My first foray into
the yakuza franchise was Yakuza 0 on the PC.
I was tickled by the extremely odd side quests, while being interested
in the much more serious main story arch, full of betrayal, violence and a code
of ethics that I wasn't used to. While
not perfect (and some… problematic story beats), Yakuza 0 was a great entry
point into the series and made me a fan of the Yakuza franchise.
With that in mind, I
was excited when Kiwami was released for the PC. And couldn't wait to dive back into the
underbelly of organized crime that is Yakuza.
Since this was released after 0, I expected at least the same level of
competency, or perhaps the series would reach greater heights. So did Yakuza Kiwami reach my lofty
expectations? Nope, but it's still worth
playing
I'll avoid spoilers
as much as I can, but Kiwami sees you once again controlling the enigmatic
Kazuma Kiryu. Kiryu is at the same time
the most closed… and open minded game character I've ever played. In some quests, he has a live and let live
attitude and is willing to try anything.
Other times, Kiryu's stoic demeanor and traditional ethics are at the
forefront. One thing is for sure, Kiryu
will risk life and limb for just about anyone who asks.
One thing to note is
that Kiwami is a remake of the original Yakuza game for the Playstation 2. The team at Sega did an admirable job of
making the game feel new, but some of underlying bones still creaked under the
lens of a modern game. The games pacing
can be extremely uneven. Sometimes going
through long stretches of fight after fight, then getting story heavy or
steering you towards sidequests for long stretches at a time. The story is also filled with relics of a by
gone age, with women having no agency other than being whores, or damsels in
distress. In one case, you are looking
for a specialist, and in a surprise plot twist, it's a WOMEN. Who'd have thunk
it?
There were some
downgrades going from Yakuza 0 to Kiwami.
The side quests were no where near as outlandish as in 0, and nothing
reaching the level of absurdity of Mr. Erection. The side activities were also not as
engaging, and not as complex as the Real Estate or Club running of 0.
I wish that while
upgrading the graphics, Sega would also have tweaked some of the boss battles
in the game. The very first battle is an
absolute slog fest. The boss has multiple
levels of health, and heals himself. You
have absolutely no moves at your disposal being so early in the game, so it's a
matter of a slow attrition. Near the end
of the game, there is a battle against 2 gun wielding enemies and a boss that
made me want to break my controller in half.
This was even with me being maxed out in all abilities.
In a game that
features characters shrugging off bullet wounds, and channeling kinetic energy
into super human feats of strength, perhaps the thing hardest to believe is the
portrayal of the 9 year old girl in the game.
She is a 40 year old, in a 9 year old body. She sees things that would have a New York
policeman in therapy and handles it with the aplomb of a seasoned war vet. As someone who has trouble getting my 9 year
old to brush his teeth, see this mythically well behaved child was a bit of a
stretch.
I think this came
off a little more negative than I originally intended. It's only in comparison to the great Yakuza 0
that Kiwami's warts become more apparent.
In its own right, this was a fantastic game that I very much enjoyed
playing.
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