Yakuza Kiwami 3 is Sega’s fourth remake of the cult classic crime series, and it’s by far the most daring “reimagining” that developer Ryu Ga Gotoku has had. Like the last two Kiwami games, this is a complete from-the-ground-up rebuild of the PS3 classic — but for all intents, Yakuza Kiwami 3 might as well be viewed as a new entry. After three hours of hands-on time I have no hesitation in saying this is one of Sega’s most ambitious remakes yet, looking to completely redefine Yakuza 3’s style and impact. While there’s a lot that has me excited, there’s equally a few worries that I can’t quite shake — a feeling of the series being homogenized in a way that I don’t like.
Yakuza 3 is an interesting game to talk about, as it’s essentially the point where the series started its meteoric rise — with the power of the PlayStation 3 allowing RGG Studio to do things the first two games couldn’t dream of. But it also hit at a transitional period, where a lot of developers were wrangling tech and gameplay innovations. With that, Yakuza 3’s surprisingly quaint story of Kiryu running an orphanage packs real emotional heft, but the gameplay of the third entry has not aged all that well. So there’s always been an argument to be made that Yakuza 3 might be the most deserving of a remake — and boy, is this a remake in every sense of the word.
