Yakuza Kiwami 2 - Review

Yakuza 2, originally released for PS2 in Japan in 2006, is regarded by many as the best Yakuza game to date. Following the success obtained with the first game, it evolves and expands the formula, fixing many issues along the way. The gameplay, the soundtrack, the emotional story and the vast cast of characters are only a few reasons why it’s so well regarded among fans, even after 12 years. It’s certainly not an easy task to remake such a game. So, how does SEGA’s modern take on the game fare?

The following review aims to be as spoiler-free as possible, but be advised some spoilers may be there for Yakuza Zero and Yakuza Kiwami(1). Read at your own discretion.

One year after the 10 billion yen incident, Kazuma Kiryu begins to build a peaceful life with Haruka Sawamura, daughter of Yumi Sawamura. The assassination of the newly appointed Tojo Clan Chairman, Yukio Terada, threatens to erupt in an all-out war between the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance, and forces Kiryu to intervene. The Dragon of Dojima must travel to Sotenbori, Osaka, in an attempt to make amends between the rival clans, while also finding a replacement for the fallen chairman, but Ryuji Goda, known as the Dragon of Kansai, following his own agenda, will stop at nothing to get his war. In this world, there can only be one dragon.

The Dragon Engine comes back from Yakuza 6 to bring Kiwami 2 to life. While some hiccups happened in its previous iteration, Kiwami 2 runs smoothly, at a constant 30 fps on a standard PS4. I wasn’t able to notice any performance issues while playing through the game. The character models, animation and overall textures are looking good. Above, comparing screenshots from Yakuza 6 and Kiwami 2, respectively, we can notice a big difference in lighting, especially during the night. While there’s no specific reason for that, one of the possibilities is that they tried to keep it close to the original game.

We also see some changes to the cities, when comparing to the original game, Yakuza Zero and Yakuza 6. We see the return of the Champion District, the Hotel District and the West Park/Kamurocho Hills entrance to Kamurocho, considering their absence in Yakuza 6. Some buildings also change, like the Kamuro Theater and Club Debola, to better reflect the original game’s Kamurocho. When it comes to Sotenbori, the southeastern area/plaza has been removed. Some other buildings have also changed. While it was remade from the ground for this new engine, overall it’s still pretty similar to its Yakuza Zero incarnation. Gone is the third smaller area of the original Yakuza 2, with the Tower.

About the minigames, one of the new ones would be the ‘Toylet’, which can be described as a ‘pee themed WarioWare’, with different inner minigames, accessible on Club SEGA bathrooms. You can’t play the minigame all the time, as there’s a certain gauge that needs to be filled before you can attempt playing it again. It’s based on an homonymous real life ‘interactive urinal’ made by SEGA, in Japan, that plays in pretty much the exact same way. The Virtual On is a port of the 1995 SEGA Saturn and arcade game, where you control mecha fighters on 1vs1 battles. During the Gravure Studio minigame, you take photos of a girl, and have to answer her question within a given time limit, forming sentences that she likes. The objective is to make sure she leaves the session in a good mood, unlocking new outfits for you to see.

We also see the return of several minigames from previous games, like the gambling hall, the casino, shogi, baseball, golf, the UFO Catcher and Virtua Fighter 2, at Club SEGA, and the DVD Store. The karaoke was updated, with several new and returning songs. Also back is the Haruka Requests system, where you complete objectives which go from buying items to playing minigames.

The Clan Creator is back from Yakuza 6, and overall it received a decent update. Kiryu helps Majima Construction fight back a group trying to steal his Kamurocho Hills project. This time, the minigame is much more fun to play once you get the hang of it, being comparable to a tower defense game now. It’s not too efficient to run around with characters to fight enemies, and they don’t move completely on their own like in Yakuza 6. A good idea would be to put the characters in strategic places and rearranging them when necessary. You can purchase new characters through PSN with real money, recruit them by completing quests through the game or through the ‘Recruit Employees’ option in the minigame’s main menu. In said menu you can also upgrade your headquarters and train employees, besides joining battles online and offline.

Another minigame that is back is Cabaret Grand Prix, which looks a lot like its Yakuza Zero incarnation, with barely any changes to the formula - which, again, is not a bad thing. You get to manage the Four Shine Cabaret in Sotenbori as Kiryu to help them win the four leagues and challenge the reigning champion of the Grand Prix. Hostesses can be added to your team after completing substories or using in-game currency through the ‘Recruit’ option in the minigame’s menu, much like you do in the Clan Creator’s recruitment. You can also partner with shops around the city, which in turn will earn you fans, which means more people will visit your club.

We also see the return of the Colosseum, with twelve different tournaments. Each tournament has its own specific set of rules, like prohibiting or allowing the usage of weapons and gear. Keep in mind you can’t use items during the matches, so recover your health before starting the fights. You do, however, recover 30% of your health between matches. The bouncer missions are hard fights where you have to defeat either a boss or a set number of enemies within a time limit. You can’t use items to recover your health or even weapons, besides the ones you can find on the field. These missions can be obtained on Club Debola, near the Theater Square. One of my favorite things about the Yakuza games are the substories, and Kiwami 2 features around 70 of them. My favorite substories are possibly the ones that tell more about recurrent characters, like “Embracing my true self” which is about Yuya’s past, and the ones that introduce you to allies around the cities, who will help you if you engage in a fight near them. This, in turn, makes the city feel alive and full of people ready to get your back if you need.

Without spoiling too much of the Majima’s Saga, it’s a good and enjoyable addition to the game, but the development team could have spent some more time on it. You can’t gain exp or upgrade skills as Majima, and the story itself is only three chapters long. There’s not much to do, besides fighting some optional bosses and following the plot, which is interesting but could be longer. It’s worth to note that whatever money you gain during this mode can be transferred to Kiryu at any time.

Some songs grew on me the more I heard them, the more I saw and thought about the scenes and lyrics, but some of them still just don’t match the situation.

We have some big differences to the OST when comparing Kiwami 2 to the original Yakuza 2. Gone are most of the songs, including the Crazy Ken Band ones, with their jazzy appeal, and in are the more modern SiM songs, giving a complete different tone about some scenes. Some songs do feel out of place initially, but not all of them. Some songs grew on me the more I heard them, the more I saw and thought about the scenes and lyrics, but some of them still just don’t match the situation. About the combat, there are considerably more skills, combos and heat actions when compared to Yakuza 6, making the combat feel more fluid and dynamic. It still doesn’t feel as in-depth as, say, Yakuza Zero or Kiwami with their multiple fighting styles, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

The level up system is the same as in Yakuza 6, where we have five different experience points - Strength, Agility, Spirit, Technique and Charm - obtained in different amounts through different activities. Also as in Yakuza 6, we can use the experience points to upgrade our basic stats, battle skills, heat actions and life skills. For example, a substory tracker or ways to increase experience points. Besides using experience points to buy heat actions, we can also gain them by completing sidestories, fighting Komaki and going to the acupuncture clinic in Sotenbori. There’s also the return of the buff system from Yakuza 6, where you could get increased stats or exp by eating a combination of meals at a restaurant or drinking from the vending machines. It’s worth noting that the machine drinks can be carried in your inventory now, compared to Yakuza 6 where you had to drink them right away.

Pros:

• A massive game with loads of activities, substories and side content.
• Several classic minigames, like the casinos, Cabaret Grand Prix and golf, are back, some have been revamped, like the Clan Creator, and some are new, like the ‘Toylet’ and Virtual On.
• It’s a step up from Yakuza 6 - not only in terms of content, but also graphics and gameplay.

Cons:

• While the OST is still good, a few songs feel out of place, especially when compared to the original Yakuza 2. Some of these said new songs ended up growing on me the more I thought about them, the scenes and their lyrics, but some didn’t.
• The Majima Saga could - and should - be longer. It’s a nice addition nevertheless, but it’s a tad too short and lacks things like substories, upgradable skills and a bigger variety of combos.

Disclaimer: Reviewed on a standard PS4 model using a review code provided by the publisher.