Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Review - Flickering Flame

Quick Overview

The review concludes that Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a fair but flawed remaster, primarily suffering from visual inconsistency where the updated assets clash with the original game's structure, leading to jarring immersion breaks, although the core story and the addition of the Dark Ties segment are still engaging.

Key Points: Yakuza Kiwami 3 is presented as a remake treatment of the first five Yakuza games, but it retains visual inconsistencies between the new engine and original assets. The 'Dark Ties' segment, featuring the antagonist Yoshitaka Mine, introduces new activities like the underground fight club and motorcycle gang drama, which are entertaining. The Okinawa orphanage sections are less prevalent in the main story compared to the original, with management tasks turned into a standalone activity. The combat system's 'Dragon Style' is replaced by four distinct styles, including the agile 'Ryukyu Kobujutsu,' which allows for juggling multiple enemies. The Dark Ties story arc features Mine's narrative running parallel to Kiryu's, focusing on his ambition to gain wealth and prestige, and his role in the Ryudo Family. The remaster is criticized for removing some original sub-stories, like Hostess Management, and replacing others with new, less compelling content, such as the underground fight club mechanics. The overall narrative structure remains largely the same, but the visual overhaul and inclusion of new content like Dark Ties create an uneven presentation.

Context: This video provides a critical review of Yakuza Kiwami 3, which is the PC remaster of the original Yakuza 3, incorporating elements from Yakuza Kiwami 2's structure, such as the 'Dark Ties' side story focusing on Yoshitaka Mine. The review analyzes the game's graphical updates, combat changes, and narrative differences compared to the original PlayStation 3 release and its predecessor, Kiwami 2.

Detailed Analysis

The review positions Yakuza Kiwami 3 as a remake treatment that nonetheless struggles with visual consistency, noting that updated graphics clash with the original structure, creating immersion breaks. The game is divided into 12 chapters, and the Okinawa orphanage segments are less prominent in the main storyline, being reframed as a separate activity. Kiryu's main combat style, the Dragon Style, is replaced by four distinct styles, including the highly agile Ryukyu Kobujutsu, which facilitates juggling multiple enemies. The Dark Ties segment provides a compelling parallel narrative focusing on Yoshitaka Mine's ambition and his role in the Ryudo Family, which involves motorcycle gang drama and underground fighting. However, the review notes that some original content, like Hostess Management, is removed, and new side activities like the fight club feel less impactful than the original story beats. Despite these issues, the game is praised for its engaging core story, even if the polish of the remaster is uneven, leading to a final rating of 'Fair' (6/10).