REVIEW : Yakuza Kiwami 2 (XBOX One)
The Yakuza series sits at an unusual place in 2018, tossing two different points in the series timeline. The western release of prequel Yakuza 0 in 2017 was a dazzling gateway for a brand-new wave of players and flowed naturally into a remake of the very first game later that year. The next title that followed, however, was Yakuza 6, which bid goodbye to mainstay hero Kazuma Kiryu while introducing the brand new “Dragon” game engine. Yakuza 6 was a grand finale to a saga that began in 2006, but now, the series has taken another 10-year leap backwards in terms of narrative chronology but has taken its latest technology with it. And it’s fortuitous things worked out this way, because Yakuza Kiwami 2 blends the best parts of both timelines, as we together revisit the point in time where the series hit its stride while being able to experience the superior benefits of a seamless world and fluid combat system afforded by the latest engine.
The original Yakuza 2 is more than just a personal favourite; it’s where the series became more ambitious in terms of its world and narrative by introducing an additional location for the first time, the iconic Osakan strip of Dotonbori in addition to Kabukicho in Tokyo. This not only added variety and scope to its geography and narrative but memorable personalities with its Osakan characters. Their demeanour contrasts greatly to Tokyo natives, and this plays into the tensions between the major crime organizations in the Kansai and Kanto regions, respectively. Kiryu teams up with ace Osakan detective Kaoru Sayama for the majority of the game, who is a strong, likeable character–their odd-couple pairing and growing relationship are some of the things that make Yakuza 2 so exceptional. Supporting them are the familiar Makoto Date and his hardened past mentor, Jiro Kawara, who all play exciting roles with great performances. It’s here where you can see the strong foundations for the multi-protagonist approach that the series would later take, and in general, Kiwami 2’s script is tweaked slightly to be a little more self-reflective from the lens of a present-day retrospective.
In typical series fashion, the majority of the story is told through highly charged, emotional cutscenes that lean heavily on the beats of Japanese drama, and they are as slow-paced as they are impressive to look at. However, Yakuza 2’s plot has the benefit of being one of the more exciting and memorable of the series–there’s an unforgettably gruff and showy antagonist in Ryuji Goda, the “Dragon of Kansai” that stands in staunch opposition to Kiryu’s “Dragon of Dojima” moniker, several intriguing twists as a multinational blood feud is uncovered, some heavy-set themes about the value of loyalty and being shaped by your past, as well as some of the series’ absurdly excellent moments, like punching a lunging tiger in the face. It’s truly wonderful to see this PlayStation 2-era experience elevated to modern standards; sharp cinematics and high-fidelity models really amplify familiar performances through subtle facial expressions and body language.
But unsurprisingly, character models featured in secondary cutscenes and the game’s numerous substory side quests exhibit a perceptible drop in quality. But to Kiwami 2’s credit, the baseline fidelity of secondary models has notably enhanced they aren’t as jarringly awful as they were in Yakuza 6, but Kiwami 2 sadly doesn’t feature full voice acting in all of its situations as 6 did. There are a few admirable exceptions to these rules, however, as a few of the game’s most infamous substories get full cinematic treatment.
Kiwami 2 also highlights two more substantial minigames featuring real-life Japanese characters. One is the Cabaret Club Grand Prix, a refined variant of the hostess club control concept seen in Yakuza 0, and the other is a much-improved variant of the underwhelming Clan Creator top-down strategy minigame from Yakuza 6, now with a tower-defence twist. Both of these minigame iterations have been modified to have a greater focus on fast-paced, real-time micromanagement and smart decision making, making them more engaged and much more exciting as attractions to potential funding in.
There are no substories, and enemy encounters are predetermined as large group battles at certain roadblocks on the map, as well as one-on-one battles with Street Bosses, which you’ll also find in Kiryu’s campaign.
Without long-term goal or flexibility, Majima’s flamboyant knife fighting style, which surprises initially with a couple of interesting heat moves, becomes old fast. His acrobatic moves don’t have the identical satisfying impact as Kiryu’s, and it seldom feels like you’re in full control. While that may suit his character perfectly, without the ability to pick up items or throw enemies, it’s difficult to keep things interesting for yourself here. The money you earn from defeating enemies in this mode can be transferred to Kiryu in the form of valuable items, and Majima has his own unique karaoke song worth seeing. But the interactive parts of his mini-campaign feel like an unnecessary grind to see story cinematics–which are the places where he really gets to shine, and the only good reason for swapping to Majima Saga. Overall, it’s a missed opportunity.
REVIEW : Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4/ PS4 Pro)
