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This time it's war.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 continues the hard boiled action romp that began in Yakuza 1. It builds upon the foundations of the original’s story and world, unleashing the wrath of every faction and character in a bloody all out war. If you came for the epic fist fights and machismo, Yakuza 2 does more than accommodate. It masterfully overdelivers on the already great service. The characters are well developed, the story has a solid pace, the twists are mind boggling, and the action is helluva entertaining. It's hard to resist Yakuza 2’s brawny charms.
While the game indeed promises war, it does not neglect the art of table setting. The first half contains chapters that set up for the carnage and drama to come. Cop meets Criminal, Tojo meets Omi, and Dragon faces Dragon. Rivalries spark and romances bloom. This is Yakuza 2. A crime action-drama classic in the same vein of the best action movie sequels.
The game begins one year after the original. After retiring from the Yakuza to care for the orphaned Haruka, Kazuma Kiryu is forced out of retirement when a series of unfortunate events threaten to spark a war between the Tojo and Omi clans. In this burgeoning conflict, he meets the ambitious and ruthless Patriarch of the Go Ryu clan, Ryuji Goda. Together, they form a rivalry that rocks the Yakuza world.
Yakuza 2 does what many big action franchises do after the first entry. They utilize the “Bigger means better” approach. This may not always be the case for every action sequel, whether video game or film. Not all larger in scale action sequels have achieved the status of “Good Sequel”, just look at how Marvel handles itself lately. Thankfully, Yakuza 2 knows how to play with its increased ambitions.
After satisfyingly setting-up the status quo in Yakuza 1, the sequel opts to thrillingly challenge it from the beginning. Tragedies occur, alliances shift, and new leaders arise. Yakuza 2 expands the internal Yakuza conflicts of the original into a large-scale clan war story that threatens the peace in Kamurocho. Surviving characters return and most are given roles to play in this new crisis. In true RGG studios fashion, new characters are also introduced, further enriching the Yakuza world with new dimensions. Nevertheless, Kazuma Kiryu is the prime star of the show.
Kazuma Kiryu remains as one of gaming’s greatest protagonists and Yakuza 2 proves this thesis with a great deconstruction of the man behind the legend. Over the course of the game, we witness him feel every phase of fury, regret, sadness, and love. This is Kiryu at his most vulnerable yet, recovering from the scars of the past while reclaiming his loving tenderness with the presence of Kaoru Sayama, the female protagonist of the game. Takaya Kuroda gives us another incredible vocal performance that peels away at the stoic exterior of the Dragon of Dojima, revealing an inner man who only wants peace and love.
Additionally Kaoru Sayama is an incredible addition to the early mainline games. The Yakuza Huntress is a fierce and fearless Osakan cop, always on the beat and a tough fighter in the streets. To put it differently, Sayama is a woman on the same level as the Dragon of Dojima. Just like Kiryu, she’s tough on the outside and a softie on the inside. The game does an incredible job utilizing her as a character that unravels the emotional interiors of Kiryu, while also giving her a chance to shine as well. Not much can be said without spoiling more, but rest assured, Sayama is a top tier character in this franchise.
Yakuza 2 also continues the theme of community found in the original, albeit on a larger and more dramatic scale. As mentioned earlier, Yakuza 1 was very successful in introducing its many characters in Kamurocho. Since this was well accomplished, Yakuza 2 was the time to dive deeply into the communal aspect of the series and it does so pretty effectively. In the defense of Kamurocho, everyone has a part to play. The bartenders, the information brokers, the hosts, the cops, and the Yakuza all contribute to save this precious town, the site of many special memories both in the past and future. In Yakuza 2, we finally feel what everyone is fighting for.
Despite the fantastic story, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is still a faithful remake of the original story on the PS2. in other words, the game uses the storyboards of the PS2 original to mixed results. Some shots can look incredible, fitting nicely for the Dragon Engine. In other times, the cinematography falls flat and pales in comparison to the later games. The maintenance of the original Yakuza 2’s storyboards is a strange choice, especially when considering the game’s remake status.
The storyboarding Yakuza 2 should have been executed with more creative liberties from its original presentation. In recent times, RGG studios have clearly proven that they are cinematographic masters that utilize the motion of both character models and the camera to evoke adrenaline and thrills. Yakuza 2 can still do this, but it's lacking in comparison to more recent and even previous work Ryu Ga Gotoku entries.
On the other hand, Yakuza Kiwami 2’s side content has a good degree of creative liberty attached to it. For instance, two new major minigames have been added to the main game and are practically entire games in their own right. These are the Cabaret Club and Majima Construction minigames. The first minigame allows the player to run a Cabaret Club where they take in customers, manage their hostesses, and maximize profit from the proceedings. The Cabaret Club is a depiction of business at its most fun and healthy as Kiryu forges bonds with his employees while raking in a lot of dough.
Meanwhile, the Majima Construction minigame is an RTS game wherein Kiryu orders the members of the Construction company to defend their site from hordes of Yakuza. Both pieces of side content are super fun, containing each their own storyline and cast. They add a ton of playtime as well, so these are worth checking out.
The substories are also quite plentiful and will take a lot of time to clear. Some substories are simple in nature, usually involving a scam or a fistfight. Other substories can be full blown short form narratives that always deliver a moral message or a realization of life to both Kiryu and the player. As expected of a Yakuza game, the substories are pretty good and simple story lines that won’t take much of your time. Though a lot of the time, fist fights are the main mode of solving issues.
On the topic of fist fights, Yakuza Kiwami 2’s combat is fantastic. While not as smooth as later Dragon Engine brawlers, Kiwami 2’s fights are a blast to play through. The player can definitely feel the weight of Kiryu as he punches, kicks, and smashes his way through a dozen enemies. This man is a walking tank and no one is capable of stopping its march to beat up the next baddie. All the classic Dragon style moves from Yakuza 1 return, so returning players can feel right at home with Yakuza 2’s combat.
The graphics, artstyle, and the fantastic rendition of Kamurocho are also incredible. RGG games aren’t the most realistic looking, but they look “real enough” thanks to its balanced art style. When watching its cutscenes, it feels like watching a high quality animated film. The facial expressions are top-notch, always delivering on the humanistic expressions expected from the franchise. Moreover, Kamurocho’s neon lights shine brighter than ever in what I consider as the best depiction of this beautiful little town in Tokyo. The lighting is great and the atmosphere is top-notch. It's easy to lose yourself in the urban jungles of Yakuza Kiwami 2.
Overall, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a great game filled to the brim with exciting battles, high stakes drama, and fun soap opera levels of storytelling that will either invoke intrigue or laughter. The game may have the skeleton of a PS2 game, but its absolutely enhanced.
9/10.