2019-06-01_PC_Gamer

Yakuzaisaneconomicalseriesthat

rarely reinvents the wheel. It often

reuses assets and animations, because

the focus is always on the same

handful of districts, and the small

ways they change over the course of

decades. Kiwami 2 is

still a Yakuza game,

which means it’s still a

crime drama

interspersed by fights,

exploration, minigames

and substories full of

ridiculous slice-of-life

character moments

that help humanise

protagonist Kiryu – making him

more than the hardboiled stereotype

he could so easily have been. It’s also

a remake of 2006’s Yakuza 2 that,

despite looking significantly better

now, features mostly shot-for-shot

recreations of its cutscenes.

Still, the changes Ryu Ga Gotoku

Studio bring to the Dragon engine

offer a significant shift in style and

systems. You can now seamlessly

enter buildings, for instance, and

brawls that start on the street can

even spill into shops. It makes the

cityfeelmorecohesiveand

connected, and the game as a whole

feels more modern – up to a point. I

slightly prefer Yakuza 0’s combat,

which felt crisper and more arcadey

in a way that made fights more

enjoyable. But overall,

the enhancements are

a success.

It looks nicer, too.

Kiwami 2 takes place in

both Kamurocho and

Sotenbori, the two

locations from Yakuza

0 , and in both the

streets feel wider and

more detailed. Just standing in them,

Kiryu feels smaller, which helps

better convey the scale of the city.

Once again, Sotenbori – based on

Osaka’s Dotonbori – is the standout.

Its main street is a beautiful

explosion of billboards, flags, lanterns

and mechanised signs. Kiwami 2 does

a particularly good job of highlighting

the differences between its two

locations. Everything about them has

a different flavour, from the type of

substories that Kiryu encounters to

the music that plays during a fight.

EastvsWEst

Those differences help contextualise

the story. When hitmen from Osaka’s

Omi Alliance assassinate the Tojo

Clan’s fifth chairman, Kiryu is

dragged back into Japan’s

underworld on a mission to stop the

two cities’ gangs from descending

into open war. In his way is Ryuji

Goda, the Dragon of Kansai. In

Ryuji’s mind the world isn’t wide

enough for both Kiryu, the Dragon of

Dojima, and him. From their first

meeting, it’s clear the two are on a

collision course, and that inevitability

adds great tension to the events.

Kiwami 2 is also about the

relationship between Kiryu and

detective Kaoru Sayama, who places

him under protective custody in an

effort to prevent his showdown with

Ryuji. Despite the differences

between them the two grow closer

over the course of the game. Outside

of the main story, Kiryu has an almost

childlike naivety about sex and

romance. But his relationship with

Sayama adds depth to the character

and is heartwarming to see.

While the story isn’t quite as tight

as Yakuza 0 – suffering from the

occasional tangent, lull and contrived

twist – it’s still one of the strongest of

the series. And elsewhere, Kiwami 2

is packed full of interesting

diversions. There’s a return of Yakuza

0 ’s cabaret club, which picks up some

of the same story threads. There’s a

strange RTS minigame featuring

Majima’s construction company that

is admittedly more functional than

enjoyable. There’s even a bit involving

adult men in diapers.

Where Yakuza Kiwami felt like an

expansion to Yakuza 0, Kiwami 2 is

large, varied and full of interesting

asides. While I still slightly prefer

Yakuza 0 ,thisisworthyourtime.

NeedtoKNow

What is it?

A remake of Yakuza 2, a

game about punching a

lotofpeople

EXPECttOPaY

£25

DEvElOPEr

Sega

PublishEr

In-house

rEviEWEDOn

GeForce GTX 1070,

16GBRAM,i5-6600k

MultiPlaYEr

Two players, local, in

VirtuaFighter 2.

link

yakuza.sega.com

88

A triumphant remake

of Yakuza 2, full of fun

diversions and

featuring one of the

series’ best stories.

vErDiCt

Brawls that

start on the

street can

even spill

into shops

W

elcome back to Kamurocho. Things are different here

now. The Tojo Clan is in disarray after the events of

Yakuza Kiwami, Majima has started a construction

company, and there’s Virtua Fighter 2 in the arcades.

But more dramatic than any of these small

developments is Yakuza Kiwami 2’s big change – the series’ new Dragon

engine, and the many improvements and tweaks that it brings.

DouBle Dragon

YaKuza Kiwami 2 is a return to form for

the singular crime series. By Phil Savage

aNd the rest More Yakzua games that should come to PC

YaKuza 3

Firstreleased:

2009

Kiryumovesto

Okinawatoget

awayfromhis

past.Guessif

hesucceeds.

YaKuza 4

Firstreleased:

2010

Featuresfour

protagonists,

includingthe

moneylending

Akiyama.

YaKuza:

deadsouls

Firstreleased:

2011

Anon-canon

survivalhorror

spin-off.Itstill

featureskaraoke.

YaKuza 5

Firstreleased:

2012

Fivecities!Taxi

driving!Dance

battles!Youcan

punchabear!I

loveit.

YaKuzaishiN

Firstreleased:

2014

Aspin-offsetin

1800s.Hasnever

beenlocalised

foraWestern

release.

YaKuza 6

First released:

2016

Kiryu’s final

game. On PC, it

seems we’re

going in order

of story.

YakuzaKiwami 2

rEviEW