Yakuza Kiwami

Revisiting Yakuza Kiwami and being able to play anywhere is really fun. The graphics are amazing, the price is accessible and Kiwami extras guarantee tons of beating up fun in this high atmospheric game, even with occasional slowdowns here and there. A must buy for Switch owners.

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.

To say that Yakuza Kiwami is a great Nintendo Switch game is an understatement. It’s a fantastic port of an existing remaster that serves as one of the best entry points in the Yakuza series. It might have less to “do,” but that’s more of a reason for SEGA to port the rest of the Yakuza games for Nintendo players in the future. Hopefully (and I sincerely mean this), Ryu Ga Gotoku brings more of its library to Switch owners…preferably at the same quality as Yakuza Kiwami.

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.

The best entry point to the Yakuza series. Kiwami is a heartbreaking story of redemption where the combat and the setting grab you despite its technical weaknesses.

Yakuza Kiwami is still a very good game and it is clear that the debut of the SEGA series on Nintendo Switch is great news, especially with the next model of the console on the horizon. On a narrative and artistic level, Kazuma Kiryu's story doesn't feel the weight of its years and remains remarkably engaging, also with so many activities and mini-games to support it.

The Nintendo Switch port of Yakuza Kiwami is an interesting beast. Sure, you could play it anywhere else to get a better experience. Getting to play one of the most addictive Yakuza games on the go is a treat though, and playing it docked looked solid on my 4K TV. If you’ve never played the Yakuza series, this is a solid entry point. It kind of assumes familiarity with Yakuza 0, as Kiwami takes the original game and tries to retrofit it to be a sequel, but you won’t be punished without 0. I certainly wasn’t back when I first played Kiwami. With an impressive portable experience that doesn’t cut back on too much of what makes Yakuza Kiwami special, this is a compelling offer. And if you want to re-experience the PS3 Yakuza games of the previous decade, you’re going to absolutely love this Switch conversion.

Yakuza Kiwami on the Switch is sure to delight old and new fans alike, bringing the series to Nintendo systems at long last. Discover the Yakuza series in this remake of the first game where it all began with Kiryu and Majima in Kamurocho's dark streets.

The Switch version of Yakuza Kiwami might not be the absolutely ideal way to play the first game in the Like a Dragon series, but it runs quite well on the system and remains an absolute delight. The port is quite capable and runs better than I expected to. It would probably look better on another console or PC, but the joy that comes from actually playing an entry on a Nintendo system and see it go so well more than makes up for that.

Yakuza Kiwami is the best starting place for the Yakuza series, and the Switch is a great way to experience the start of Kiryu’s journey. While minor problems persist – both in terms of the game itself and its presentation on Switch – there’s not a whole lot holding it back. It’s Yakuza Kiwami, and it’s on Switch, and that’s all it needs to be.

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.

Yakuza Kiwami isn't my favorite Yakuza game, but it is still an excellent entry in the series, and a very good entry point for newcomers. Revisiting it in 2024 on Nintendo Switch played handheld has been a fun experience that makes me hope SEGA brings Yakuza 0 to the system next. This conversion bringing in some quality of life features like auto-save and licensed music including Receive You [Reborn] is also great to see. While there are noticeable cutbacks to visuals and performance, Yakuza Kiwami is an easy recommendation to play on the go on Nintendo Switch with its low asking price.

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.

Between Yakuza Kiwami’s rich settings and its hardboiled plotline, it’s easy to become absorbed in this remake of the inaugural franchise entry. But a game like this deserves to be played on a platform that captures the splendor of hand-tailored suits and Kamurocho’s rain-soaked streets. Regrettably, the Switch port isn’t always up to the task.

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.

Yakuza Kiwami is completely playable on the Switch and by no means looks awful. The port offers a good experience that can be taken on the go, but the console notably holds back the title’s excellence. Regardless, Yakuza Kiwami is still a fantastic game that showcases why the Yakuza series has become such an excellent franchise.

Yakuza Kiwami makes its unexpected arrival on the Nintendo Switch, bringing the series' compelling origin story to a new audience. This remake offers a fast-paced, thrilling narrative centered around protagonist Kiryu Kazuma, set in the intimate and vibrant city of Kamurocho. With a rich array of side activities and a deep combat system, the game promises an engaging experience. However, performance issues in docked mode and the availability of better versions on other platforms make this port a less than ideal way to experience this classic.

Yakuza Kiwami is an excellent game, and if this is the start of the entire series making its way to the Switch 2 then it’s still worth having it on the device in the interest of completion. It’s a solid 5-star game that unfortunately is just a bit too much for the Switch to do full justice to.

If you’re exclusively a Nintendo Switch gamer, then this port is an ideal place to begin your journey in the series. That being said, if you’re a returning fan who has been desperate to play this series on the go, Yakuza Kiwami is a dream come true - especially if you thought this day would never come. Now if you excuse me, I’m off to sing some karaoke with Kiryu and his friends.

Yakuza Kiwami is a serviceable port of a solid remake that finally gives Nintendo audiences a taste of the Japanese beat-em-up favourite.

No matter how significant the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series might have become, this first instalment is a mixed bag. At times Yakuza Kiwami is full of life and ambition. At other times it’s as frustrating and seems too willing to draw things out in a slightly over-indulgent way. Experimenting with the battle system is satisfying for as long as the game gives you space to do it. But the game’s pace-killing negatives, the difficulty spikes and the quickly diminishing returns of wandering the Tokyo streets, marred by random battles and fetching items, hold it back from being an easy recommendation. You may well enjoy yourself during your playthrough, but we’d bet a few thousand yen that some of the less-streamlined elements will test your patience.