In 2005; a legend was born on the PlayStation 2 – the legend of Kazuma Kiryu; the Dragon of Dojima; in his video game debut with Yakuza. Now; 11 years after that release; a new generation of players will be able to experience the incomparable action and drama of the Yakuza series with the rebuilt-from-scratch HD remake exclusive to PlayStation 4 Yakuza Kiwami.
‘Kiwami’ means Extreme and the game takes that concept to heart. It’s not an HD-remaster or up-rezzing of PS2-era textures. Yakuza Kiwami was recreated from the ground up exclusively for the PlayStation 4. That means every visual element was optimized for the 1080p/60fps environment every line of the script was re-recorded by series actors and for the first time in the West gamers will be able to hear the original Japanese language track.
Then there’s the game itself! The PS2-era brawling gameplay is refined for the current gen with Kazuma Kiryu fighting his way through the ranks of Yakuza only to wind up protecting a young girl whose aunt (who also happens to be Kiryu’s childhood sweetheart) is missing…along with 10 billion yen.
- GREAT STARTING PLACE FOR NEWCOMERS: Newcomers or those whose Yakuza experience started with Yakuza 0 will have familiar exacting controls top-notch SEGA localization and a solid starting point for entering the Yakuza franchise fresh. Veterans will experience a familiar Kamurocho – the fictional red-light district of Tokyo the game is set in – and plot but with new levels of story depth and graphical polish.
- BACK TO THE ROOTS OF THE YAKUZA SERIES: Kiwami adds nearly 30 minutes of cutscenes providing all-new insight into the game’s plot. There’s also added distractions (Pocket Circuit car racing MesuKing: Battle Bug Beauties new hostesses and more) side quests and combat updates to bring the original Yakuza game into the latest console generation.
- MAJIMA EVERYWHERE: Completely new to Kiwami is the ‘Majima Everywhere’ system where the series’ deranged one-eyed maniac will constantly surprise and challenge Kiryu to combat when he least expects it. We’re talking ‘popping out of a goofy costume’ levels of surprise so players must stay on their toes and be ready to defend themselves from Kiryu’s chief rival.
- EXTREME REVITALIZATION: Kiwami is rebuilt from the ground up with all new HD assets exclusive Japanese voice audio re-recorded by the series cast and more; optimized for the PlayStation 4 and running in 1080p/60fps.
