Yakuza Kiwami 3 is More Than Just a Remake, And Dark Ties Proves it

Sega and Ryu ga Gotoku have made sure that older games in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series are accessible to newer audiences. By remaking the first two games as Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2, as well as remastering the older PS3 titles, almost all of the games are now available on modern platforms.

They've revealed their next step: Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties. While it may be strange to develop Yakuza Kiwami 3 considering Yakuza 3 Remastered is out there already, this new version is a complete remake from the ground up, and the Dark Ties story adds even more content, justifying its existence.

Anime News Network had the opportunity to spend 45 minutes with Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties and we came away impressed.

During my time with the Yakuza Kiwami 3 demo, I was placed in the middle of the story, where the original series protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, confronts two young men as they attempt to hand him an eviction notice.

One immediate change I noticed was the overhauled graphics. In particular, one of the young men, Rikiya Shimabukuro, who eventually joins forces with Kiryu, looks drastically younger. The corners of his hairline are no longer balding, and he no longer sports short hair, unlike in the original. In Kiwami 3, he now has a straight hairline with a sleeker back hairstyle. He was virtually unrecognizable at first. I like his new design as it more accurately reflects his youthful naïveté.

On the gameplay front. Kiryu acquires a new fighting style called Ryukyu, inspired by Okinawan martial arts. Here, he pulls out weapons such as tonfas, shields, and spears to beat down enemies. While I've only scratched the surface of this new style, it was fun to play. These weapons had significantly greater range than Kiryu's fists and were more effective at crowd control.

But Dark Ties is the much more interesting side of Kiwami 3's package. It's an origin story that features Yakuza 3's main antagonist, Yoshitaka Mine. Sega clarified that this is not just a simple DLC. It's similar to the standalone Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name in scope and size. Sure, it's a “smaller” entry in the series, but that means it's still a big game considering how massive Like a Dragon games are.

If I had to describe Mine, he's like Shadow the Hedgehog to Kiryu's Sonic. Mine is incredibly edgy, and that's reflected in his fighting style.

His approach mirrors that of a boxer, and he can even ditch the laws of physics by digging his knee into an opponent's stomach, then bouncing from it and comboing into surrounding enemies. It literally defies reality.

Mine also has a special mechanic where he “awakens” his inner darkness. By dishing out and taking damage, Mine's meter steadily increases, signaled by the three heart icons under his HP. He can then expend those icons to make his strikes more deadly, but he endures a black and red aura around his body. Told you he was edgy!

While I didn't get to see much of Dark Ties's story, it showed how Mine met his business partner and clan brother, Tsuyoshi Kanda.

Mine represents what Kiryu could've been had our original protagonist gone down the wrong road, making Mine one of the most memorable villains in the series. One of the common criticisms of the original Yakuza 3 is that Mine didn't get enough screen time. Well, Dark Ties certainly remedies that.

From what I've played, Yakuza Kiwami 3 is more than just a remake of the original game. With the addition of Dark Ties, together, they give fans new and interesting ways to explore the series.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties will launch on February 12, 2026 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X/S.