Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Review – Why is it Always Real Estate

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Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has consistently released new Like a Dragon games, spin-offs, and remakes, but some of the older titles don’t play as well today. New players starting with the Yakuza series will notice a clear improvement in gameplay quality from Yakuza 0 through Kiwami 2, but Yakuza 3 feels noticeably different and less polished. It wasn’t a bad game at the time of its 2009 release, but its combat and pacing haven’t held up as well as other parts of the game. Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties fixes this by updating the gameplay to modern standards and expanding the story of a popular character, Yoshitaka Mine, through the Dark Ties expansion.

I’ve been playing Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties on the PS5, putting in over 10 hours on the main game and 3+ hours on Dark Ties. In Kiwami 3, I spent a lot of time exploring Okinawa, learning the new combat system, and trying out the side activities. With Dark Ties, I was more focused on the main story. It’s important to know that Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties are essentially separate games with their own saves and progress. I’d suggest finishing Kiryu’s story in Kiwami 3 before starting Dark Ties because Mine’s story contains spoilers. Given how twisty Yakuza games can be, I won’t reveal anything about the plot beyond the early parts.

Yakuza 3 has a fantastic story, but many players found the beginning of the game to be slow and drag on.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 continues the story immediately after Yakuza 2. Daigo Dojima is now the head of the Tojo Clan, but the clan is still struggling to recover from the conflicts of Yakuza 2, particularly the damage inflicted by Ryuji Goda’s Go-Ryu Clan and the Korean Jingweon Mafia. Meanwhile, Kiryu has had enough of the yakuza life and decides to start fresh by running an orphanage, Morning Glory, in Okinawa – a world away from the dangerous streets of Kamurocho.

Kiryu settles into life as a caretaker at the orphanage, and things are peaceful for a while. However, he’s soon pulled back into the criminal world because of a complicated land dispute. Shigeru Nakahara, the friendly head of the Ryudo family who owns the orphanage property, is being forced to sell it. At the same time, Daigo is also being pressured by members of the Tojo Clan to get involved in the deal. The situation escalates when both Nakahara and Daigo are shot, and Kiryu is forced to leave his peaceful life behind and return to the dangerous world of the Tojo Clan, uncovering a much larger conflict that extends beyond Okinawa.

The story in Yakuza 3 is generally considered excellent, but the original game was criticized for starting slowly. Players spend a significant amount of time getting settled in Okinawa before the main plot really begins. Once the story does pick up, it becomes quite complex, eventually involving both the Japanese and US governments. Kiwami 3 doesn’t fix the slow start if you only focus on the main story, but it does offer many more side activities that let you build a connection to the Morning Glory business, making the story feel more personal. As with other Yakuza games, the serious plot is balanced by fun and often bizarre side quests, which add humor and heart to the otherwise complicated and dark main storyline.

The new expansion, Dark Ties, offers a unique perspective on the character Mine. While his rise to power felt sudden in the original game, Dark Ties lets you play through the events that led to his position, showing you exactly how he achieved it. There are some genuinely enjoyable moments, particularly involving Tsuyoshi Kanda. However, the expansion doesn’t significantly impact the main story. Mine’s appeal stemmed from his personality and the mystery surrounding his background, and while Dark Ties doesn’t diminish that, it doesn’t feel essential either. It’s essentially extra story content for players who have finished the main Yakuza Kiwami 3 campaign.

The narrative in Yakuza 3 is fantastic, but many players felt the game started slowly and took a while to pick up.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties sticks to the classic Yakuza formula. You’ll spend a lot of time exploring locations like Okinawa and Kamurocho, moving between story missions and fun side activities – things like helping people with problems, playing arcade games, or singing karaoke. You’ll often take a beating, so stopping at a restaurant to recover is a good idea. Expect plenty of fighting, as you’ll frequently run into thugs while exploring the cities.

The combat system has been significantly improved, building on Kiryu’s fighting style from previous games like Yakuza 6, Like a Dragon Gaiden, and Yakuza Kiwami 3. Kiryu feels great to control, and despite being in his 40s, he’s still a formidable fighter. He now has a new weapon-based fighting style utilizing traditional Okinawan arms. This style is versatile because the weapons you use depend on the combos you perform. The Ryukyu Style focuses on Okinawan weaponry, giving Kiryu a more technical, weapon-focused moveset that works well with his updated fighting style. I especially enjoyed using combos that caused bleeding to wear down tough bosses, and the moves that broke through enemy guards, which were helpful against those who constantly blocked my attacks.

The fighting in Kiwami 3 is a significant improvement over Yakuza 3. The original game often had long battles because enemies were very difficult to break through. While enemies didn’t have a lot of health, even weak thugs would constantly block attacks, making progress feel random. Kiwami 3 reduces this problem and gives you more ways to overcome blocking enemies, such as a guard break move in the Ryukyu fighting style. You can switch between the Dragon of Dojima and Ryukyu styles whenever you want, which makes combat feel smoother. I played on the hardest difficulty setting, and none of the fights felt unfair. Some encounters were frustrating, especially against enemies with guns, but a new warning system that shows when you’re about to be shot helped keep things manageable.

The fighting in this game is a significant improvement over Yakuza 3. Battles in the original game could drag on for too long because enemies were often very difficult to damage.

The Yakuza series is known for its engaging side stories, and Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties deliver on that front. Okinawa and Kamurocho are filled with things to do, and these side stories often provide a welcome break from the main story’s intensity. While the mini-games aren’t overly complex, they offer rewards and are enjoyable for a few rounds, especially the new ones tied to the Morning Glory business. You don’t need to play them to finish the game, though.

The Morning Glory activities offer a way to improve your standing through completing chores and helping the children with their personal stories – this increases your ‘Daddy Rank’. These activities often include simple mini-games like a version of Reversi, fishing, and sewing. You can use what you create in these mini-games to sell items at the Morning Glory Market, and the money you earn goes towards improving the orphanage and the children’s lives. While enjoyable, these activities are optional; you only need to do them once initially, and can focus on the main story if you prefer. Completing them also earns Training Points and money that benefit Kiryu’s own character progression, and overall, they make Morning Glory feel like a vibrant and bustling place.

Besides the main story, you can also join a biker gang in the game. After meeting a group of characters, you’ll help them protect Ryukyu from rival gangs trying to take over. These “Bad Boy Dragon” activities, while separate from the main plot of Yakuza Kiwami 3, are a lot of fun because of the interesting characters and huge battles. You’ll ride your customizable bike through massive fights against over a hundred enemies, using everything you’ve got to win. You can even customize your gang members – their flags, outfits, motorcycles, and how they’re organized.

Completing tasks and getting to know the children at the orphanage in Morning Glory will raise your ‘Daddy Rank,’ showing your progress and deepening your relationships.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 isn’t afraid to pull at your heartstrings. Whether you’re enjoying a quiet moment at Morning Glory or discovering one of the game’s surprisingly touching side stories, there are plenty of emotional moments. The game does a great job of balancing humor and heartfelt stories, and even the smaller side quests feel meaningful and worthwhile, never just like padding to extend the game’s length.

In Yakuza Kiwami 3, getting stronger depends a lot on earning money and a new type of point called Training Points, which you get by doing side activities. It’s a good idea to try all the side activities at least once, because they give you both extra money and Training Points. While money mainly helps you improve your health and attack power early on, Training Points unlock more interesting combat options. You can use them to learn new moves, powerful Heat actions, and finishing combos. Thankfully, you don’t need to spend a lot of time farming money or Training Points unless you’re aiming to complete everything the game has to offer.

Unlike other parts of the game, Dark Ties offers a very direct experience. You won’t find random side quests or activities. Instead, everything revolves around Mine’s work to improve Tsuyoshi Kanda’s reputation with the public. These smaller stories and tasks aren’t very complex, and their main purpose is to unlock special conversations – Drink Links – that reveal more about Kanda and Mine as they climb the ranks of the Nishikiyama family.

You won’t find random side quests or things to do while exploring. Everything is connected to the main Kanda Damage Control system.

The core storyline missions in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties follow a familiar pattern for the series: lengthy cutscenes and conversations leading up to multiple fights, which usually end with a challenging boss battle and the conclusion of a chapter. Despite this predictable structure, the gameplay remains engaging. Both Kiryu and Mine are enjoyable to play in combat, and the consistently well-written story keeps every scene interesting, and often quite funny.

Compared to Kiwami 3, the story in Dark Ties is much more restrained. Most of the characters in Mine’s story, except for the boisterous Kanda, feel quieter and more menacing. Surprisingly, even though it’s shorter than the main game, Dark Ties suffers from similar pacing problems. The beginning is very slow, with a lot of cutscenes and mostly just fighting. Luckily, things eventually pick up, letting you explore more of Kamurocho and enjoy side activities like the arcade.

I really got into the Fight Club in Dark Ties. It’s a cool side thing where you can test Mine’s fighting skills. It starts like a normal series of fights, but the Survival Hell mode is where it gets interesting – each fight throws something new at you. And the best part? Winning gets you new moves and cash to make Mine even stronger, which is awesome for building her up!

“The story of Dark Ties is quite a bit more subdued than Kiwami 3.”

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a technically impressive game with stunning visuals that really showcase the power of the PS5 and the Dragon Engine. Both the Kamurocho and Okinawa environments are beautiful, particularly with the dynamic lighting. The game runs incredibly smoothly – I didn’t notice any slowdown or technical issues at all. RGG Studio has clearly perfected the Yakuza formula, delivering polished animations in both combat and cutscenes. The audio quality is also excellent, and the Japanese voice acting is among the best in the series. Takaya Kuroda’s performance as Kiryu is particularly noteworthy, and the entire cast delivers fantastic performances.

Overall, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is an excellent game, especially for those new to the story. It avoids some of the older, less polished parts of the original game and includes helpful summaries of previous titles, making it a good entry point for the Yakuza series. However, Yakuza 0 remains a stronger recommendation for newcomers. With its compelling story and exciting combat, it’s a must-play for fans of narrative-driven games and action-packed brawlers.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

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2026-02-09 21:44