Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, the new remake of the iconic action-adventure Yakuza 3, has a lot to live up to. The original entry proved divisive, but the love for it grew with time. It was a departure at the time, leaving the crime-laden streets of Kamurocho to the cozy hallways of Morning Glory.
The new remake gives the game a new visual update, adds a ton of content, including a new campaign based on one of the game’s antagonists, Yoshitaka Mine, but one major question remains: how does it run in Steam Deck?
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Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties brings forward the 2009 PS3 classic, continuing the Kiwami remake series. Yakuza Kiwami hit in 2016, while the sequel, Yakuza Kiwami 2, launched in 2017. There’s been plenty of new releases between now and then too, with two mainline entries and a pirate themed adventure focused on series favourite Goro Majima.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties continues the Steam Deck compatibility hot streak.
The major question is how it plays on Steam Deck. The Yakuza/Like a Dragon games have historically worked well on Valve’s handheld. The Dragon Engine, RGG’s in-house engine, has been around since 2016, with all the releases since Yakuza 6. The games have run at a solid 40-50fps in the past on low-medium settings.
Thankfully, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties continues the hot streak. It works well out of the box, with the default medium settings offering a relatively solid 30-40fps. The cut scenes run at 60fps and look fantastic despite the lower resolution, barely noticeable on the smaller screen.
Messing with the settings can bring gameplay up to a near-stable 45fps while still looking good, despite some fluctuations in the open world. Limiting the frame rate to 45fps, along with setting texture filtering to 8x, keeping the reflections at medium, turning off SSAO, and dropping the shadow quality to low keeps the game at a relatively consistent 40-45fps when running around. The fights stay at a solid 45fps, which are the more crucial moments.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is another impressive handheld success for RGG.
If you uncap the frame rate, it can hit between 50 and 60fps, but be prepared for some drops back to the 40s. That 45fps seemed to be the sweet spot, favoring a more consistent experience than higher, more unreliable frame rates. Either way works well enough, though, so it just depends on preference.
It’s another impressive success for RGG on handheld, for the most part. The overexposure bug that’s plagued the last few entries has seemingly been fixed as well, with the lighting in most areas looking a lot better than the demo. That being said, it can still look really bright in spots, especially on the beach or in certain sunnier parts of the city.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 offers plenty for players both new and old.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 adds a lot to the base story, with a greater focus on the orphanage. There’s a slew of new mini-games and bonding moments with the kids, making it feel more alive than ever before. Dark Ties, the side campaign focused on Yoshitaka Mine leading up to the events of the main campaign, is another huge addition. There’s plenty to dive into for not just new players, but for returning players who have played the original.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is another win on the Steam Deck, making it a perfectly acceptable and enjoyable way to experience RGG’s latest remake. Having it on the go feels great, hopping in for a few fights or side quests even when apart from the comfort of your own couch. Here’s hoping Stranger Than Heaven continues the hot streak.
