Yakuza Kiwami Launches on the Nintendo Switch on October 24

During the Nintendo Direct partner showcase that aired on August 28, Sega revealed that Yakuza Kiwami, the first game of the long-running Yakuza series, is coming to the Nintendo Switch on October 24 via the Nintendo eShop.

Yakuza Kiwami isn’t the original version of the game as this version adds more content from the original from more context of the overall story, more substories to distract players, and improvements to the game’s combat system.

For those who were always interested in the Yakuza saga, Yakuza Kiwami is a good start. You could go all the way from the beginning with Yakuza 0 for more context but Kiwami is still a good start and will be a good stepping stone if you the overall story, combat, and wacky minigames and sidestories appeal to you as these are staple features that Yakuza fans adore and look forward to in each iteration of the series.

For those new to this epic series, Sega provided a quick rundown of what to expect from Yakuza Kiwami.

Story

1995, Kamurocho... An up-and-coming yakuza takes the fall for the murder of a crime boss to protect his sworn brother and his childhood friend. This man is none other than Kazuma Kiryu, the legendary Dragon of Dojima. After a decade, Kiryu is released from prison to a world he no longer recognizes. His own organization has turned against him, and various conspiracies threaten to tear the streets of Kamurocho apart. When 10 billion yen vanishes from the Tojo Clan vault and Kiryu finds himself caught in the middle, he finds everything points to a young, mysterious girl namedHaruka. In the midst of the chaos, a chance encounter brings the two together. Together, they mustsurvive to find the answers they both seek.

Combat

With simple controls that allow anyone to get in on the action, get ready to brawl in the gritty streets of Kamurocho. As a yakuza, you're not just confined to punches and kicks—pick up everyday items off the ground and turn them into deadly weapons! Switch between 4 battle styles: the balanced Brawler Style, the speedy Rush Style, the powerful Beast Style, and Kiryu's trademark Dragon of Dojima.

Minigames

The Like a Dragon series offers a wide assortment of entertainment outside the main story. Stage battles between scantily-clad insect women in the popular card game MesuKing: Battle Bug Beauties, converse with your favorite hostesses at cabaret clubs, or race your souped-up miniature cars and compete for glory in Pocket Circuit! In Yakuza Kiwami, anything goes—including mahjong,karaoke, billiards, and casino staples!

Yakuza live-action series coming

Sega seems to be making the Yakuza series more accessible, even going beyond renaming newer titles to Like a Dragon to make it more appealing to players outside Japan. They are also releasing a live-action series of Yakuza through Amazon Prime, which will debut on October 25 with season 1 comprising six episodes. The series' launch will consist of the first three episodes dropping together, with the remaining three dropping on the streaming platform soon after.

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