Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Switch 2 Review

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Switch 2 Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2

As many long-time viewers know, my introduction to the Yakuza series only began last year when Yakuza Kiwami arrived on Nintendo Switch. I was hooked from start to finish. The drama, the politics, and most importantly, the mini games kept me engaged the entire time and left me wanting more. Since then, the series has continued to grow on the platform, with Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Yakuza: Dark Ties bringing the latest adventures of Kiryu and friends to Nintendo Switch 2. What’s it like? Put on your best suit, grab some ramen from the kombini, and don’t pull any punches as we review Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties on Nintendo Switch 2.

Disclaimer: At What’s It Like?, reviews are written to evaluate games on their own merits. While real-world controversies surrounding individuals involved in a project are completely unacceptable and go against everything I stand for as a person, I understand that some of the content in this game, and one character in particular, may cause distress for some readers or players. If you need support, or know someone who does, you can contact 1800RESPECT at https://1800respect.org.au/

I’ve always been open about the subjective nature of reviews, and about how easily trust can be lost. My responsibility is to evaluate the game in front of me. Scoring it based on matters outside the work itself would not serve our audience or reflect the purpose of a review.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 picks up directly after the events of Kiwami 2 and sees Kiryu attempt to start a quieter chapter of his life by moving to Okinawa to run the Morning Glory Orphanage. Unfortunately, peace is hard to find when you are an ex-Yakuza, and it does not take long before chaos pulls him back toward the world he tried to leave behind. What I really liked here is how much time the opening gives you. You get a proper chance to say goodbye to friends in Kamurocho before settling into life in Okinawa. There are sincere moments where Kiryu’s softer side is shown, and that human element of him acting as a father figure to the children shines in the quieter stretches of the game. Those scenes give real emotional weight to what he is fighting for. That makes the contrast even stronger when his more violent side resurfaces. Once you step back into town, the traditional Yakuza formula kicks in. Street fights, local gang disputes, and rising tensions with Yakuza families remind you that Kiryu cannot fully escape who he is. It is a strong juxtaposition. One side of him is striving for peace, while the other is constantly at war.

Yakuza: Dark Ties is a much shorter and more focused campaign that is best experienced after completing the main story. It zeroes in on internal conflict and fractured loyalties, where relationships are tested, and motivations are rarely as clear-cut as they first appear. That is one of the things I appreciate most about the Yakuza series as a whole. No character can be taken at face value. Everyone has their own complexities woven into the narrative. Characters introduced in a brash or combative way often become some of the most respected allies. That unpredictability keeps the story engaging and makes many of its turning points genuinely surprising.

That unpredictability spills directly into the gameplay, which constantly keeps you on your toes. One minute you are helping with science homework or sewing clothes at the orphanage, the next you are brawling Yakuza defectors in the street. Mini games make a very welcome return, with plenty on offer like Golf, Pool, and Karaoke, along with social elements that let you connect with residents via your phone’s inbuilt social media platform. There’s also a lot of cameos from Japanese celebrities, which went over my head, but was entertaining regardless. These moments break up the tension of the main story and reinforce that unique Yakuza rhythm of violence and recreation.

Side quests and mini games naturally extend the runtime, not because they feel like padding, but because they are genuinely fun distractions that pull you away from the main story and absorb your attention. One of the more unexpected additions lets you become the chairman of a girl biker gang, which evolves into its own subplot. You recruit new members called “Baddies” to fill your ranks and take on rival crews to climb the hierarchy of the streets. It is amusing, with a surprising amount of management depth, and has some small nods that long-time fans will appreciate. I found this mode to be thoroughly entertaining with it’s over the top action, bikie boss pep rallies, and over-the-top abilities. It’s probably my favourite addition to the Yakuza series so far, and is thankfully paced out and integrated into the main story, so it doesn’t consume all your time.

Back in the main campaign, there has been noticeable streamlining since the series first arrived on Switch with Kiwami. Moves and health upgrades are easier to manage, making progression feel smoother without stripping away depth. Combat remains as exciting as ever, built around quick strikes, tight combos, and explosive finishers that reward aggression. Unlocking new abilities will eventually shift your fighting style, and I often found myself opening encounters with wild haymakers that seamlessly transitioned into a Heat move, launching enemies into brutal uppercuts that chunk away huge portions of their health bar in seconds. Dragon mode pushes things even further, encouraging extended combos where light attacks flow into heavy finishers, chaining into powerbombs or suplexes that make the spectacle of the combat even more over the top. Crowd control also comes into play by unlocking moves that have you barging through groups to reposition, grabbing nearby furniture as an improvised battering ram, or swinging an opponent around to create space, adding layers of strategy to what could otherwise be simple street brawls.

When it comes to world-building, both Kamurocho and Okinawa do well to highlight the two sides of Kiryu. Okinawa is often bright and colourful, while Kamurocho is dark and brooding. I’m not an expert on Japan in the slightest, but walking both these streets reminded me so much of my trip there, and it felt like an authentic experience… albeit I didn’t have to punch my way around town when I went, and it was much friendlier. That said, the engine isn’t without issues on the Switch 2. Despite running at a locked framerate of 30 fps that stays smooth for the majority of playtime, there are sections, like during Bad Boy Dragon showdowns, where the graphics seem pixelated, dropping to a lower resolution for just that opening screen. Lighting can also wash out a lot of details in character faces and the world itself. And the game has some hilariously overreactive ragdoll physics that sometimes sees opponents awkwardly folded in half or bent over like a scorpion. I also once came across subtitles that had code in them, left over from an update. It wasn’t game-breaking, but it did feel like Kiwami 3 didn’t have quite the level of polish that both Kiwami 1 and 2 did.

For my Yakuza looking into accessibility, there are a fair number of options here to help make your time more enjoyable in the game. These range from difficulty modifiers like automatically completing quick time events, manual and auto battle controls, and allowing you to hold a button instead of rapid taps, as well as visual options like removing camera shake, changing subtitle colours, and adding a background for higher contrast. There are colourblind modes as well as high contrast modes. The game also lets you choose from Japanese or English dialogue, as well as remapping all buttons for accessibility controllers. It’s a great step forward in accessibility options, but as always, I recommend further research into finding out if Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties suit your needs. Thankfully, there is a demo available on the eShop to test before you commit to buying.

In terms of value, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties come in at the highest price point of the series so far, just under $100 AUD. There’s plenty on offer here, with the main campaign taking around 12 hours if you rush through it, and probably 70 hours of content if you experience everything the game has to offer. Dark Ties is more of a mini extension, weighing in at around 4 to 6 hours of playtime. I’ve heard that some content was removed to streamline the game, and to me, the gameplay opens up fairly quickly, while the story really starts to take off around chapter 5. For me, not knowing what was removed, I didn’t feel the game was lacking in content or gameplay mechanics.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, and it’s been my favourite adventure in the series so far. It’s a serious game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, with uncomfortable themes balanced by genuinely wholesome moments. The story, as always, pulls you in with turmoil and twists, but also lets you simply exist in the world of Yakuza. I’ve grown quite fond of the characters in this series, and seeing Goro Majima steal nearly every scene he’s in makes me really want to dig into Yakuza 0. I hope the series continues to come to Nintendo Switch 2, so more players can experience the dark yet wonderful world of Yakuza. Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties might not be perfect, but it’s a fantastic continuation of this outstanding series.

So, What’s it Like? Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is like the Yakuza series we know, but this time it wears a colourful Hawaiian shirt.

In the interest of full disclosure, a review copy was provided by the publisher, but this doesn’t influence my score.

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