YAKUZA KIWAMI 3 is an extreme remake of the action-adventure beat ’em up Yakuza 3 featuring ex-yakuza Kazuma Kiryu’s fight to protect those he loves. DARK TIES is a brand-new game featuring Yoshitaka Mine from Yakuza 3 included as a separate action-packed experience. Last week, SEGA had us out to the BUDONOKI in Los Angeles for an exclusive preview event to check both games out. Listening to a pre-recorded video from the game’s developers at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio explained that this was more than just a remastering.
In Yakuza Kiwami 3, Kazuma Kiryu runs the Morning Glory orphanage and spends his days helping the youngsters out to increase his “Daddy Level”. The Daddy Level is increased by doing things like helping kids with their homework, sewing clothing, preparing meals, planting crops in the garden, and A LOT more. Each of these is basically a mini game with plenty of over the top Yakuza style action thrown in. I had so much fun jumping in and out of these mini games. It breaks up the core gameplay a lot and adds hours upon enjoyable hours to your total playtime.
Of course, Kiryu soon finds himself battling his way across Okinawa. The city is chock full of various activities to take part in – from Mahjong parlors to Karaoke and a lot more. The side quests are also plentiful and, in my playthrough, Kiryu was even recruited by a TV travel host and crew to take them around the city. Of course, things go South along the way and Kiryu is forced to use his fists and flying kicks to settle a problem. The combat is visceral and satisfying. It didn’t take a lot of time to get the hang of fighting and the colorful enemies Kiryu encounters add extra Yakuza flare to the game. Kiryu has two different fighting styles to choose between – The Dragon of Dojima Kiwami style (which is based in shootboxing) and the Ryuku Style (which uses weapons and provides a balance between offense and defense).
The game’s new Bad Boy Dragon game mode is a total blast. In this mode, Kiryu joins up and becomes the chairman of the Haisai Girls motorcycle club. The goal of this mode is to add new members to the club and increase its power. Of course, you can also rumble with rival clubs and the action is fast, furious, and fun as you jet around on motorcycles to claim territory. You can even customize your motorcycles and outfits for style purposes.
In your travels, you’ll even come across a full-on SEGA Game Gear emulator! And this just scratches the surface of all the different activities and mini games that can be found in Yakuza Kiwami 3 + Dark Ties. Speaking of Dark Ties, the game trades the whimsy of Yakuza Kiwami 3 for a darker tone. In the level of Dark Ties that we got to play, Yoshitaka Mine works to assist his lieutenant Tsuyoshi Kanda as he seeks to bolster his reputation and rise in the ranks by resolving a series of dramatic substories, local disputes, tasks and missions around town in the Kanda Damage Control segment.
In the Hell’s Arena underground fight club game mode, Mine must survive a series of death-defying battles to bring down Hell’s Arena’s fight club organizers who pose a threat to the Nishikiyama Family’s operations. As Mine, players must survive Hellish Brawls, traditional one-on-one fights that push participants to the brink, and Survival Hell, dangerous races where competitors are relentlessly chased by hunters through a treasure-filled dungeon.
Overall, our preview of Yakuza Kiwami 3 + Dark Ties was one of the most fun events I’ve been to in a long time – and while Budonoki and SEGA staffers were all amazing to work with, the fun was in large part due to the games themselves. Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties are so much fun to play and provide a ton of variety as well as plenty of action to satisfy both long-time fans of the franchise as well as players new to the Yakuza world. Yakuza Kiwami 3 + Dark Ties is set to launch on February 12, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam. For more information on pre-orders, please visit the official game website.
