Yakuza Kiwami

Yakuza Kiwami All right, now we're moving into Yakuza Kiwami. This is the remake of the first game, so we're getting into the story that originally introduced Kiryu, Haruka, and the people around them. Coming into it after Yakuza 0 gives you a lot more history with some of those people, especially Kiryu and Nishikiyama, and that's part of why I put the games in this order. I have played and beaten the originals before Kiwami came out, but at this point we're focusing primarily on the Kiwamis. There are spoilers for the opening and some discussion of the characters below. I'm leaving the ending and its major revelations alone. There is plenty to talk about here without walking somebody through every death and every answer before they get to experience the story. Where Kiwami fits The first thing to keep straight is that Kiwami is rebuilding a game from 2005. Yakuza 0 was written later, with years of the series behind it, even though its story happens earlier. Going from 0 into Kiwami means moving forward in the characters' lives while also going back to the structure of the first game. That explains some of the change in scope. You're following Kiryu this time. There isn't a second playable Majima campaign running alongside him, and you aren't moving between Kiryu's Kamurocho and Majima's Sotenbori the way you did in 0. Kiwami brings the focus back to Kiryu and what has happened to his life. [Remake background](https://blog.playstation.com/2016/12/03/yakuza-kiwami-an-extreme-remake-on-your-ps4/) [Playable character and structure](https://gamespot.com/reviews/yakuza-kiwami-review-back-in-action/1900-6416738/) I wouldn't go into it expecting every part of 0 to come back bigger. There are familiar activities and some substantial additions, but this is its own game. Comparing what each one is trying to do is more useful than counting which one has more businesses, more protagonists, or more places to visit. Kiryu comes home after ten years The opening takes place in 1995. Kiryu takes responsibility for the murder of Sohei Dojima to protect Nishikiyama and Yumi, and he spends the next ten years in prison. When he returns in 2005, his old position, relationships, and expectations no longer fit the world waiting for him. Nishikiyama has changed, Yumi is missing, and ten billion yen has disappeared from the Tojo Clan. [Story setup](https://manual.sega.jp/switch/ryu-kiwami/en/index.html) There is a lot of crime-story machinery around that missing money, but Kiryu's situation is easy to understand. He made a decision for people he cared about. He accepted the punishment. Now he has to live with consequences he couldn't control while he was gone. That is something worth paying attention to with him. Kiryu can be incredibly capable in a fight and still have trouble understanding what somebody needs from him emotionally. Taking the blame feels like an answer to the immediate problem. It doesn't give him control over how the people left behind cope, what they resent, or what other people do to them afterward. He returns with loyalty to relationships that are still very real to him. The other people involved have had ten years to grieve, struggle, make decisions, and change. The story gets a lot out of that gap. Kiryu remembers who somebody was, and then he has to deal with who that person is standing in front of him. Nishikiyama matters more with 0 behind you This is one of the reasons the order matters to me. In 0, you get time with Kiryu and Nishikiyama before their relationship reaches this point. You have seen the friendship and the way Nishikiyama responds when Kiryu is in trouble. Kiwami can draw on that history when the two meet again. The remake adds scenes showing more of Nishikiyama's life during Kiryu's imprisonment. You see the pressure on him, the way other men treat him, and how often Kiryu becomes the standard he is measured against. Those scenes are a meaningful part of the remake, because they give the change in him more room. [Added Nishikiyama scenes](https://pcgamer.com/yakuza-kiwami-review/) [SEGA's description of the additional story material](https://blog.playstation.com/archive/2017/06/13/new-details-on-both-ps4s-yakuza-6-the-song-of-life-and-remaster-yakuza-kiwami/) There is a difference between understanding how somebody reached a point and excusing what they do once they're there. You can recognize the humiliation, insecurity, and pressure without deciding that everyone he hurts somehow deserves it. That is the part of his story I would keep in mind instead of reducing him to either the friend from 0 or the man Kiryu finds in 2005. It also changes what an eventual confrontation means. A stronger enemy is a combat problem. Somebody who used to be part of your family brings a lot more into the room. You know the relationship could have been different because you've already spent time with that earlier version of it. Haruka gives Kiryu somebody to think about beyond the clan Haruka enters the story looking for her mother, and her connection to the missing money puts her in danger. Kiryu gets involved with her while he is already trying to understand what has happened to the people he knew. [Haruka's introduction](https://manual.sega.jp/ryu-kiwami/en/index.html) This is where I want people to pay attention to the smaller interactions. Kiryu's reputation matters to the men confronting him. Haruka needs him to be dependable. Can she stay with him? Is he going to listen to her? Will he come back? Those are different questions from whether the Dragon of Dojima can beat the next group of men. The game gives them time together in ordinary places as well as dangerous ones. Walking around with her, stopping at a shop, or getting pulled into a side story lets you see a part of Kiryu that the clan arguments and boss fights don't show by themselves. For someone interested in what kind of person he becomes over the series, those moments deserve attention too. I'm saving the larger father-daughter discussion for its own post after we've gone through the games, because there is a lot more to say about them across the series. For Kiwami, this is where that relationship starts becoming central to understanding Kiryu. What Majima Everywhere adds, and why it changes the tone Majima is still important here, but his role is different from being the second protagonist in 0. Kiwami adds Majima Everywhere, which has him repeatedly challenge Kiryu around the city. He can ambush you, appear in a disguise, or interrupt an activity you thought had nothing to do with him. Nishida's messages help set up particular encounters. [Majima Everywhere](https://psu.com/reviews/yakuza-kiwami-review/) [Encounter examples](https://attackofthefanboy.com/reviews/yakuza-kiwami-review/) There is a practical reason to keep doing it. Kiryu's Dragon style is weakened after prison, and these encounters are part of rebuilding it. Particular fights and minigames unlock particular abilities, so you have a reason to engage with more of the city than the next story marker. That connection between fighting and progression is useful. It also means the frequency matters. Something that is funny the first few times can become work when you need another specific encounter or another rank. If you save the entire system for the end, you're going to feel that repetition much more than if you do some of it between other activities. There is also an obvious difference between Majima's comedy in this system and his role in some of the main-story scenes. It helps to understand that the remake has expanded him around a story that was already there. Those parts don't always have exactly the same tone. Somebody can enjoy the added encounters and still notice that a ridiculous interruption sits awkwardly beside a serious event. [Discussion of the remake's structure](https://gamewatcher.com/yakuza-kiwami/review) I would work on Majima while moving through the story, then check the individual ability requirements when something stops progressing. There are story limits on his rank. Running around Kamurocho looking for him will not get around a message telling you to continue the story. [Rank limits and Dragon progression](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/181171-yakuza-kiwami/faqs/75194/majima-everywhere-system) Combat needs a little more attention than recognizing the styles Brawler, Rush, Beast, and Dragon of Dojima give you a familiar starting point if you've played 0. Brawler is the flexible option. Rush gives you speed and movement. Beast makes groups and nearby objects useful opportunities. Dragon needs its progression before it feels like the style you're working toward. Upgrades now use experience rather than 0's system of putting money directly into abilities. Soul, Technique, and Body cover different parts of Kiryu's development. Dragon has its own requirements through Majima and Komaki. Money still matters for equipment, recovery items, and activities, but the whole economy isn't organized around feeding cash into the ability wheels. [Ability system](https://manual.sega.jp/ryu-kiwami/en/index.html) [Upgrade requirements](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/181171-yakuza-kiwami/faqs/75194/upgrading) The boss recovery mechanic is something I would understand early. When a boss crouches with a colored aura and starts recovering, the matching Kiwami finisher can interrupt it. You need to have bought the relevant skill and have the Heat to use it. Blue goes with Brawler, pink with Rush, yellow with Beast, and red with Dragon. Other suitable Heat Actions can also interrupt recovery, so you're not stuck if one particular finisher is missing. [Boss recovery and alternatives](https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2495295167) That mechanic can make a fight feel much longer if you haven't understood it. So can insisting on completing a long combo against somebody who keeps blocking or retaliating. Watch what the enemy does, let an attack finish, and use the opening. Changing styles should help you solve the fight you're in. Komaki is worth making time for. His training gives you tools that change how you handle tougher opponents, including Tiger Drop. The Coliseum helps supply the items needed for those lessons, so combat training and side activities feed into each other. I wouldn't leave all of that until the story is finished and then wonder why the later fights felt rough. [Komaki's training](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/181171-yakuza-kiwami/faqs/75194/chapter-6-substories) Kamurocho still gives you plenty to do There are 78 substories and 50 locker keys, along with Pocket Circuit, MesuKing, hostess visits, gambling, karaoke, bowling, batting, darts, pool, mahjong, shogi, and the other city activities. That is plenty to get sidetracked with, even without 0's two big business campaigns. [Substories](https://yakuza.fandom.com/wiki/Yakuza_Kiwami/Substories) [Locker keys](https://gamersheroes.com/game-guides/yakuza-kiwami-coin-locker-key-location-guide/) [Activity list](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/181171-yakuza-kiwami/faqs/75194/introduction) Some of that content reconnects you with things from 0. Pocket Circuit is an obvious example. Other activities have their own progression, including MesuKing's cards and opponents. Yui and Rina have hostess relationship stories, but those visits are different from running Majima's club in 0. There is no real-estate business campaign here either. The substories give Kiryu room to be helpful, awkward, patient, or completely out of his depth in situations he can't settle by acting like a respected yakuza. They also let you spend time in the city without every conversation being about the missing money. I'd do some of them while you're playing, rather than turning all 78 into a cleanup list after the credits. At the same time, you don't need to panic every time you move to another chapter. Unfinished substories can be completed later, including in Premium Adventure. Some require a particular companion, an earlier substory, or more story progress before they appear. Checking those requirements is a better response to an empty location than assuming you've permanently missed something. [Substory availability](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/181171-yakuza-kiwami/faqs/75194/substories) Finishing the story and finishing everything For the completion side, I'm going to keep the goals separate. The Completion List, all substories, Haruka's requests, Climax Battles, and the Legend clear overlap, but they don't all finish automatically because you completed one of the others. Haruka's requests become a substantial postgame task. Climax Battles use specified character setups and restrictions from the main menu. Legend changes the consequences of a defeat. Kiwami does let you use New Game Plus for Legend, which is an important difference from the original Yakuza 0. Keep your clear data and your completion save organized. [Haruka](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/181171-yakuza-kiwami/faqs/75194/harukas-whims) [Climax Battles](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/181171-yakuza-kiwami/faqs/75194/climax-battles) [NG+ rules](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/181171-yakuza-kiwami/faqs/75194/new-game-and-premium-adventure) That is also why I want the guides to give each subject enough room. A list saying “finish the minigames” isn't much use when somebody is stuck on a specific mahjong hand, a Pocket Circuit race, or Haruka's pool request. Those need actual explanations, and the locker guide needs locations people can follow rather than a reminder that keys exist. For the main game itself, give the characters some attention alongside all of that completion work. Kiryu's return, Nishikiyama's changes, and the beginning of his relationship with Haruka are the reasons this part of the series matters. The remake adds a lot around them, and there are changes in pacing and tone worth discussing, but those relationships are what you carry into the later games. That's where I would leave Kiwami before getting into the individual guides. Follow what happens to the people, build Kiryu while you're playing, and take time to see what Kamurocho has going on outside the next main-story fight. There is a lot here that becomes more meaningful as the series continues.