Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of the first game in the series, is due to arrive on Nintendo Switch this October, allowing you to experience the opening chapter of Kazuma Kiryu’s story on a handheld device – depending on whether you fancy playing the prequel, Yakuza 0, beforehand.
As revealed during today’s Nintendo Direct, a Switch port of RGG Studio’s game is coming soon, and the game tells the story of Big Kaz’s battle with his brother, Akira Nishkiyama, after he first realizes that Majima Goro will keep showing up at the store for the rest of his life and asking for scraps.
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The show is set to release on October 24, 2024, and you have a few months to prepare for your trip to Kamurocho, as it looks like both the show and the TV adaptation Like a Dragon: Gangster will be released on the same day. How do you do that? I don’t know, maybe switching between poses while beating up some thugs, and then doing some weird and fascinating side activities around the local town, wasting a bunch of money.
Seriously though, Sega’s description outlines what you’ll be experiencing: “With enhanced gameplay, an expanded cinematic story, the return of the combat style from Yakuza 0, more nightlife locations, and re-recorded audio by the series’ cast, Yakuza Kiwami is the ultimate and most “extreme” version of the series’ original vision.
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Oh, and here’s a spoiler-free summary of the plot setup: “In 1995, Kamurocho… Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, takes on the murder of a crime lord to protect his sworn brother, Akira Nishikiyama, and his childhood friend, Yumi. In 2005… Akira Nishikiyama is a different man. Yumi is nowhere to be found. Ten billion yen has gone missing from the Tojo Clan’s coffers, and the organization is on the brink of civil war. And Kazuma Kiryu is released from prison to a world he no longer recognizes.”
A bunch of street thugs get their heads smashed by bicycles, while some top-notch emotional drama plays out in the background.
With Yakuza: Unlimited Fortune released earlier this year, and Prime Video’s television adaptation Yakuza: The Sopranos also arriving this October, there’s never been a better time to get into the Yakuza/Yakuza series.