Yakuza Kiwami Switch review

I’m not sure there’s much left to say about Yakuza. I’ve spent the better part of almost ten years covering the series for this website, from Yakuza 5 to Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and to say I’m in love with it would be an understatement. Any opportunity to dive into Kiryu’s crazy journey will never be missed, and playing Yakuza Kiwami on Switch took me right back to the start – right back to those ten years spent in prison that changed the Dragon of Dojima’s life forever.

The original Yakuza Kiwami came out in 2017, and seven years on it’s still amazing. In handheld, Kamurocho looks incredible, with neon signs hanging high and people going about their daily lives makes it feel alive. Even in docked, it looked great, although some of the finer details aren’t as crisp as they used to be. I was still in awe of not only the environment, but the character animations and the dramatic cutscenes, which look pretty good on the Nintendo Switch.

Much of your time in Yakuza Kiwami on Switch is spent fighting a range of gang members and street punks, switching between different combat styles (Rush, Brawler, Beat, and Dragon) to make the most out of any given situation. When you’re not fighting or playing through the main missions, there’re a variety of substories that give Kiryu a chance to help others in plenty of wacky ways. The Yakuza series is known for its drama, but many of these missions highlight the humour and wackiness, and I loved every minute.

You get to live the life you want in Yakuza Kiwami on Switch. Sure, you can focus on integrating back into society by doing all the serious Yakuza stuff, but the amount of minigames took up so much of my time. They always do, especially the UFO Catchers. The urge to collect every toy in the machine takes hold and hours after living in those SEGA arcades, I realise I may have a problem. There’s always so much to do, and you’re never short of your next goal, be it part of the story or simply living a life in this beautiful city.

Yakuza Kiwami on Switch still holds up, despite some visuals showing their age and movement not feeling particularly smooth. Controlling Kiryu in combat and via minigames feels good, not skipping a beat as you play through the story. The audio is good too, and it feels much like the original Kiwami that game out seven years prior. If you’ve never dabbled in the series, this is a great way to play the game that started it all, and if you’re after a game that blends drama with the occasional touch of humour, you cannot go far wrong with this one.