Travis Bruno of Capsule Computers writes:
“The Yakuza franchise has been on quite the rise over the past decade. Initially released on the PlayStation 2, the first two games didn’t really find an audience in the West. Only with Yakuza 3 on the PlayStation 3 did the franchise start to find some footing despite being a rather odd jumping in point in Kazuma’s journey. Not only that, but at the time countless parts of the game were removed for Western release only to finally be brought back in a Yakuza 3 Remaster in 2021.
Now, with that version removed from sale from all but bundle purchases, Yakuza 3 is the latest game to be given the Kiwami treatment to upgrade the content and align the storyline with what the team has been slowly adding and adjusting since Yakuza Kiwami 1. Unfortunately for fans though, this time around Yakuza Kiwami 3 shows the first time that the franchise has dragged itself down with even the bundled Dark Ties doing little to help its case and is a worrying sign of future remakes.”
