by Omar (@siegarettes)
- Yakuza Kiwami
- Developer- SEGA
- Publisher- SEGA
- PS4, PS3
Yakuza Kiwami has a strange tension between the new and the old. Its modern face lift of the original PS2 game bring it in line with the look of the later PS3 titles, and it’s clear that this is where many series conventions were established. Kiryu’s established as an icon of the old school ideals of masculinity. Rough, straightforward, and honorable to a fault. There’s also plenty of melodrama and absurd reveals, all of which build into a slowly unraveling conspiracy. But while the core is there, it’s clear that Kiwami suffers from being held to the original Yakuza’s structure.
Despite helpfully reminding you that “Kiwami means EXTREME”, Yakuza Kiwami is relatively restrained compared the rest of the series. The plotting also lacks the coherency, meandering from event to event and interrupting the story with tasks that feel irrelevant to the central mystery. There’s little momentum, and the new scenes detailing the antagonist’s journey only contribute to the start and stop pacing. These flashbacks are placed haphazardly at the start of chapters, then quickly move back to the main plot without any thematic threads or transitions to tie them together.
It’s the main loop of Kiwami keeps it from falling apart. The series’ rhythm of moving between melodrama, lighthearted side activities, and violent brawls still remains as compelling as ever. I continue to enjoy being a tourist in Kamurocho, walking familiar streets while seeing how it’s changed throughout time. Working my way through its restaurants and bars between beating down punks is still fun, and learning the new nuances of the combat made me look forward to each fight.
The styles from Yakuza 0 have been carried over, and while the basic movesets are largely the same there’s now multiple ways to transition between the four styles. It’s a slight change, but it made the styles feel like stances to move in and out of, rather than entirely different approaches. I could move between using Beast style to clear crowds into Rush style to pick off stragglers, then retaliate with Brawler style when taking damage. There’s also the Dragon style, which consists of moves used later in the series and can be built up as you move through the story and works to create continuity with Yakuza 0 and the rest of the series.
Kiwami is strongest when it leans into these ties to Zero. New sidequests see characters from Zero return and call to memory the mood of 80’s bubble economy Japan. It contrasts well with the modern streets of 2000’s Kamurocho, and emphasizes Kiryu as a man of an older era, and the time he’s lost while in prison. Even the new scenes with the antagonist, despite their awkward integration, worked well with the details I knew about him from Zero, and did good work towards setting up his fall. Kiwami as a whole feels better when taken as an epilogue to Zero, rather than a standalone. Zero gives Kiwami a foundation the original Yakuza lacked, and makes it easier to appreciate the details that give the series its character. On its own, Kiwami has glimpses of what makes the series great, but falls apart under the sparse characterization and incoherent plotting of the original.
Even knowing that, I never stopped enjoying my time with Yakuza Kiwami. Reuniting with these characters and being sucked into back into the underworld’s melodrama was its own joy, and the free moments between plot beats made it easy to keep from burning out. Aside from the series’ trademark incompetence with women and queer characters, the actual moment to moment writing is strong, and moves deftly between heavy and lighthearted moods, sometimes in the same scene. Yakuza’s cast is charming and well rounded, and Kiwami doesn’t disappoint on that front. That’s the secret to Yakuza’s appeal. Like a favorite TV series, there’s a cast and structure that will keep me coming back, even after seasons that let me down. And knowing that this is only the first chapter, well, that makes me very excited to see what’s next.