Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties review

Originally appearing on PlayStation 3 in Japan back in February 2009, and later localized for a pared back European and North American release in March 2010, Yakuza 3 was an exciting third act for the franchise with a more personal tale and a new setting Okinawa in addition to Kamurocho. Now, Yakuza Kiwami 3 has arrived as a full-blown remake of the original game, with various improvements and refinements under the hood. Alongside it comes a new tale dubbed Dark Ties, featuring a whole new prequel story centered around the antagonist of Yakuza 3, Yoshitaka Mine. Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is no doubt a seismic offering for jubilant Yakuza fans ready to rediscover Yakuza 3, and while it'll likely be gratifying for newcomers, veterans might be less-satisfied with the overall package here.  

Yakuza Kiwami 3 is larger than the original ever was, and has been meaningfully and impressively expanded and upgraded with new cutscenes, new substories, and a rejuvenated allure that'll compel you to play it through again. Yakuza Kiwami 3 tells the story of series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, who attempts to give up his life as a Yakuza so he can live in peace with his adopted daughter while looking after his orphanage. However, Kiryu's orphanage is under threat of destruction by the military under orders of Yoshitaka Mine.

Meanwhile, Dark Ties is a brand new prequel adventure set before the events of Yakuza Kiwami 3, following the exploits of the antagonist Yoshitaka Mine as he rises from a failed business owner to full-blown Yakuza. Mine brokers a deal with bald-headed ladies pest Tsuyoshi Kanda to gain a major foothold in the Tojo Clan. Together, Mine and Kanda become ride-or-die brothers, and Mine helps Kanda minimize his torrid reputation in Kamurocho. Dark Ties is a brief, three-chapter story, but it's still quite pleasing as a side dish because the content is sumptuous.  

The stories of Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties do a great job of complementing each other. While Yakuza Kiwami 3 follows a Yakuza gangster wanting to get  out of the criminal underworld but is forced back into it, Dark Ties is about a man ascending in power and prominence within that criminal underworld. Kiwami 3 is the much larger and longer tale, but Dark ties does a good job existing as an abridged aside to engross you in the the overarching Yakuza 3 narrative.

A revised and expanded version of Yakuza 3, Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a much juicier experience than the original ever was, featuring a pristine visual upgrade with standard 60fps gameplay, as well as a deluge of enhancements that radically improve on what came before. Such improvements include brand new cutscenes, greater interactions with children at the Morning Glory orphanage, and a new "Daddy System" that jettisons the tiresome chore-heavy idiosyncrasies of the original with a playful minigame-heavy alternative. Yakuza Kiwami 3 injects the fervor-tinged spirit of modern Yakuza games to the  weathered sixteen-year-old original.

One of the biggest mechanics added to Dark Ties is the "Damage Control" system, which encourages Mine to perform activities to help the citizens of Kamurocho during their times of need. You could be fending off a gaggle of thugs disturbing the peace, or carrying out subtle favours for Tokyo citizens. Every time you successfully help out citizens, Mine's rank improves and Kanda's villainous reputation will steadily decline. It's a cool system which makes the most of the duo's storyline convergence. There are also Damage Control Projects you can undertake, such as homeless outreach, graffitti eradication or several peculiar requests. These provide you with sizable monetary rewards for completing them, and are too good to pass up.

Dark Ties is certainly a more serious and business-like addition to the Yakuza 3 whole, which may seem flat and too rigid for some players. We're used to seeing plenty of flamboyance in Yakuza games, but Dark Ties barely feels unorthodox and it comes across as chromatic as a result. However, considering Dark Ties is the smaller of the two experiences, it is forgivable that it isn't quite as zany as its larger and beefier counterpart.

An undeniable evolution of Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties is the refined combat system. The rigidity and awkwardness of the original game's style has been given the kibosh, and in its place is a more fluid and exacting version of the Dragon of Dojima style. Along with it is the weapon-based Ryukyu variant that brings an extra layer of brutality to combat as Kiryu can utilize weapons to perform ferocious moves and combos. The result is a lively and far more unpredictable and exciting combat system than the series has seen before.

Shoot Boxing is a discipline which is introduced in Dark Ties, which isn't quite as flashy as Kiryu's, but the deadliness of it brings a ruthless edge to the already lethal combat martial arts we're used to seeing in Yakuza games. The new Dark Awakening empowerment ensures fists fly with concise and vicious aggression. Shoot Boxing coheres very well with the grittier story tone of Dark Ties as well, meaning there's no messing around with super-stylish attacks. Therefore, the business of dolling out blunt-force trauma in Dark Ties is preferred  to the swagger and ostentatious style typified by the Dragon of Dojima martial arts techniques.

On top of the new fighting style and main content features of Dark Ties, there are a couple of strange but worthwhile additions to Dark Ties that pack a wallop. First is the new roguelite Survival Hell, which plonks Mine into dungeons along with a teammate,  to fend off waves of mercenaries,  locate crates containing specialized items, and unlock doors to the next area. Mine must use all the weapons at his disposal to fend off both regular enemies and Master Keepers (strong door guardians) while searching frantically for the exit under a time limit, which can be extended if you're swift at opening doorways.

Hellish Brawls accompany Survival Hell as part of the underground fighting scene in Dark Ties, and these put you through a series of powerful foes you must defeat, ranging from an easy three-set of opponents to a remorselessly aggressive assortment that'll beat you down and make Mine look as useful in a fight as Jake Paul with no limbs.

While by no means essential to story progress, Survival Hell and Hellish Brawls are great ways to keep you playing and progressing through Dark Ties. Survival Hell can be sprinted through if you don't want to waste time with weekend enemies, so it's not like you need to engage in fisticuffs with everyone you come across, and Hellish Brawls might live up to its name too literally, but they both serve as good incentives to maximize your enjoyment of Dark Ties.

If you've been waiting with great anticipation for Yakuza Kiwami 3, then you won't be disappointed with what it has in store for you. This remake has brought Yakuza 3 right up to modern standards; it's been unshackled from its stiffer and more unpleasant aspects for the sake of a more joyous offering that caters to the Yakuza franchise's best qualities in recent years. The new Dark Ties story adds meaningfully to the overall story of Yakuza 3 as well, and almost feels like its own distinctive entity. Dark Ties might seem a bit too serious, and the Yakuza Kiwami 3 doesn't do all that much to surprise outside of bringing an old game into the modern realm, but the value for money here is excellent and you'll be very pleased to take on Yakuza 3 again in its most complete form.