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Sega is making up for lost time with its run of Switch and Switch 2 Yakuza releases, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the latest entry taking its turn. The good news is, it works well on the Switch 2! It is as welcome and competent an addition as Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut. If you already own a copy elsewhere, there’s no real reason to double dip, but it’s a great addition to the library of a system that’s only just getting games in this series.
Kazuma Kiryu seemed like he earned a chance at a peaceful life after the events of the original Yakuza Kiwami. He’s forever connected to the Dojima and Tojo, of course. But he’s raising Haruka Sawamura now and perhaps getting a chance at a normal life. By perhaps, I mean definitely not, as Tojo Chairman Yukio Terada comes to him to for aid in halting a potential war against the Omi Alliance. When Terada is assassinated by the members of the Omi’s Go-Ryu Clan, Kiryu gets pulled back in proper as he looks to bring Daigo Dojima, son of Sohei Dojima, back in as the new chairman while also dealing with Go-Ryu leader and Dragon of Kansai Ryuji Goda.
Meanwhile, on the Goro Majima side of things, we get a dedicated campaign for him in Yakuza Kiwami 2 on the Switch 2. It deals with the him dealing with additional Tojo Can reformation, the assassination of Akinobu Uematsu. This sends him around Kamurocho and Sotenbori in the same way Kiryu is during his storyline, as he deals with his own lose ends, closes out a storyline from Yakuza 0, and heads toward his future with Majima Construction.
Before I get into this proper, I want to establish something. The Switch 2 version of Yakuza Kiwami 2 isn’t like the Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut. This is the version of the existing game, just on another console.
To start, I really adore the story in Yakuza Kiwami 2 and think it shows a real sense of progression both in terms of the Tojo family’s growth, Kiryu and Majima’s identities, and the rivalry with the Omi Alliance. While Majima is depicted as something of a rival in the original Yakuza, he ends up a friendly one. I love Ryuji Goda as a character for his passion, determination, and background that almost feels like it parallels Kiryu’s own origins and personality. Not to mention the fights between them and the fact that he doesn’t resort to cheap tactics help this rivalry and storyline stand out. Add to it the influence of Daigo Dojima and his role, and it leads to a narrative that feels on par with the original. I’d even say sometimes the substories and main missions are a bit entertaining and better.
In terms of progression, Yakuza Kiwami 2 feels a lot like the previous game, only with Kamurocho and Sotenburi as cities to explore. Mainline missions involve a lot of exposition with insight and pretty fantastic Japanese voice acting. Substories deliver a lot of heartfelt moments and silly scenes. There is still the Cabaret to run, classic minigames like the batting cages, darts, golf, and karaoke return. Club Sega is still there as an arcade, with games like Virtua Fighter there. We can also connect with Haruka during some parts. Battles are the active beat’em ups we remember, with Kiryu relying upon the Dragon style for Heat Actions, rush combos and harder hitting attacks, and Charge Attacks being a staple for dealing more powerful versions of standard light and heavy attacks.
Since we are dealing with a Switch 2 version of Yakuza Kiwami 2, which we already know is a pretty great entry in the series, the real question here is how this version holds up. In terms of visuals, it looks pretty good! I think it is better looking than Yakuza Kiwami on the original Switch. However, I don’t think we’re hitting the PS5 and PC heights at parts, and I felt it visually seemed more comparable to the PS4 version when it came to the Switch 2 version.
Likewise, I feel it’s on par with that for performance. Framerate does seem like it dips a bit when there are a lot of enemies present in smaller spaces with lots of possible items to pick up for attacks. It’s generally stable when wandering around Kamurocho and Sotenburi, taking on typical challenges. It seemed like the framerate also remained consistent when going through a minigame or substory.
The Switch 2 port of Yakuza Kiwami 2 is an absolutely fine option for a newcomer to go with when picking up entries in the series. The story offers its own complexities and can go a little deeper into some nuances now that we’re familiar with Kazuma Kiryu and yakuza clans in general. The combat flows and includes upgrades from later entries and Kiwami releases. We’re able to go to Kamurocho and Sotenbori. Goro Majima gets his own campaign. While the appearance and performance is closer to the PS4 version of Yakuza Kiwami 2 than the PS5 one, it still runs fairly well and looks good on the Switch 2. It’s a handy way to catch up.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is available on the Switch 2. You can also find it on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Yakuza Kiwami 2
The Switch 2 port of Yakuza Kiwami 2 is an absolutely fine option for a newcomer to go with when picking up entries in the series. Switch 2 version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.
