REVIEW: ‘Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut’ Is Still One Of The Franchise’s Best Entries

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios and published by Sega, is a great starting point for newcomers to the series. The new remaster of the beloved title that really propelled the series into the mainstream in the West, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, is a brilliant reminder of how strong Yakuza 0 is. The split focus story and character writing are top-notch, with the action combat firing on all cylinders while looking and playing better than ever before. The issues are entirely with what’s been added, as the new content doesn’t feel like a worthy part of the package.

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut acts as an origin story for longtime protagonist, Kazama Kiryu, and series manic fan favorite, Majima Goro. The game jumps back and forth between both perspectives. Kiryu’s story takes place in Kamurocho, a seedy district in Tokyo, as he gets caught up in a murder mystery centered on a small lot of land. Majima’s story follows the future mad dog as he strives to re-enter the yakuza world, running a club in Sotenbori.

The winding narrative remains as excellent as ever, with each chapter packing in new reveals and huge moments. For anyone who’s never experienced it, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut has one of the franchise’s best narratives and is a fantastic place to start. For returning fans, it’s a welcome visit to Kiryu and Majima’s stories and the action combat the series is known for.

The quality of the cutscenes in Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut varies.

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut adds almost 30 minutes of new cutscenes to the package, one of the main draws for folks who’ve played the original. Some, including a conversation between Kiryu and Nishiki, are fun to watch and build on the relationship between the two. Others make retcons and changes that don’t really work, and in some instances, actively make the narrative worse. Instead of focusing on moments between characters or highlighting spots in their histories that the fandom has been asking about, the new scenes feel mostly like filler.

The other significant new addition to Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is Red Light Raid, a raid-like mode that sees characters fighting across several stages. There are tons of characters to play as here, each costing money to unlock, which is earned by just playing the mode. You get a decent chunk to start with, enough to unlock one of the higher-tier characters, like Kiryu or Majima.

Once you choose a fighter, you can go online and fight alongside others or solo with CPU companions. Each level has some stages to fight through. Keeping an eye on the clock is as important as your health, as some enemies give time bonuses when defeated. Time rolls over across each stage, meaning you’ll want to move quickly to make sure you have enough time to take out the boss at the end.

Red Light Raid is fun, if forgettable, in Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut.

There are many characters to unlock and six stages to fight through. The mode isn’t just a series of monster closets full of enemies, but the combat is so much fun that it’s a fun mode to hop into and stomp heads. Though the online pool of players seems low, as I’ve tried searching on different days, at various times, I’ve never been matched with another actual player. The CPU companions are fine, but this mode would definitely shine more with a healthier online community.

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut also includes a new dub, bringing English voice talent to the entry for the first time. The dub cast is solid, with Matther Mercer‘s Majima continuing to stand out. Yong Yea’s Kiryu is still a mixed bag, especially with more dramatic scenes, but this is easily his best work in the role to date. It’s a great inclusion that hopefully makes the title more accessible for some players.

Yakuza 0’s Director’s Cut also looks fantastic, with new graphical enhancements that make the game look better than ever before. Playing docked brings the experience to 4k60fps, with a rock-solid 60fps at lower resolutions while handheld. It looks beautiful across both, with the reflections and lighting looking particularly strong. Character models look crisp, and the visual upgrade is noticeable and well implemented.

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is the best way to play the iconic entry to the series.

The core narrative and gameplay are as strong as ever, even if the new cutscenes are underwhelming. The visual upgrades are fantastic, and the dub is solid. Red Light Raid is a fun mode to hop in and mess around, which would probably be even better with friends. Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is the definitive way to play and is fantastic as part of the Switch 2’s launch lineup.

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is now available to play on the Nintendo Switch 2.