The neon of Kamurochō has never looked sharper. At Tokyo Game Show 2025, SEGA placed Yakuza Kiwami 3 + Dark Ties front and centre, inviting players to step back into the underworld that defined a generation of Japanese crime drama. Cubed3’s hands‑on demo was split between Kiryu’s familiar stomping grounds and a darker detour into Mine’s new scenario, and coming off the back of playing the recently released Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, it was immediately enthralling.
The remake of Yakuza 3 is more than a facelift. Kamurochō pulsed with life: shopfronts glowed, pedestrians bustled, and the city’s restless energy was captured with a fidelity that the 2009 original could only hint at. Cut-scenes carried a cinematic weight, with re‑recorded dialogue and sharper facial animation lending the story a new intensity. Combat was brutal, immediate, and theatrical. Kiryu’s brawler style returned with refinements, his Heat Actions slamming enemies into walls and tables with bone‑crunching force. Switching to the prequel content, Dark Ties, shifted the tone. Mine’s fighting style was savage, built around throws and ground‑pounding finishers, while his “Dark Awakening” mechanic layered sinister visual effects over already vicious attacks. Ryuji Goda’s presence in the expansion was teased, promising a contrasting style that fans will recognise instantly.
The TGS demo itself was tightly focused on exploration and combat. Mini-games, such as karaoke and purikura photo booths, were not playable on the show floor, although SEGA has confirmed their return in the full release. These diversions remain a core part of the series’ identity, balancing crime drama with eccentric humour, but they were only shown in promotional material rather than hands‑on form. Official materials confirm that this is a full remake of Yakuza 3, rebuilt with modern visuals, re‑recorded audio, and quality‑of‑life improvements. The Switch 2 version is feature‑complete, with parity across platforms, and launching on the same day as other formats, which is a massive turnaround for the studio that previously felt its games were not suited to a Nintendo audience.
Dark Ties is positioned as a new narrative expansion, reframing the story through the eyes of antagonists and exploring themes of loyalty and betrayal from a fresh angle. The demo’s scope was narrow at this early point, offering only a small slice of Kamurochō and a handful of encounters. Some animations, while improved, still carried stiffness inherited from the original, though. Performance on Switch 2 was smooth in this controlled setting, but larger crowds and extended sessions may prove more demanding. For long‑time fans, the core story beats will remain familiar despite the new content. Without sounding negative in anyway, the impression was actually very powerful. Yakuza Kiwami 3 felt like a respectful revival, while Dark Ties added a new layer of menace and intrigue. Together, they suggested a project that honours the past while daring to expand it.
