Yakuza Kiwami Nintendo Switch Review: Nintendo Island Dragons

Main points

  • The perfect entry point for Nintendo Switch players

  • Still one of the best Yakuza games in the series

  • Porting to Nintendo Switch with no loss of quality or fidelity

As much as I love Yakuza and would take any excuse to wander the streets of Kamurocho again, I’m skeptical about Yakuza Kiwami being ported to the Nintendo Switch. Even though it’s old, having originally launched in Japan for the PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 in 2016 before coming to the West in 2017, I’m not convinced that the old dog, the Nintendo Switch, can handle it now that its successor is coming next year. . I should know better. If the Yakuza series has taught us anything, it’s that old age doesn’t stop you from still packing a punch.

The graphical fidelity and detail of this ambitious remake are near-perfect. I sat down and compared various scenes to the PS4 version for longer than I should have, but it was still hard to pinpoint any noticeable differences in quality or performance. Colors are slightly lighter on the Switch, but the level of detail remains the same. Those familiar streets, gleaming with brightly lit signs and filled with the constant bustle of the city, feel as vibrant as ever.

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Relevant

Like a dragon’s take on pirates is very old fashioned

Modern fictional depictions of piracy are no longer as funny or fantastical as they once were. Thankfully, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios is here to remind us just how great it is.

The only time I questioned the port’s performance was during fast-moving scenes or battles with large numbers of enemies on the screen, where there was some softness and blurring. It’s not so noticeable that it ruins the experience and you have to look for it, especially in portable games. Anyone who has never played Kiwami before may not notice this.

You can’t teach an old dragon new tricks

Kiwami is a remake of the 2006 PlayStation 2 version of Yakuza, giving it a much-needed revamp and adding a ton of new content, such as new fighting styles, mini-games, side stories, and more. Now ported to a Nintendo handheld computer, the surgery worked so well that Kiwami didn’t need to go back to the doctor for another round of Botox.

Yakuza Kiwami looks identical to the PlayStation version, but its gameplay is also very faithful in some aspects. This is a port, so it’s never going to tidy up or drastically improve upon what we already know. You have to remember that this is a game that’s nearly a decade old, and it shows. No one ever expected it to be on par with the recent Yakuza: Infinite Fortune in terms of quality, but I think we take it for granted that the game is older than we remember.

We look back at them with colored glasses, hold them high, and recall their peak years. There have been so many other entries that refined and improved upon the formula that the lack of those improvements becomes even more apparent when you take a step back. I’m not even talking about all the extra shiny new features that have been added over the years. On a basic gameplay level, Kiwami looks and feels clunky.

This clunky feeling is far from disruptive, but it’s certainly noticeable. It shouldn’t disappoint anyone with a great narrative that sets the stage for the upcoming game. Besides, we’d all be sad if we stopped playing some great games just because they’re a little outdated.

The perfect entry point for the series

Kiwami is one of the few viable entry points into the series and has long been my personal recommended starting point. Kiryu Kazuma was charged with murdering the clan leader in order to cover his sworn brother Nishikiyama Akira. After serving ten years in prison, he returned to the streets of Kamurocho and found that the world was very different. His childhood friend has become his mortal enemy, and the love of his life has disappeared. As war breaks out between different factions, Kiryu finds himself dragged back into the criminal underworld while trying to uncover a larger mystery.

The series’ key combination of zany humor and heart-pounding drama remains superbly balanced, both throughout the narrative and its rich side content. Exclusive to Kiwami, Majima Everywhere added screen time and hilarious scenes to the fan-favorite character, which remains one of my favorite parts of Kiwami.

Let’s not forget, Kiwami has three of the top series of minis from Pocket Circuit, where you can customize mini kit cars and race them; Hostess Club, where you can chat with your favorite hostesses; and, of course, Kara OK. It’s a pure winner and now you can do it all on the bus or the toilet.

Kiwami is one of the components of the series. It all started with the appearance of the protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima. This prepares players to enjoy each new emotional roller coaster while embracing the tonal changes from serious to absolutely insane over the next few years. I’m glad that Switch players can now experience the beginning of the classic series and see what the rest of us have been talking about.

It’s time to welcome Nintendo to Kamurocho

This port will be the first time Western Nintendo gamers are exposed to the world of Yakuza (Japan has ports of the first two games for Wii U). I have no doubt that if successful, RGG Studio will continue to port the remaining games, and it’s not lost on me that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be in our hands when it gets its more demanding entries.

The release also coincides with Amazon’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon adaptation, which will appeal to old fans while also introducing a whole new audience to Sega’s universe. It was all planned to perfection. The Year of the Dragon is coming to an end, so get moving so you can kick off the Year of the Snake in February with my favorite snakeskin-clad thugs.

If a new fan picks up Kiwami before Yakuza: Pirates of a Dragon is released just to quickly play through the entire series, then I salute you.

Yakuza Kiwami remains one of the best stories RGG has ever told, and even a little age doesn’t diminish that. Showcasing Kiwami on another platform to welcome new fans to the fold is certainly a good thing, and it’s impressive how well it works on Switch. Best of all, now Majima Everywhere can real It’s everywhere because he just became portable.

By Yarian

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