In the past six years, Sega has released more Yakuza titles than Sonic the Hedgehog games, and much like Sonic, the backlash surrounding the series now feels less like fan impatience and more like the result of Sega’s own decisions. Setting aside the recasting controversy that has followed this project since its reveal at TGS, the more pressing issue is that this is a remake of the first game in the series that arguably never needed one. Yakuza 3 was originally the franchise’s debut on the PlayStation 3 in the West, and notably the first mainline entry to arrive in HD. For many players, especially those who experienced the series years later through the Xbox releases during COVID, it earned a reputation as the series’ black sheep. That reputation made a remake seem like an obvious opportunity for RGG to revisit the game, address its pacing and design issues, and refine what worked into something more cohesive. Instead, what we received is a version that smooths over some technical rough edges while adding new story material that pushes the narrative further into melodrama, to the point where the experience no longer feels amusingly over-the-top, but unintentionally laughable.
What made Yakuza 3 divisive back in 2009 wasn’t that it was a bad game, but that it felt slow and strangely sentimental after the operatic crime drama of Yakuza 2. Kiryu running an orphanage in Okinawa instead of breaking bones in Kamurocho felt like the series had abruptly slammed the brakes. For many players, myself included at the time, it felt like filler, as if RGG didn’t quite know where to take the story next after the Tojo Clan had already imploded twice in a row. This remake had the perfect opportunity to reframe that perception. It could have tightened the pacing, rebalanced the structure, and made the orphanage material feel intentional rather than like a five-hour detour before the “real” plot begins. Instead, Kiwami 3 doubles down on those elements, and that is where the oddness of this remake becomes apparent.
With modern graphics, updated cutscene direction, and contemporary voice acting, the orphanage sections no longer feel quaint or charming as they once did. What originally seemed like a PS3-era tonal experiment now feels like an overindulgent melodrama. You spend an uncomfortable amount of time resolving children’s squabbles, running errands, and participating in scenes that resemble a daytime television script, all while knowing that a CIA conspiracy, a yakuza power struggle, and a political cover-up are waiting in the background. The game refuses to hurry, and the result is a sense of narrative dissonance that is far more noticeable now than it was in 2009.
The core issue is that RGG did not restructure the game; they simply polished it. Combat is smoother, animations are cleaner, and loading times are significantly improved, but the underlying design philosophy remains untouched. Enemies still block excessively, boss fights still drag longer than they should, and random encounters continue to interrupt the pacing at the worst possible times. All the frustrations players had with the original release are still present here, only now rendered in 4K.
This becomes especially noticeable in 2026 because the modern Like a Dragon audience has experienced titles such as Yakuza 0, Kiwami 2, Like a Dragon, Gaiden, and Infinite Wealth. Those games demonstrate a confidence in pacing and a careful balance between absurd side content and tightly constructed main narratives. In comparison, Kiwami 3 feels like it belongs to a version of RGG that had not yet figured out those elements.
The most significant problem, however, lies in the additions to the story. Without delving into spoilers, RGG has added new scenes and expanded certain character motivations to deepen the narrative. Rather than creating cohesion, these additions draw attention to how messy the original plot structure already was. Characters make decisions that feel less like tragic yakuza drama and more like soap opera coincidence, and major revelations land with confusion rather than impact. The political thriller angle, which was intriguing in 2009, now feels bloated when placed alongside the emotional simplicity of Kiryu’s life at the orphanage. The result is the feeling that two very different games have been awkwardly stitched together: one a heartfelt story about a former gangster trying to be a father, and the other a conspiracy thriller centered on government corruption and Tojo Clan politics. The remake does little to reconcile these tones.
Ironically, the strongest elements of Kiwami 3 remain the same as they were in the original release: Okinawa itself. The slower pace, the beach town atmosphere, and the relaxed side content work better now than ever before. Walking through Ryukyu with modern visuals is genuinely pleasant, and the substories continue to range from hilarious to touching. In these moments, the game feels like an early prototype for the quieter, reflective tone that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth would later perfect.
However, each time the main plot resumes, the game struggles to maintain that balance. What this remake ultimately reveals is that Yakuza 3 was not misunderstood; it was an experimental entry in the series created before RGG fully understood how to execute the tonal and pacing shifts it was attempting. Rather than using this remake as an opportunity to refine that experiment, the studio has chosen to preserve it almost exactly as it was. From a historical perspective, this is fascinating. From a player’s perspective, it is frustrating. This was not a game that needed preservation so much as reinterpretation. The comparison to Kiwami 2 is unavoidable. That remake reimagined Yakuza 2 using the Dragon Engine and modern storytelling sensibilities, making it feel like a true remake rather than a technical upgrade. Kiwami 3, by contrast, feels closer to a remaster with improved lighting and a handful of additional cutscenes that do little to address the core structural issues.
This explains why the backlash surrounding the game is not primarily about nostalgia or recasting controversies, but about expectations. Players hoped this would be the version of Yakuza 3 that finally resolved the issues that made it divisive in the first place. Instead, it reinforces why those issues existed. That is not to say there is no value here. Kiryu’s character work remains strong, the orphanage children are memorable, and several emotional moments resonate more deeply now because of what players know about Kiryu’s future from later entries. In hindsight, this is an important chapter in his life, even if it does not translate into the most engaging game structure.
You come away from Yakuza Kiwami 3 appreciating it more than you enjoy playing it. It is not a bad game, nor is it broken, but it is stubbornly loyal to a version of the series that no longer exists. For longtime fans, it functions as a time capsule. For newer fans, it can feel like a pacing nightmare. For RGG, it represents a missed opportunity to finally bring the series’ black sheep into the fold rather than displaying it unchanged. Ultimately, this was not a remake designed to improve Yakuza 3. It was a remake designed to preserve it.
Score: 6 out of 10
Reviewed on Xbox Series X