I adore SEGA’s over-the-top Yakuza games. They’re the perfect blend of serious and silly, that manage to tell heartfelt stories while being filled to the brim with quirky gameplay elements. While they’re set in a semi-open world and often draw comparisons to games like GTA, they’re more of a 3D spiritual successor to games like Streets of Rage; they’re ridiculous beat-em-up games at their core.
SEGA has now sort of revealed when Yakuza Kiwami, a brilliant remake of the very first game, is headed to PC. The game was announced alongside modern prequel Yakuza 0 for the PC last year. While Yakuza 0 is already on steam, we’re still waiting for Kiwami. It doesn’t seem like we’ll be waiting very much longer. In a teaser gif on the Steam store page, a single frame flashes the game’s release date: February 19.
MAJIMAAAAA!
Here’s what we said of the game in our review of the PS4 version:
What makes Yakuza Kiwami truly special, is that it manages to balance being both a tense crime drama while also having time to take the piss and laugh itself at any given moment. Kazuma may find himself the target of seedy mobsters pursuing an ulterior motive, but he’s also a magnet for the most bizarre side-stories that the neon-lit district of cabaret bars and soapland brothels has to offer.
…Yakuza Kiwami is still great stuff more than a decade after release. It’s equal parts bonkers and serious, with a melodramatic slow burn that soon kicks into overdrive as the end races into view. Yakuza Kiwami doesn’t deviate too much from the past, but it does recreate the Dragon of Dojima’s world, reviving the sandbox brawler for a new generation…
Last Updated: January 22, 2019
