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The third mainline Yakuza chapter receives the full Kiwami treatment. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has rebuilt Yakuza 3 from the ground up in the Dragon Engine, presenting a sweeping visual and mechanical overhaul on PS5. The package arrives with Dark Ties, a substantial new story adjunct that adds fresh threads to an already sprawling narrative.
Engine, presentation and performance
The Dragon Engine revitalises Kamurocho and the game’s other locales with far richer lighting, denser crowds and far smoother animation than the 2010 original or the PS4 remaster. Character models gain weight and presence, while facial animation and lip-sync are markedly improved. Load times are negligible on PS5 and framerate stability is the rule rather than the exception, which makes the city feel consistently alive.
Audio receives similar care. The updated score and effects sit well with the new visuals, and the overall presentation benefits from modern fidelity without losing the operatic flair that defines the series.
Combat and systems
Combat leans into the refinements established by later entries. Movement is tighter, combos land with greater feel and enemy variety demands more considered approaches. Progression systems have been smoothed to suit modern sensibilities, with fewer late-game spikes and a clearer sense of build development.
Where systems avoid full transplantation from recent Yakuza titles, the choices feel deliberate: the game preserves the episodic punch of the original while applying quality-of-life improvements rather than an outright reimagining.
Story, pacing and Dark Ties
The core story — centred on Kazuma Kiryu’s fraught return and the political pressures around the orphanage he protects — remains intact. The Kiwami revamp tightens pacing in places and leans into cinematic moments, but some players may notice alterations to beats and emphasis compared with the original release.
Dark Ties is presented as a complementary chapter. It introduces new characters and conflicts that augment the main narrative and extend playtime with a mixture of dramatic scenes and combat set-pieces. The expansion often deepens themes already present in the base game, but its tonal additions will divide opinion among long-term followers of the series.
Minigames, side content and controversial choices
Minigames and substories remain abundant, providing the trademark tonal variation between brutal confrontations and offbeat diversion. Many of those side activities are polished, yet a number of changes to how some past segments are presented have proven controversial among the community. The debate centres on which content was altered, trimmed or recontextualised during the remake process, and whether those changes help or hinder the original’s distinctive rhythm.
Localisation and dialogue choices also attract scrutiny. There is a deliberate modernising of some lines and scenes that aligns the game with the series’ later tone, but that same approach removes or reshapes aspects of the original that some players still value.
Verdict
Yakuza Kiwami 3 on PS5 is a bold, technically impressive remake that brings a landmark entry into the present day. The Dragon Engine treatment revitalises visuals and performance, while combat and progression receive thoughtful adjustments that make the experience feel current without losing the core identity of the series. Dark Ties supplies worthwhile additional material, though its tonal shifts amplify debate about the remake’s fidelity to the past.
The end result is a confident and substantial package that will satisfy series completists and attract newcomers seeking a modern Yakuza experience, even as certain controversial changes will keep purists talking.
Score: 8/10