REVIEW: ‘Yakuza Kiwami’ is Still A Fantastic Game With An Average Switch Port

Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the 2005 PS2 game Yakuza, the first game in the series. While it originally launched in 2017 for PC and later for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, SEGA has decided to launch it on Nintendo Switch almost a decade later. The Switch version comes with several features you’d expect from a modern port. However, as a port of a game almost a decade old and running on a last-gen console, it’s hard not to point out some rough aspects.

Set in the fictional city of Kamurocho, Yakuza Kiwami follows fan-favorite series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. The story begins as Kiryu takes the fall for the murder of a Yakuza patriarch to protect his best friend, Akira Nishikiyama, and his childhood love, Yumi. After serving ten years in prison, Kiryu returns to the same city, but things have changed drastically. Nishikiyama has become a power-hungry antagonist and leader of his own family in the Tojo clan.

The Yakuza are in chaos after the mysterious disappearance of the family’s funds of ten billion yen, and Yumi has been missing for quite some time. To complicate things further, Kiryu becomes the guardian of a young girl named Haruka, who holds the key to the missing ten billion. It’s up to Kiryu to navigate the complex underworld politics of the Yakuza as an ex-Yakuza while protecting Haruka and searching for Yumi in the process.

Yakuza Kiwami’s story remains one of its strongest aspects. The game perfectly balances emotional, dramatic moments with the absurd humor the series is known for. Kiryu’s unwavering moral compass in a world filled with greed and corruption makes him a compelling protagonist, and his relationships with characters like Haruka and Nishikiyama add layers to his stoic personality.

The new scenes added in Kiwami further flesh out Nishikiyama’s character arc, making his descent into villainy more believable and tragic, especially following the events of Yakuza 0. Despite almost a decade since its launch, Kiwami’s narrative is still enjoyable and one of the best the franchise has to offer.

Like most titles in the franchise, Yakuza Kiwami is a beat-em-up game at its core where players engage in street fights against random thugs, rival Yakuza, and other enemies. The combat system builds upon the mechanics from Yakuza 0, allowing Kiryu to switch between four distinct fighting styles. This includes Brawler, a well-rounded style that mixes heavy and light attacks. Beast relies solely on heavy attacks that throw enemies off balance and deal great damage, and Rush relies on speed and maneuverability. Then there’s Dragon of Dojima, which serves as the ultimate well-rounded style with some intense special moves.

Each style caters to different playstyles, whether you prefer slow, powerful attacks or fast-paced, evasive maneuvers. The combat is fluid and satisfying, with brutal heat actions that showcase Kiryu’s ferocity. You can pick up objects from the environment, like bicycles or signs, and use them as weapons, adding variety and humor to each encounter.

One of the game’s unique features is the “Majima Everywhere” system, where Kiryu’s eccentric rival and fan-favorite character, Goro Majima, randomly appears throughout the city to challenge him. This system is similar to Resident Evil 3’s nemesis system or Resident Evil 2’s Mr X. Every time it happens, it’s hilarious, but it can also be inconvenient at times.

Majima can ambush Kiryu in various ways, from hiding in trash cans to posing as a taxi driver, adding unpredictability to the game. This mechanic not only provides comic relief but also serves as a way to expand Kiryu’s Dragon of Dojima fighting style by gradually battling Majima in increasingly difficult encounters.

However, one major drawback with Yakuza Kiwami is that the combat can feel repetitive over time, especially during longer play sessions. Additionally, while the variety of fighting styles adds some depth, the game’s frequent street battles slows down the pacing at times.

Another drawback that is specific to the Nintendo Switch port is the framerate. While this isn’t a surprise due to the Switch being the weakest console currently, it’s hard not to notice the inconsistency regardless. While playing docked, the game runs at a stable 1080p resolution, but the framerate, while consistent, is barely 30fps. Running around the city looks incredibly rough and choppy, but not so much that it is unplayable.

However, when playing undocked, the framerate gets a notable boost, mostly 30fps, but the downgrade in resolution to 720P is notable, especially in the models outside cutscenes. It’s also worth noting that despite being a remake, Yakuza Kiwami shows its age in some scenes, especially compared to the newer titles.

Other minor gripes with the port include the fact that, for some odd reason, there is no option to turn off controller vibration in the game. This is annoying, as it could run down the Switch’s battery life faster. Lastly, it’s important to note that Yakuza Kiwami‘s Switch port does not have an English dub. However, this isn’t a surprise, as the original release did not feature a dub either.

All that said, none of this is to say that the Switch port is bad. 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 will launch on October 24 for Nintendo Switch.