GAME CLEAR No. 13 -- Yakuza 3 Remastered

Yakuza 3 Remastered (2018, Multiplatform)

Remaster of: Yakuza 3 (2009, PS3)
Original Developer: SEGA CS1 R&D
Remake Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: SEGA
Clear Date: 1/5/2021
Clear Platform: PS5 via Backwards Compatibility

Yet another Yakuza GAME CLEAR to ring in the New Year and yet another strong entry!

Yakuza 3 Remastered is one of three games on the Yakuza Remastered Collection (3, 4, 5), which I got for a cool $25. I’d say I’ve already gotten plenty of value at that price, with Yakuza 3 running a quality 20ish hours. This game focuses pretty strongly on Kiryu and his orphanage as he attempts to put his past behind him. Of course, Al Pacino style, Kiryu does get pulled back in to yakuza concerns.

The game takes place in both Okinawa and Tokyo, which I really enjoyed. It taught me a little about Japan that I didn’t know, and I frankly just think it’s cool that the series constistently spreads out over all of Japan, even its far-flung islands. It has a pretty good story that probably has the highest stakes of the series so far. I’ll stop short of spoiling anything, but it was certainly interesting.

The writing remains silly and occasionally unbelievable, but I’m totally down for that sort of thing. I’ve definitely gotten used to it at this point in the series. Kiryu remains a noble fellow and a very likable protagonist. I’ve enjoyed the three games I’ve played so far in which he’s been the only protagonist (not counting Majima’s very short story section in Yakuza Kiwami 2). I’m under the impression that other characters will get more of the spotlight in Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5. Which is cool! I hope it’s well-executed. I’m also led to believe those games will be a good bit longer (especially 5), which I’m not as crazy about. I think the ~20hr length of the past few games I’ve played has been really solid. I’m interested to see if 4 or 5 overstay their respective welcomes.

Side content is competent and amusing as usual, but aside from the substories, a lot of the minigames and such have been reused over and over, so they don’t really appeal. That’s fine! It doesn’t hurt to have them in there, but they don’t really make the game any better. The Cabaret Club system in this game, meanwhile, is clearly a prototype of what was to come in “later” games that I played first because of their chronological order in the series. I didn’t really care for that minigame in those games either, though, so its significantly scaled back incaration on 3 doesn’t bother me. BUT, the substories I played were good. They have been in every game so far. Good, amusing, occasionally touching stuff. I’m sure that will remain the case going forward.

The only real complaint I can lodge is that this is definitely a “uprez+60fps” type remaster. SEGA did kindly include some content that was cut in localization during the original release of Yakuza 3, but I don’t think it was anything I actually played, mostly side stuff. In any case, the result is of course that this game is basically the game it was in 2009. It’s a little ugly, and the engine sure ain’t as good as the ones that would come after it. Fortunately, neither of those drawbacks are enough to detract from what is definitely a good game. It’s a bit jarring to go from the very pretty Yakuza Kiwami 2 to Yakuza 3, but it shouldn’t stop you from playing this solid chapter in the Kiryu saga.