Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami (PlayStation 4) Review

Anyone who has played the original Yakuza will immediately recall the plot to this story, but seeing how this is currently a Japanese-only title, importers beware. The core gameplay is still easy enough to follow, despite the abundance of Japanese text, but anyone who does not know the story from the PlayStation 2 original will be at a severe disadvantage without having a story guide handy. Most of the scenes are shot-for-shot remakes from the original, but with an all-new animation and glossy new visuals.

Some things have been changed, like how the homeless man who catches money has been remodelled to more closely resemble Shun Akiyama (who becomes playable in Yakuza 3) and some character roles have been expanded upon, like Goro Majima. Originally, Majima was just a reoccurring thug from Shimano with a penchant for beating people with his signature baseball bat, but after a decade worth of games, he has become a fan-favourite and his role is much more robust than it used to be.

That is not to say that Majima's expanded role interferes with the established plot - he is never forced into scenes where he doesn't belong, thankfully. Instead, Majima has become a reoccurring boss that is always testing Kazuma's abilities. These side shenanigans are what Ryu ga Gotoku: Kiwami calls "Majima Anywhere," where he is basically on patrol seeking out Kazuma for a beat down, usually in comical disguises, and will use his move-set as seen in Ryu ga Gotoku 0 (also known as Yakuza 0).

The gameplay, as always, is split up into two distinctive formats: "adventure mode," where Kazuma is free to explore his environment, partake in side-stories or mini-games, and "combat mode," which is where the beatings take place. It is pretty much structured like a Japanese RPG, with the combat sections being played out like encounters but with the signature Yakuza combat system. The fighting system has never had a high skill ceiling like Bayonetta, but it is not brain-dead like any of the Kingdom Hearts sequels, either - it manages a fair enough compromise. As the action goes on, and Kazuma learns more moves from either side-story, revelations, or just throwing down with Majima, it gets pretty outrageous with the countless ways Kazuma can fight street punks and gangsters that are activated kind of like a quick-time-event.

The basic plot is centred on Kazuma Kiryu, who takes the fall for a crime he did not commit for the sake of some people he loved. He is sent to prison and upon his release he witnesses all the change that has occurred to his friends and the iconic district of Kamurocho. Kazuma is a noble criminal with a strong sense of honour and duty to the Tojo Clan. He always manages to do the right thing and comes off as a huge badass, and a lot of this comes through thanks to his voice actor, Takaya Kuroda, who has truly brought a warm quality to this character over the years, despite speaking a language most English speaking fans do not understand. He comes off as fatherly, cool, suave, and can even be pretty funny, too, all while beating the teeth out of dozens of creeps, punks, and thugs. He is like a warrior-poet in many ways and can even eclipse figures like Big Boss in terms of machismo.

The original Yakuza was easily the shortest of the series, seeing how it was a strange experiment from SEGA at the time, and since its inception there has been an entry in the franchise every year. Since these games re-use the older assets while building on them (adding new districts, mini-games, rooftops, sewers, and so on), the worlds grew more dense, and since Kiwami is a faithful remake, sadly it does limit itself in many regards in terms of scope. Only Kazuma is playable, yet he does retain his gameplay mechanics as seen in Yakuza 0 where he has four different fighting styles, which can be switched on the fly, like controlling Dante in Devil May Cry 4.

Another restriction is that Kiwami is also back to only one district (Kamurocho), none of the expanded areas, as seen in the sequels, actually accessible. Even some of the meta-games in the arcades have been scaled back a bit and are recycled. What Ryu ga Gotoku: Kiwami lacks in terms of the density of the sequels, however, it makes up for in its abundance of side-stories that have been remixed a bit, with some new surprises for those who think they knew the original Yakuza. There are also a lot of new side-stories, many of which will be just impossible to complete without any knowledge of Japanese language or an updated guide that includes the new scenarios within.

Kiwami is a tricky recommendation considering there is the original game out there already, which is in English, yet the gameplay of this remake is up to date with all the fancy bells and whistles, as seen in the later entries. The best aspect is that it will be the ideal way for casual observers who were curious before to finally have the best way to get into this series… should it get localised for the West, of course. With Yakuza 0 actually getting localised soon, though, it will make Kiwami only truly suitable for hardcore Yakuza fans who already know the story of the first game. For those who want to relive the beginning of this 10-year saga with glorious 60 frames per second, and latest engine in the series, Kiwami is a worthy and impressive remake of a classic game that feels like it's brand new.