiwami isn’t just a bunch of fists to the face and brutal combat, as entertaining as that is. At its core, and what makes it such a great experience, is a story that’s incredibly well-written and engaging.
  2. Oct 25, 2024
    90
    As a Switch title, Yakuza Kiwami is perfect and feels right at home on this hardware. It is important to keep in mind, however, that Kiwami is a title from 2016, and is just a direct 1:1 port, so don’t expect any additional quality of life changes from the previous releases. That said, again, it is incredible and highly worth your time, and is an excellent starting point to jump into this zany franchise. If this does well enough, I can totally see RGG Studio (Rya Ga Gotoku Studio) porting the other games to the Nintendo Switch, whether this rendition or the upcoming successor.
  3. Oct 24, 2024
    80
    Yakuza Kiwami on Switch is a good port of a great game, and while it shows its age in certain areas, it's still a lot of fun to play.
  4. Oct 24, 2024
    80
    Yakuza Kiwami remains one of the best stories that RGG has ever told, and showing its age a smidge doesn’t diminish that. Showcasing Kiwami on another platform to welcome new fans into the fold can only be a good thing, and it’s impressive just how well it runs on Switch. Most importantly, now Majima Everywhere can really be everywhere as he just became portable.
  5. Oct 29, 2024
    80
    The arrival of Yakuza Kiwami on the Switch gives hope that we will see more games from the series on this and future Nintendo consoles. At its core, it is an excellent and entertaining game, albeit sometimes repetitive. However, its remarkable narrative makes it an experience that will bring tears even to the coldest person. Through Kazuma Kiryu, you come to understand that honor still exists among men. At least among those who appear in video games.
  6. Oct 27, 2024
    75
    We should celebrate the arrival of the title for Nintendo players in the West. It's great to be able to explore the world of Yakuza for the first time on this platform. Japan has already received ports of the first games on Wii U, but this release is the first significant introduction for many fans in the West.
  7. Oct 24, 2024
    40
    I’ve ended a lot of reviews of Switch ports over the years saying some variation of this may not be the best version of the game, but it’s worth your time if the Switch is your preferred platform. That’s not the case for Yakuza Kiwami. This version simply isn’t worth playing and it doesn’t matter whether you have another way to play the game or not. It isn’t just inferior; it feels terrible to play. Hopefully, the team behind this port will keep working on improving performance because there’s still a solid title underneath this version’s issues. Still, there are too many great experiences on the platform to spend your time on a game that feels like this.

See all 23 Critic Reviews