Review: Yakuza Kiwami 3 Remake Doesn’t Replace the Remaster

I got so excited about Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2. As former PS2 titles, the remakes really felt like merited. They ended up getting extra story beats, quality of life changes, improved battle systems, and both the Majima Everywhere system and Majima Saga additional storyline. The new additions felt compelling, as though they enhanced two already amazing games. The PS3’s Yakuza 3 is one of the entries I found weakest. While the more widespread release and extra content in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a plus, it doesn’t feel like the remake makes the remaster obsolete.

The Kazuma Kiryu storyline in Yakuza Kiwami 3 is the epitome of The Godfather 3’s “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” He finally seems to be living a peaceful life as head of Morning Glory orphanage in Ryukyu, Okinawa, far from Kamurocho and Tokyo’s corruption. It doesn’t last! A dispute about what will happen to the waterfront land and desire by yakuza families and other officials to do things like build a resort or work on a military base expansion. While Tojo Family Patriarch Daigo Dojima isn’t cooperating and Kiryu is pushing back, assassination attempts on Ryudo Family Patriarch Shigeru Nakahara and Dojima lead to him heading back to Kamurocho to investigate the incident, look into Goh Hamazaki, Tsuyoshi Kanda, and Yoshitaka Mine, and save the orphanage. 

Meanwhile, the new Dark Ties storyline is a shorter experience that acts as a prequel to explain how Yoshitaka Mine went from a head of a company to part of both the Nishikiyama and Tojo. After his betrayal at the business he started, an encounter with Daigo Dojima influenced what he decided he wanted for himself next. And if that meant spending money he’d earned from his start-up to get Kanda to give him an “in” into the underworld, he’d do it. Once he’s in, it’s about making a name for himself and rising to the role we know he holds in the main campaign.

While the Yakuza 3 narrative is generally fine, it’s not one of my favorites in the series and the take on Kiryu’s story in this Kiwami remake doesn’t change that. When it comes to this arc, I’m of the opinion that Yakuza 0 is best, followed by 4, 6, 5, and the original Kiwami. I do appreciate moments when Kiryu gets to interact with the kids a lot, but I also feel like the storyline and direction don’t feel as strong compared to other installments. Spoilers aside, the narrative adjustments and additions that did come up didn’t always help what was already present. Not to mention tabbing over to the Substories section of the Task list once I got into Kiryu’s second chapter and only seeing 31 listed ended up giving me quite a shock. (The ones there do feel handled pretty well, but I do miss the wider variety the original offered sometimes since it made areas feel more alive.) Likewise, I don’t particularly find Mine is as charismatic or compelling as other villains like Sohei Dojima, Daisaku Kuze, Tsukasa Sagawa, Ryuji Goda, and of course Akira Nishikiyama. 

As a result, the Dark Ties storyline in Yakuza Kiwami 3 also didn’t grab me in the same way other Kiwami remake additions did. While it is more robust than The Majima Saga and there are times when Mine’s machinations are fascinating to watch, I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much. Seeing him become Tsuyoshi Kanda’s sworn brother, seeing the Nishikiyama Family again, and watching the influence Daigo Dojima had on his new life has its moments, especially since the Kanda Damage Control elements can be fun as we see him get “rehabilitated,” but I didn’t find the character and his story as charismatic in this prequel. Of course, this is because I’m coming in not being the biggest fan of that particular character, and people with more affinity for him might enjoy Dark Ties more. 

In terms of gameplay, the Kiryu storyline is traditional Yakuza experience. He’ll be going through both Ryukyu and Kamurocho, with the former offering activities at Morning Glory orphanage and Haisai Girls Bad Boy Dragon elements and the latter being the city we know and love from past entries. The former is more about minigames and building up Daddy Rank by connecting with the kids, while the latter is a a Clan Creator-like experience that involves recruiting, managing the delinquents, and fighting foes. The battle system borrows from more modern Kiwami remakes and releases with skill trees to adjust abilities and strengths, his traditional Dragon of Dojima fighting style, and the Ryukyu fighting style. Essentially, RGG went with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach. In a nod to other entries, it is possible to go with a lesser difficulty or turn on an assist mode for some special attacks. The Game Gear is present as the retro system highlighted, and there’s a cell phone decoration system that allows us to give some buffs by adjusting Kiryu’s cell phone charms and accessories. 

With Dark Ties, I sort of feel like the focus is more on fighting for a number of reasons. The Kanda Damage Control sidequests can feel like quick missions that can involve delivering items or certain attacks. But a big part of his storyline also involves Hell’s Arena. Mine’s combat system differs from Kiryu’s in that he’s basically a boxer and will be able to use temporary Dark Awakenings for stronger attacks. The typical roaming thugs and Helping the Little People fights can be more traditional encounters. The Hellish Brawls can feel more like 1v1 boss fights, especially since these are timed. The Survival Hell mode ended up being my favorite part, as its roguelike elements meant collecting different weapons and gospels could give Mine boosts to do better and survive the enemies chasing him down. 

Now, I did play Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties with the day one graphics patch applied. This also included some localization updates. The biggest changes here seem to be in Ryukyu, as we’ve already seen past Yakuza Kiwami remakes tackle Kamurocho admirably. I will say there is a marked difference and it does look better than it did before the patch and in the demo. However, and this might sound silly, but I still am quite fond of the way everything looks in the remaster. The character models are better and more details, but this is perhaps one of those situations where I feel like Yakuza 3 Remastered, which will be delisted following this release, has its own merits. I’m sure after this releases, there will be people on both sides who appreciate different versions, but I think I liked the appearance of the more classic more. 

Another knock against Yakuza 3 Kiwami & Dark Ties is the inclusion of Teruyuki Kagawa and use of his likeness for Goh Hamazaki. He repeatedly sexually harassed and assaulted women in Japan, even admitting his actions toward a hostess in one instance. Director Ryosuke Horii then explained in a Game Watch interview that the casting was purposeful and used because of the element of being a “creep.” It’s disappointing. Especially since I enjoyed George Takahashi’s portrayal of the character more. 

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is generally fine, but I found it a less exciting remake than the ones for Yakuza 1 and 2. There are certain narrative and design decision elements that left me feeling the remaster of this could be more enjoyable sometimes. And while the Yoshitaka Mine storyline does offer some insights, the enjoyment someone would get out of it is really dependent on how much the player likes that particular character. In short, it’s a situation in which the remake does offer some benefits like quality of life combat adjustments and greater reach, but doesn’t totally replace the original game or remaster.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties will be available on the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on February 12, 2026, and a demo is available.