Yakuza Kiwami 2 review: More heat, more fun, more yakuza

It’s not that uncommon for games to get a sequel if it does well, and the original Yakuza got its chance to have its story expanded upon with Yakuza 2 on the PlayStation 2. Fortunately, like Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the first game, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a remake of the second game in the franchise, which means you can check out the next step in the Kiryu saga.

 

Taking place one year after the events of Yakuza 1 (or Kiwami), Kiryu is thrown back to the reigns of the Tojo Clan as a new chairman needs to be elected while a new threat, the Omi alliance looms on the horizon, and new characters to showcase like Sayama and Goda. While not as mysterious as the first game, the story for Yakuza Kiwami 2 is more of a crime drama than a mystery but still has plenty of twists to endure for Kiryu and the cast. 

 

The combat of this game is a little weird because it does not revolve around swapping combat styles like Zero or Kiwami, rather you’re stuck in Dragon Style for the whole game. But thankfully, there’s a new upgrade system that helps make sure you’re always up for the challenge. From new combos, heat actions, and weapon mastery, this new overhauled system more than makes up for its faults. 

 

The exploration of the game is as you would expect from a Yakuza game as you traverse between Kamurocho and Sotenbori to deal with new story events, the hilarious side missions, and everything in between from fine dining, enjoyable minigames, and the never-ending combat of nerduwells from these two cities. While most, if not all, of the minigames are recycled from older games, this does not mean they’re any less enjoyable the second or third time around. Plus, that just means you have alot to do within these two towns. 

 

The biggest mini-game Yakuza Kiwami 2 has to offer is the Majima Construction minigame, starring everyone’s favorite one-eyed maniac Goro Majima, now the head of his own construction company. Unfortunately, the project he’s working on is trying to be poached by other crews, so it’s up to you to organize your troops in a way that would fend off the invaders without landing a single punch. It gets you thinking of all the troops you have on standby and has a rock-paper-scissor. It’s something to do in short bursts and won’t recommend doing it all in one sitting.

 

And speaking of Majima, Kiwami 2 has a bonus story mode where it showcases Majima’s time between the events of Kiwami 1 and 2 while telling how he got to lead a construction crew in the first place. It’s short and bittersweet and opens some old wounds from Yakuza Zero, but it’s a fun little mode you can get through in a single sitting. Worth experiencing if you’re a Majima fan or just can't get enough of the Yakuza Franchise.

 

Overall, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is an incredible experience between the combat, the story, and everything these two cities have to offer, from the main experience or if you just want to run around and explore all the little nooks and crannies. It’s got something for almost everyone involved and then some as Kiryu’s story grows even further, and so does Majima. It’s a very fun game if you can get it on sale, which is usually often, or you can grab the bundle of Zero, Kiwami 1, and Kiwami 2 for an even more reduced price. These games pay their money back with insane interest.

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9/10