As a fan of Yakuza, I recommended a series from Ryu Gotok Studio, also known as RGG, to many people, but it has long been associated with one great reservation: Yakuza 3. It is not that there is something wrong, but with high quality alterations of the first games in the series, and more newfangled and refining graphics and a range of creative, it has a bit, Duck, looking and playing worse than games before and after. However, with the detainees Yakuza Kiwami 3 and obscure tiesTwin Pack connecting the converted Yakuza 3 with a up-to-date accompanying game that may soon change. I had the opportunity to play both on the Tokyo Game Show 2025, and I was impressed by how much RGG Studio was trying to improve and develop the original.
Yakuza Kiwami 3
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is not only a port port; It’s a full remake. Everything is rebuilt, from graphics to fight to up-to-date cutscenes and voice acting – including newfangled interception of movement to better revive heroes. While it will continue to follow the story of Yakuza 3, some scenes will be played differently or expand. This is an ambitious program, but probably the right one, which has a 16-year game of newfangled audience.
My practical chopping wood starting with Kazum Kyrau before the orphanage of morning glory, where he was brought up and now runs in Okinawa. Contemporary graphics look great when it swayes with an ax, and its sweat shines in a clear 4K (for those who are in such things). After the events of Yakuza 2, he moved from being Yakuza and tries to lead a peaceful life in an orphanage. There is more and more notification about the eviction, and Kiryu goes to the city to confront the boss of the Ryudo family, the owners of the land where the orphan is built. He falls into Rikiya Shimabukuro, a member of the Ryudo clan and of course there is a fight, giving us the first taste Updated battle system.
Kiriyu has two combat styles to be used. The first of them is Dragon of Dojima, his classic ranging style, mixing blows, kicks, throws and environmental weapons such as street signs, road cones, and even a strange bike when the opportunity appears. It is as flashy as always, and charging Kiriyu’s heat meter to make brutal finalists, such as breaking the chair into an opponent (in this case Rikiya’s head) will never get venerable. However, real magic appears when I go to his up-to-date style of Ryukyu. This style is rooted in the okinawan culture and when using it Kiryu combine by eight different weapons, such as a tonfa pair, weighted chain or, my personal favorite paddle. I put down my opponent with a mixture of all the above, which was enough to convince Rikiya to direct me towards the place where you can find your boss.
This opened an opportunity for a bit of an open world exploration, which I used fully, discovering the nearby street market, beating some Ruffans with the crowbar and taking a quick round of golf mini-gier. Okinawa looks great on a newfangled engine, and moving around the area was very elementary thanks to the up-to-date street Surfer MK. 0, similar to Segway, which Kiryu seems to be able to recall from the air to get quick joy. By enlarging this by vanishly, to beat the grease from some goats with my compact shield (also part of the Ryukyu set), and then a quick getaway was so yakuza in the best way.
In the end I noticed the main story. When Rikiya escorts me to his headquarters, we interrupt our confusion when a competing family destroys the local market, taking the hostage of the store owner. Kiriyu, a sweet guy, agrees to aid, which leads to a huge nine vs-dwo in a compact circuit when he and Rikiya accept the boss and his butlers. It really showed how much more improved the fight, because I could take advantage of glossy movement and avoiding, creating windows to hit bad guys and escape, with a glossy double team of one destitute friend eating a massive kick in the face from Kirya when he is stopped by Rikiya.
My time in Yakuza Kiwami 3 ended there, but I barely outlined the surface of everything that up-to-date, coming to him. There will be more personal moments with supporting characters, time spent on conducting daily operations in an orphanage and childcare, even a up-to-date team battle mode in which you build your own motorcycle gang to fight for turf with others.
Dark bonds
The greater surprise of Yakuza Kiwami 3 was the disclosure of Dark Ties, a completely up-to-date story of a companion with the main game. This puts you in the role of Yoshitak Mine, antagonist Yakuza 3. Dark Ties includes the creation of my disgraced businessman, driven from his own technological startup to the head of the underground, who acts as Kazuma foil in Yakuza 3.
His story begins with my reflection on his life and loneliness, which led him to strive for wealth and influence. It happens that he is a witness to a deadly struggle between competing Yakuza families and seeing the bond of men ready to die for his boss, Daigo Dojima, acts as a catalyst, and decides to see if he can find the same loyalty in the criminal underground world.
My demo takes place at the beginning of the game, and the mine tracks Tsuyoshi Kanda, the infamous Yakuza just released from prison. Mine hopes that Kanda will be his entry point to start his own growth, although like Yakuza’s tradition, you don’t go more than a few early steps before some punk decide to fight. Apparently my suitcase looks exorbitant and want everything that is inside. Bad decision.
The basic battle system is more or less the same as Yakuza 3, but with several significant twists and turns. My fighting style is very different from Kiryu, relying largely on swift boxing combinations, technical wrestling movements and up-to-date air attacks. He can jump and plant the foot on the chest of one enemy, and then jump to the other, throwing injuries around when it provides a number of flying movements, such as jumps or fights in the air. They look very cold and make fun planning in advance when you throw away enemies that you can catch and jump.
In addition to the standard heat meter, which is filled to enable special movements, mine has three chain hearts that fill up when it lands. When at least one is full, it can activate a powerful reinforced mode called Dark Awakening. It works like a up-to-date combat style, with a different movement that releases extremely powerful attacks. You can activate more than one combined heart, increasing the power of obscure awakening. This is a nice twist so that the Mine game is more pronounced, and rage for its composed outer outer position fits his form well.
It quickly became clear that these punks chose the wrong suitcase to try to catch, because I knocked them senselessly to the shouts of onlookers, who witnessed an attempt to attack. With Ruffans service, I have the opportunity to go to prison to track down Kanda or kill some time to explore the city. This pathetic mission seems essential, so of course … immediately go Karaoke to sing a song. Hey, it’s Yakuza after all. I rent a room and my heart and soul into his solo, which is really entertaining, considering his normally extremely stoic nature. I will press the rhythm on the buttons, ensuring perfect performance that matches my man’s talents.
Determined by my outstanding singing, I decide that it’s time to get to the business and try to tie a taxi to a prison in which a kanda is released. Another group of punks tries to stop me (nothing fireman, and then a quick kick in the face could not solve), and I will be outside the prison when Kanda pulls frustration on his miserable, two -speed warm committee. Kanda is without a penny, his unit of the Yakuza family was disgraced. When mine drinks him through the streets of Kamurocho, my practical time ends when he circles the corner to meet his future right man for the first time.
As the fun of a good history of organized crime, I am definitely intrigued to see how much we can witness, how my internal Vito Corleone and the construction of his crime from scratch, especially if it means the right time of bromance with the mine and diago. The fact that he is part of the Package with Yakuza Kiwami 3 is great and I am excited, seeing how it all turns out when Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties seem to be on February 12, 2026.
