I feel it’s nice that we’re getting Yakuza Kiwami 3. Lots of collection followers, myself included, have but to take a look at this third mainline entry, and a model new remake of Yakuza 3 appears like a sound strategy to do exactly that.
But its existence is maybe one-upped by Darkish Ties, an entirely authentic sport set alongside the occasions of Yakuza Kiwami 3. Excess of a fast facet story – a la Yakuza Kiwami 2’s Majima Saga – Darkish Ties shall be extra akin to Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Title. That means, we are able to anticipate a extra fulsome expertise that reveals a distinct facet to the story.
This story being that of Yoshitaka Mine, a key character in Yakuza 3, and positively one which went on to grow to be a fan favourite. Mine is a personality at all-time low, having had his profitable startup firm taken proper from underneath him. Vowing to make a reputation for himself, he turns to the yakuza to forge a brand new life within the prison underworld.
Mine is a calculated, results-driven particular person, however that doesn’t make him a slouch in fight. In actual fact, having just lately gone hands-on with Darkish Ties at a Sega occasion, I feel Mine would possibly simply supply my favourite real-time fight model within the collection to this point. It’s slick, brutal, and packs a heck of a bloody punch.
The darkish awakens
The Darkish Ties demo I performed wasn’t notably story-focused, outdoors of a fast, scripted tutorial battle with a bunch of ruffians desirous to steal a briefcase he’s carrying. I rapidly discovered that Mine – each bit as a lot because the Dragon of Dojima himself – isn’t a person you wish to begin a battle with.
Mine doesn’t maintain again in fight, with a quickfire shootboxing model that originally appears like a souped-up model of Kiryu’s ‘Rush’ model from Yakuza 0. Speedy punch combos are your bread and butter with Mine. The Circle button, in the meantime (often reserved for grabs in different titles), has a little bit of a pseudo stance impact. By holding the button, Mine crops one foot on an enemy. Then, urgent one in all three fight buttons (gentle, heavy, or seize) launches him off mentioned enemy, dealing harm to a different in the event you line it up appropriately.
What actually units Mine aside, although, is his Darkish Awakening mode. It’s ruled by three Shackled Coronary heart icons beneath his well being bar. When crammed, you possibly can press R2 to unleash Darkish Awakening mode, considerably altering his transfer set and powering up assaults throughout the board.
Moreover, Darkish Awakening has three ranges of energy, and you may go right into a ‘Double’ or ‘Triple’ state by holding down R2 and consuming as many Shackled Hearts, assuming they’re crammed. This appears to each prolong the period of Darkish Awakening and enhance its energy even additional. I reckon moving into that Triple state throughout boss fights will certainly be the way in which to go, whereas a single use will probably be finest in your common gang of goons.
What amazed me about Darkish Awakening was its sheer presentation. Mine turns right into a brutal killing machine, to the purpose the place I nearly genuinely felt unhealthy for the teams of ruffians that attempted it on with him. Some strikes transition into alarmingly visceral assaults, with one the place Mine drags an enemy throughout the bottom earlier than tossing them apart (accompanied by a frankly comical bathe of blood), particularly standing out.
I didn’t have as a lot time to play Darkish Ties as I did with Yakuza Kiwami 3, however it’s essential to notice that each video games will characteristic in the identical package deal. In both title, you possibly can go into the pause menu and swap between them at any time, which is neat in the event you fancy a break from sunny Okinawa.
Fight apart, it does appear to be Mine will be capable of take pleasure in a lot of the identical actions as Kiryu, together with karaoke, darts, and bowling. Apparently, I didn’t handle to seek out any facet quests whereas exploring the streets of Kamurocho, however that was maybe for demo functions.
Darkish Ties and Yakuza Kiwami 3 launch concurrently on February 12, 2026, for PS5, PS4, Xbox Sequence X and Sequence S, Nintendo Swap 2, and PC.
