Yakuza Kiwami 3 review: Blurring the line between remake and rewrite

But in Yakuza Kiwami 3, a remake of 2009’s Yakuza 3, this approach of embroidering the new onto the old feels more heavy-handed than its predecessors. From throwaway NPC dialogue to retconning huge plot twists, Kiwami 3 is conspicuously littered with anachronistic links to 2020’s Like a Dragon and 2024’s Infinite Wealth. Remember the Special Editions of the original Star Wars trilogy, where George Lucas inserts Dewbacks, Stormtroopers, and a strangely svelte CGI Jabba the Hutt into random scenes? There’s a strong whiff of that here, and it’s hard not to feel as though allowing certain elements of Yakuza 3 to simply be a little rough or imperfect would have been less intrusive. That awkward revision project keeps Yakuza Kiwami 3 from matching the series’ highs, but it’s still an enjoyable romp, in no small part thanks to its truly heinous group of villains.