Yakuza Kiwami 3 preview: RGG wants to reframe the clunkiest Yakuza game

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake might be the flashiest example of video game remakes trying to incorporate a franchise’s legacy, but Ryu Ga Gotoku’s Yakuza Kiwami 3 is shaping up to be the best-executed so far. Polygon had the chance to play several sections of the upcoming game and its Dark Ties prequel-slash-expansion, set for launch on Feb. 12, as part of a digital preview event. Dark Ties and its quest-based structure feel a little tacked onto the main course here — which they are. But RGG effectively invokes Kiryu’s story from later in the series to reframe some of the original game’s slower, more meandering segments — and it’s a promising change so far.