Yakuza Kiwami Switch Review
Revisiting Yakuza Kiwami on Nintendo Switch has been interesting for a few reasons. The first is, obviously, being able to play the acclaimed Yakuza series for the first time on Nintendo's hybrid console. The second is being able to revisit Yakuza Kiwami's narrative, but this time with more separation from my experience with Yakuza 0, which allows me to better experience Kiwami on its individual merits. The final reason deserves its own paragraph and will be notable for longtime fans of the series in the West.
Sega actually re-licensed original Japanese music for the western Switch versions of Yakuza Kiwami, which was not the case for the PlayStation, Xbox, and PC releases. This means not only do you get Koshi Inaba's Bleed (the original Japanese opening, which a lot of folks don't know about), but also Receive You [Reborn]. Receive You [Reborn], a special opening video, wasn't in every version of the Japanese release, and was included as a special promotional code for buying a Koshi Inaba album. Dragon's Dogma fans might know Koshi Inaba as the vocalist of B'z who did the legendary song: Into Free. That one early game moment where Kiryu returns to Kamurocho was dramatically improved by the use of Bleed rather than what we had in prior versions in the West.
Newcomers to the Yakuza and Like a Dragon series might wonder why I spent the opening of this port review focusing on two songs. Plainly put, Western fans didn't have an opportunity to experience the original licensed music in games released during the PS4 generation until Yakuza: Like a Dragon when it comes to the mainline games. The fact that the new Switch port contains the original music is both unexpected and greatly appreciated.
With that out of the way, let's get to how Yakuza Kiwami feels not only on Nintendo Switch, but also in 2024. Having originally played it the same year I played Yakuza 0, at the time, Yakuza Kiwami felt lacking and a bit like an expansion to Yakuza 0 rather than its own thing. This might be blasphemy for longtime fans, but that's exactly how it felt for someone who got into the series with Yakuza 0. That context is important, because replaying Yakuza Kiwami now on Switch feels quite different.
Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the first Yakuza game using the same engine as Yakuza 0. On paper, Yakuza Kiwami should be the best entry point, as it is a remake of the first game, but it can feel a bit lacking on that front if you have access to some other games in the series. If you don't and only play on Switch while having never experienced these games before, don't fret: Yakuza Kiwami is excellent, and it has been eye-opening to replay it after all these years.
Yakuza Kiwami's story of family, crime, betrayal, and more focusing on Kazuma Kiryu still hits as hard today as it did when I first experienced it. What I didn't expect was to find myself enjoying the side activities even more this time. When I first played Yakuza Kiwami, I didn't spend as much time on the optional content or just take in more time to soak in the world. Seeing how the developers have changed certain things from Yakuza 0, and also revisiting areas from newer games in this old engine is quite an experience. The virtual tourism aspect of Yakuza games is truly unmatched even for older games.
Structurally, Yakuza Kiwami is still like an older game in the series, so it has action or brawler combat with multiple combat styles, upgrades, equipment, and a gorgeous Kamurocho to explore - packed with its neon billboards and a plethora of shops and restaurants. What I love the most about these games is how you can always take a break from the serious story to go do karaoke or one of the other many mini-games.
Yakuza Kiwami also brings in the Majima Everywhere system which has one of my favorite characters in gaming pop up out of nowhere to surprise Kiryu and battle it out. I initially thought this system might get old quickly, but it remains an amazing addition for its humor and also the fun battle encounters that ensue.
Speaking of combat, the biggest issue I have with Yakuza Kiwami as a game is the boss battles. They range from decent to plain annoying, and even experiencing them for the fourth time here doesn't make them any better. I'm glad that the team learned to dramatically improve these with Yakuza Kiwami 2 and newer games.
A lot has changed for the series since 2020, with global multi-platform simultaneous releases, licensed songs intact, and the newest entry being one of the best RPGs in a while with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. I've played every spinoff and main game in the series since 2017 across all platforms, but I got too used to the new engine we've seen since Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.
I say this because my initial impressions of Yakuza Kiwami on Switch were not great. I wasn't sure if all the technical issues I was seeing had to do with the Switch version or the game itself. It turns out it was a mix of both. Yakuza Kiwami on Switch feels closer to the PS3 Yakuza games than the new PS4 releases for cross-generation (in Japan and Asia) titles like Yakuza 0, Kiwami, and the original Ishin.
Yakuza Kiwami Switch vs PS4 and Xbox
When playing handheld, I ended up enjoying Yakuza Kiwami a lot more than playing it docked on my monitor or TV. This Switch port is not great on the big screen with the pop-in issues, shimmering, and lower resolution more visible than when playing handheld where it looked a bit soft in parts, but I got used to it very quickly. The pop-in is an issue on PS4 and Xbox as well to a lesser degree though.
On the performance side, Yakuza Kiwami targets 60fps on the PS4 and Xbox One versions. I never noticed it dropping below that target and the load times are also good. The Switch version drops the target to 30fps and it can't hold that perfectly. Not only does it struggle to hit its 30fps during exploration in crowded parts of the city, but it also sees issues when there are a lot of particle effects during combat like with heat animations. It reminds me a bit of when I tried Yakuza 5 on PS3. The Switch version does however target 60fps for some menus and the map which helps.
If you've not kept up with how Yakuza Kiwami is on PS4 and Xbox One, the former never saw PS4 Pro support and is capped at 1080p and 60fps. The Xbox One version runs at a higher resolution of 1440p on Xbox One X and Xbox Series X. The Switch version looks sub-native resolution in both docked and handheld modes.
Some of the older game engine issues with foliage and trees are also a bit more pronounced here. As an example, the opening of chapter 3 features Kiryu walking into a location with a lot of trees. On PS4 and to a lesser degree on Xbox, the trees have a lot of shimmering. On Switch, this happens even with the trees right next to Kiryu rather than a bit into the distance.
Load times on Switch are longer than the Xbox One and PS4 versions. You do miss out on the licensed music if you play on those consoles though so keep that in mind. A lot of the technical cutbacks aren't unexpected, but I want those who own multiple platforms to have a good idea of what to expect when planning to buy a game like this on Switch.
One more thing I want to note is that the Switch version is the only console version with auto-save support. This was a PC-only feature in Yakuza Kiwami and it is great to see Sega use the most feature-complete version of Yakuza Kiwami for the Switch port.
Yakuza Kiwami Switch vs Steam Deck
Comparing Yakuza Kiwami on Switch and Steam Deck is more interesting since both allow for portable play. I would replay older games like Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami on Steam Deck even over the PS4 and Xbox versions, but I enjoyed revisiting it on Switch quite a bit despite the cutbacks. The Steam Deck offers 90hz and improved visuals while letting you play on the go, but the Switch features both full opening videos with licensed music.
If you do have a Steam Deck and Switch, the former is definitely the better experience, but Switch-only owners will find a competent conversion for playing on the go. I don't recommend it for playing docked though if you have access to another platform.
Yakuza Kiwami isn't my favorite Yakuza game, but it is still an excellent entry in the series, and a very good entry point for newcomers. Revisiting it in 2024 on Nintendo Switch played handheld has been a fun experience that makes me hope SEGA brings Yakuza 0 to the system next. This conversion bringing in some quality of life features like auto-save and licensed music including Receive You [Reborn] is also great to see. While there are noticeable cutbacks to visuals and performance, Yakuza Kiwami is an easy recommendation to play on the go on Nintendo Switch with its low asking price.