Yakuza Kiwami 3 + Dark Ties Hands-On -- The Dragon Engine Can Still Provide Beautiful Remakes

Date: 2025-09-25 22:28:00

I still can't believe this is really happening. Longtime Yakuza fans can finally delete all their sad tweet drafts after the recent Ryu Ga Gotoku Summit, because Yakuza Kiwami 3 is real and, from what we've seen, it offers way more than anyone expected.I played the original Yakuza 3 after Kiwami 1 and 2 because I wanted to experience the series in chronological order, but going back to a time when the series was less technically capable right after the two gorgeous Dragon Engine remakes ended up being a challenge. Yakuza 3 was released back in 2009, and the gameplay now feels considerably broken and outdated from a modern standpoint. The difficulty scaling in boss fights felt unfair and most of the time, I ended up intensely button mashing through battles, hoping to finally break blocks before getting annihilated with just a few hits. Outside of fighting the game felt slow and clunky. I wanted to enjoy Kiryu's downtime in Okinawa, but the dragged-out interactions almost ruined the experience for me, not to mention those early '00s face models when the gaming industry couldn't quite figure out what a child looks like.However, the game managed to save itself for me by having one of the most heartfelt stories in Kiryu's saga, with memorable characters that fans still gush about today. My experience may have been frustrating at times, but those rare, peaceful moments Kiryu spent with the orphans and his relationships with other Yakuza 3-exclusive characters are still some of my biggest highlights in the whole series.Continue Reading at GameSpot

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