I played Yakuza Kiwami on Nintendo Switch 2, and the Dragon of Dojimas debut feels as good as ever

Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Description:
Yakuza Kiwami feels fantastic to play on Nintendo Switch 2, with smooth gameplay, good visuals, and convenient on-the-go capability.

FULL STORY

The Dragon of Dojima has smashed his way onto the Nintendo Switch 2 once
again this time with a port of Yakuza Kiwami a remake of the first game released in Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios iconic series. This excellent action role-playing game (RPG) has landed on Nintendos latest console almost ten
years after its initial release on PS3 and PS4, so does it hold up?

Review info
Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
Release date: November 13, 2025 (Switch 2 version)

Well, before I answer that and get into the nitty-gritty, allow me to set the scene.

Yakuza Kiwami follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu a yakuza who is expelled
from the Tojo Clan after being accused of murdering his patriarch, Sohei Dojima. After spending ten years in prison, Kiryu is forced to find his feet
in truly chaotic circumstances. His childhood friend, Yumi, has gone missing. His sworn
brother Nishiki is spiralling after being appointed as a yakuza boss. And the Tojo Clan is frantically searching for 10 billion yen, which
has seemingly been stolen. The story is compelling as ever, and kept me
engaged
from start to finish.

Ive spent more than 15 hours playing through the main and side stories in Yakuza Kiwami for Nintendo Switch 2 . And as someone who played and
thoroughly
enjoyed the PS4 version of this remake, my hopes were pretty
high. Heres how it stacked up against my expectations.

Good news, Yakuza fans, this is a very strong port of Kiwami . First of all, the game runs at an impressive 60fps, which is the same as the PS4 version. I was glad to see that the framerate rarely ever dropped with my Switch 2
docked or in handheld mode, keeping the action flowing when it mattered most.

There was the very occasional drop during heat actions, but this was minor
and had no impact on gameplay whatsoever. The title also displays at 1080p, meaning you get very solid performance, all things considered. Of course, as
a port of a decade-old game, the visuals arent the flashiest, but Kiwami certainly looks as good as youd hope on Switch 2.

Other than one cutscene in Chapter 1, which appeared to be a little low-res, in-game movies also looked as good as they did on PS4. The murkiness of 2005 Kamurocho, the vibrancy of yakuza fashion, and the character animations all look as character-filled as Id hoped.

Another good thing about the Switch 2 version is that load times have been
kept
nice and brief. So, whether youre heading into a fast food joint or
going to the Serena bar, transitions feel swift and seamless. Best bit (Image credit: Sega) Majima just loves getting beaten up by Kiryu. Only to help the Dragon of Dojima get stronger, apparently. Anyway, I found him hiding under a giant cone and then used it to crush him in combat. The sheer creativity of this series never fails to wow me.

Yakuza Kiwami isnt only nice to look at and smooth performing, but its also
a joy to control on Switch 2. I mainly played through it with the Joy-Con 2 controllers, piecing combos together, switching into different battle styles, and general movement feels just like it should.

There are a few small options that also help to make this a great port. For instance, you can carry over data from the original Nintendo Switch version
of the game, straight onto Switch 2 if youre mid-way through your adventure, say. There are also more text languages available than in the PS4 version,
for example, which is a nice touch. And obviously, being on Switch 2, you can also play on the go, which is a key reason to pick this edition over home console alternatives.

Overall, this is a great way to play Yakuza Kiwami an awesome game in its
own right. Speaking of, lets talk a little more about the game itself, which has been a favorite of mine for a number of years.

Yakuza Kiwamis story covers some pretty heavy ground. Kiryu aims to help a vulnerable child find her mother; he has to survive in an increasingly
hostile Kamuroch, and the internal politics of the Tojo Clan leave him in
some extremely precarious situations. But the heaviness of Kiwami s story is weighted against some truly bizarre oftentimes hilarious sub-stories and events.

Perhaps the most obvious example I can think of is just about every
interaction
with Goro Majima, who is nicknamed The Mad Dog of Shimano. This troublemaker has a sadomasochistic obsession with Kiryu and will fight you at every turn through a battle system called Majima Everywhere. He claims this
is to revive the true Dragon of Dojima the full-strength Kiryu that existed before spending a decade imprisoned.

Usually, youll just have a scrap in the streets of Kamuroch, but some of your encounters are phenomenally bizarre. Majima will dress up as a police
officer, hide in a comically oversized traffic cone, and even get into drag. All with the purpose of fighting you. There are so many hilarious moments,
and these episodes will make it clear why Majima is such a fan favorite.

As you continue to battle it out and improve your Majima Everywhere rank,
youll
unlock skills for the Dragon combat style. This is a bit different, as you simply spend EXP to gain proficiency in the other styles: Brawler, Rush, and Beast. Id argue that the pure volume of fights required to advance the Majima Everywhere plotline and gain all of the Dragon skills is too high, and can grow
tiresome after a while. But still, there are a lot of brilliant moments sprinkled throughout this segment of the game.

I mentioned EXP earlier, which you gain through beating street punks,
defeating
bosses, eating foodyou name it. This can be spent on upgrading health, learning
combat skills, and the like. The way your power scales as
the game goes on feels fitting for a yakuza whos been long out of the game,
and
adding new moves into the mix as you become more familiar with the combat system is a strong design choice.

And speaking of combat, its seriously addictive. The various battle styles
are well-differentiated, piecing together combos feels satisfying, and
building
up your heat gauge to unleash powerful and sometimes zany
finishing moves is seriously gratifying. Youre not getting the most complex
or deep action mechanics ever, but thats honestly not a flaw the fact that
the
simplistic combat feels this rewarding is a feat in itself.

Before I come to my conclusion, I have to mention that the story is executed very well overall. There are plenty of twists and turns, plenty of emotion-filled moments, and a wonderful cast of characters. Youll have the
odd errand to run in the main story, and this can slightly disrupt the pace
of the adventure, but aside from these occasional bumps in the road, Kiwami
is a real blast to play through.

There are also some funny, action-packed, and plot-enriching sub-stories to explore. Most of these are non-essential, but you can get some amazing
rewards if you take the time to see them through. Youll hear a ton of groovy and heartfelt tracks throughout these substories, and just in Kamuroch generally, which I regularly come back to listen to.

All in all, Yakuza Kiwami is great on Nintendo Switch 2. This version runs smoothly and looks very good for the most part, although the game does, of course, show its older-gen roots. Load times are short, everything feels easy to control, and the game itself is strong in terms of its narrative,
gameplay, and soundtrack. If you havent played Yakuza Kiwami yet, then its
all too easy to recommend it on Nintendo Switch 2.

Should you play Yakuza Kiwami on Nintendo Switch 2? Play it if...

You want to enjoy Yakuza on the go
This is a smooth-performing and good-looking version of Yakuza Kiwami ,
whether
played in docked mode or handheld mode. Being able to take Kiryus journey on the go is a massive plus, and the Switch 2 version is a very solid one indeed.

Youre looking for a more digestible RPG
Sure, if you were to take on all of the substories, you could probably spend more than 80 hours in Yakuza Kiwami . However, players taking on the main
story
and a small bit of side content can expect to see the adventure through in around 20-25 hours. If you want a shorter action RPG to blast through, Kiwami is a nice choice.

Don't play it if...

Youre new to the series
It may seem counterintuitive, but the first game in the series isnt the best
to
start with, in my view. For Switch 2 players, Id recommend picking up Yakuza 0 Directors Cut first. This is a prequel to Kiwami and takes you through the backstory of Kiryu and Majima, and even touches on how their
paths intersect.

Youre expecting real next-gen magic
This is a port of an almost decade-old remake, so if youre expecting some flashy next-gen magic, you may be disappointed.

Accessibility features

There are quite a few options available in the settings menu, like camera control customization, subtitles in a range of languages, different
difficulty and gore levels, and the choice to toggle display tips on or off. Unfortunately, theres no colorblind mode, though, which wouldve been a nice touch.

How I reviewed Yakuza Kiwami on Nintendo Switch 2

I spent more than 15 hours playing through the main story and a handful of
side
stories in Yakuza Kiwami on Nintendo Switch 2. I usually played in
docked mode, with my Switch 2 console connected to the Sky Glass Gen 2 TV and Marshall Heston 120 soundbar. However, I did play in handheld mode on
occasion,
where I usually listened to in-game audio with my Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones.

Ive played Yakuza Kiwami on the PS4 before, and spent in excess of 50 hours
on the game. As a result, I had a strong understanding of what would make
this a successful port. Im also a big fan of the Yakuza series in general,
with
Yakuza 0 standing as my favorite game in the franchise.

More generally, Ive been a Nintendo Switch 2 owner from launch, and have reviewed a wide range of games for the console. This includes other RPGs like Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake and Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army , but also titles from other genres, like Kirby Air Riders and Drag x Drive .

First reviewed December 2025 ======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/yakuza-kiwami-nintendo-switch-2-review
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* Origin: Capitol City Online (42:17/1)