The main story itself is captivating while not quite as mysterious as 0. My guess is they were carried over from the original where these stories weren’t just the focus of the main game – just like there is not any business to focus on to get some cash. I actively sought him out because Majima has some creative ways of hiding and setting up fights that I thoroughly enjoyed. Speaking of characters, we have 0’s second protagonist Goro Majima back as well, though not as a playable character but as a constant challenge to improve our combat. The reason for our protagonist Kiryu to be this “weak” at the start of the game is that he went to prison for a crime he didn’t commit for his sworn brother Akira Nishikiyama, who ends up being the villain of this game. This situation was quickly remedied later.
I remember vividly my first miniboss from 0 where I was on my toes trying to time my hits right but with Kiwami, it was rather boring. Although harder, the fighting for minibosses felt a bit uninspired. Overall, the combat is a bit harder despite being at the same difficulty setting. But the mechanics and the tutorials didn’t feel as slow and grinding as they were in 0, so that was a definite plus. They are on the same engine and they were released the same year, so that should not come as a surprise. (Image credit: SEGA)Īfter playing Yakuza 0, the transition to Kiwami is seamless. One of the many locations Goro Majima can pop out to fight Kiryu in Yakuza: Kiwami.