Yakuza Kiwami 3 on Switch 2 is a paradise for niche Sega retro curios

The Yakuza series has one foot in the present and the other in the past, and this has never felt more true than in the past decade, when, along with making new titles set in contemporary Japan, its earlier releases have also been remade with modern tech, with Yakuza Kiwami 3 the latest.

There's a comfort in returning to the older games in this lengthy saga, too, because whereas the latest instalments have become sprawling party-based RPGs, classic Yakuza is all about action brawling in the shoes of yakuza legend Kazuma Kiryu. The third entry is all the more interesting as he decides to start a new life in Okinawa, running an orphanage, even as the criminal underworld pulls him back in.

But while Yakuza 3 was the first mainline HD entry back on PS3, it's also one of the creakiest and leanest titles in the series (especially as the original Western release had cut content), so this Kiwami remake couldn't have come sooner.

Dragon makeover

Yakuza Kiwami 3's visuals are a vast improvement over the original, despite RGG Studio's proprietary Dragon Engine being over a decade old (last seen in Like A Dragon). There's no secret that the studio's efficient workflow comes from reusing assets, and series fans will no doubt spot minigames that have been smartly recycled from past games, which now also includes the ability to customise Kiryu's appearance with an array of haircuts and clothes.

The Kiwami remakes have always preserved much of the original story, including the same chapter structure, while also fleshing out the content, a different approach to the reimagining in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, where everything feels stretched to excess. For instance, it would feel stale just having Kiryu use virtually the same fighting style since Yakuza 6, so he also has a new weapons-based combat style where each tap or holding of a button unleashes a different traditional Okinawan weapon to batter your foes with.

Okinawa's Downtown Ryukyu covers the same real estate as before, which will feel tiny compared to Honolulu in the recent games, but is packed with more things to do. When it comes to getting into fights, it's not just random brawls; you can also seek out tougher bounties or help out harassed female bystanders, who you can then recruit into a local girls' biker gang. The latter certainly feels like a progressive evolution from the original when you spent your free time chatting up hostesses at a cabaret club.

Some changes are perhaps more controversial. Although all lines have been re-recorded (there's also new English and Chinese language dubs), several roles have not just been recast but had their original character designs changed to match the likenesses of their new actors.

Series fans are especially fond of Rikiya, an Okinawan-born yakuza who just seems like a two-bit punk but comes to really admire Kiryu as his 'aniki'. But despite initial skepticism, I found that his new actor, Show Kasamatsu (also recognizable from his role in BBC/HBO's Tokyo Vice), really embodied the role, remaining just as proud, likable, and occasionally goofy as his original counterpart.

Blast from the past

The most substantial expansion is arguably the running of the orphanage, which becomes a full-blown life sim where you spend time with the kids, improving each individual bond and arc, while also increasing an overall, aptly named Daddy rank. There had been some storylines focused on the children previously, but there's something more heartfelt about reaching these plot points after helping them with homework or cooking dinner.

Chances are, like me, you'll not even want to move forward with the main story's convoluted conspiracies until you've maxed out your relationship with each of these adorable moppets.

Kiwami 3 also functions as a kind of in-game preservation of Sega's history. You can buy and play Game Gear games at home, and it's a good reason for playing while holding a Switch 2 in handheld mode. Sega's handheld never did match the Game Boy, and while they're colourful, the pared-down 8-bit ports of G-Loc or Streets of Rage are far from ideal, but it's certainly novel to experience a selection of this hardware's library that isn't otherwise accessible.

Step into Kamurocho's game centers, and you can play some classic Sega arcade games. While there are fighting game staples, your yen is best spent on two incredibly weird and obscure Model 3 games.

There's Emergency Call Ambulance, essentially Crazy Taxi but with an ambulance, and where if you run out of time, you'll hear your patient crying out, "I don't want to die!" Then there's Magical Truck Adventure, where you play as two kids operating an on-rails handcar by waggling both thumbsticks, whereas the original had physical levers requiring two players.

It's a delight experiencing such wacky oddities from Sega's vault, though I do wonder if we'll ever just be able to buy these arcade games in a compilation rather than only being accessible in an in-game virtual arcade.

The Switch 2 has arguably been the best way for newcomers to experience the Yakuza saga chronologically, following the prequel 0's release at the console's launch last summer, followed by decent ports of Kiwami 1 and 2 last November. As the next chronological instalment but also a new release alongside other platforms, Kiwami 3 holds up incredibly well, with performance only really taking a hit during the overly busy brawls in the biker gang storyline.

Even though I have always considered Yakuza a PlayStation series first, it's got me hoping that Sega will continue the momentum and bring the whole Kiryu saga to Nintendo's family-friendly console. After all, Yakuza's story is all about family.