Yakuza 3 Finally Has a Shot at Redemption After 17 Years

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Shortly ahead of TGS, Sega invited ComicBook and other gaming outlets to their headquarters in California to go hands-on with Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties (among other games). Admittedly, I’ve never been a huge fan of the Yakuza series — not because I thought the games were bad in any way, but because I had a tendency to favor the Mafia series. But after playing nearly an hour of both titles, I feel like I might just become more of a Yakuza fan come February 2026 when the bundle releases.

One of the hurdles that remakes such as this needs to overcome is feeling like a brand-new game. Yakuza 3 released in 2009 — two console generations ago — and so much has changed with action-adventure and martial arts games. Going back to that title now would be grating. The combat would be stilted and there wouldn’t be much worth playing aside from the main story. That largely changes with Kiwami 3, as the modernization of the gameplay and the inclusion of new activities and side stories, makes it a worthy replacement Yakuza 3, which has too often been cast aside.

What You Should Know About Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties

Graphics — While the first two Kiwami games featured impressive jumps in graphical fidelity, they don’t hold a candle to what Sega has done with Yakuza Kiwami 3. It’s as if they’ve perfected the Dragon engine, with the character animations, interactive combat, detail-oriented cities, and more. I’d go as far to say that it rivals brand-new games that have come out fairly recently, and the bustling world is what I’ve wanted from first-party studios that have been making AAA open worlds. This also applies to Dark Ties, seeing as both were developed at the same time and both employ similar environments.

Combat — Easily the most exciting upgrade and biggest change Sega’s remake makes to Yakuza 3 is the combat. In Kiwami 3, Kiryu utilizes two distinct fighting styles: Dragon of Dojima Style and Ryukyu Style. Longtime fans will recognize the former as his main fighting style from previous games, while the latter is new in the remake. Kiryu uses eight Okinawan weapons throughout the game, such as a spear, wooden oar, and nunchucks. And by simply clicking a button, players can swap between fighting styles (and, therefore, weapons) in the middle of battle, making for a fun, unique experience.

Meanwhile, in Dark Ties, Mine’s combat is smooth and quick, more akin to an MMA fighter. This was my personal preference between the two games, as it allowed for greater control. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Batman’s combat from the original Arkham games, especially with seamlessly bouncing from one enemy to another.

Gameplay — Of course, while combat is a particular focus for Yakuza games, it’s not the only thing players can look forward to in this remake. Several locations from the previous game, including Club Sega, return in Kiwami 3, and there’s an abundance of activities and games like karaoke, billiards, and darts, as well as all kinds of restaurants. This is a fully fleshed out world (or city) with something to do at virtually every corner, and it’s all imbued with that classic sense of humor Yakuza fans have come to know.

Story — Much of the story remains the same from Yakuza 3, which is to be expected from a remake, but the addition of new side stories and subquests augment everything and may actually entice players to check out things off the golden path this time around. The real highlight, though, is Dark Ties. It’s not a simple story or a mere flashback quest, but rather a full-fledged game that explores the backstory of a notable character. The fact that the game comes with both is astonishing; Dark Ties alone is worth playing and offers a new glimpse into this world.

Overall, while we have to wait and see what the final build looks like and how much added content is included in this new release, longtime franchise fans who were disappointed with Yakuza 3 should rest easy knowing that the upcoming remake has taken their complaints into account, as far as I could tell from this brief demo. And if that fails, Dark Ties is an exciting expansion that builds on the world, introduces new combat, and contains perhaps the best minigame I’ve played in years.