Like many others, the 2018 PC port of Yakuza 0 was my introduction to the Yakuza franchise. A game I didn’t really have much in the way of expectations, and only really tried out of morbid curiosity and the amazingly dedicated fanbase. I didn’t realise just how special it was and how far this franchise would go with the recent Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth and absurd Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut marks the latest in a long line of re-releases for the franchise with its own dedicated Switch 2 version and, more interestingly, some new content to delve into. Is it worth jumping back in? 

Story

You might know this one already. Set in 1980s Japan, you play as Kazama Kiryu as Goro Majima, who are stuck in a power struggle between the titular crime families locked into a battle for an abandoned lot that could end up being worth millions. In the struggle, Kiryu is framed for murder and must clear his name to make his way back into the Tojo clan. Meanwhile, the disgraced Majima is forced into action to regain the respect; however, his loyalties are tested when he his forced to kill Makoto Makimura, a blind young woman who has inherited the plot. 

My reaction to about 90% of Yakuza.

If you’ve played Yakuza 0 this is the same story as before. If you haven’t, then strap in because Yakuza 0 is a masterclass in character development, dramatic tension and emotional beats. It’s a game that will make you laugh one moment and cry another. With a cast of compelling characters, you will grow to love and hate throughout the journey. Daisaku Kuze is one that I enjoyed throughout the game, a regular adversary to Kiryu that pushes him to his absolute limits.  Whilst the growing relationship between Majima and Mokoto is one of the best in the series. 

The director’s cut does include some extra scenes spread out throughout the story, giving a little bit more context and interactions between characters; however, they don’t really add too much to the experience, and I wouldn’t recommend picking the director’s cut up just to experience them. Some of the choices seem a little weird. However, the new cutscene between Kuze and Kiryu was pretty much the highlight and adds a little more depth to one of the game’s best relationships. 

Yakuza 0 is an all-time great. It combines crime family drama with goofy moments of levity throughout in a way no other franchise can do. If you own a Switch 2 and have never played Yakuza before, this is the perfect starting point. However, if you are a long-time fan, then the new scenes will do very little for you.  

Gameplay

Yakuza 0 is, for the most part, an open-world action brawler with some heavy RPG mechanics. Combat, whilst not the deepest mechanically, often resolves to button-mashing to get through encounters, but it works incredibly well thanks to its absolutely brutal animations and finishing moves. To help keep things fresh, an extensive skill tree system will keep you unlocking a bunch of perks and new abilities for each of the combat stances. 

Kiryu is an angel who will never kill anyone

Both Kiryu and Majima are playable at key story moments, and you will unlock multiple variations throughout the story. You can switch between styles at any moment, though it’s not as fluid as other games. It’s a mostly just fine combat system that is helped pushed along with superb and brutal animations that make you question how the hell anyone survives in this world. As well as strong environmental interactions. Both Majima and Kiryu are able to pick up a bunch of items in the environment to use as weapons, from traffic cones to bikes and just about anything else that can be used as a weapon.

When you are not (not) killing enemies in absolutely overkill and ridiculous ways, you will be exploring the streets of Kamurocho and Sotenbori as Kiryu and Majima, respectively. The city streets feel real and alive with random encounters and dozens of side quests meeting all kinds of wacky personalities and often having complete multi-quest storylines that fully embrace both the ridiculous and dramatic sides of the franchise. 

In addition, both characters have their own businesses to get involved with: Kiryu is getting involved in the world of real estate, and Majima is building his own cabaret club. That’s not to mention the absolute wealth of mini-games throughout. Pocket circuit racing, fight clubs, disco, and of course, karaoke are taking up a bulk of the mini-games. Or you can just explore the city street and take in the sights, hoping not to run into Mr Shakedown.  There’s so much variety of content that the game can take the 30 hours of story content and easily triple it. 

New to the director’s cut is the Red Light Raid game mode. This four-player online mode is a sort of wave survival rush mode in which you and three other players take on increasingly large waves of enemy forces in iconic locations throughout the main game, with dozens of unlockable characters that should keep you busy for another few hours. However, the core combat wasn’t the best part of Yakuza 0, so pushing it at the front is an interesting choice. 

Absolute cinema.

If you love the core combat of Yakuza 0. Then Red Light Raid will give you plenty more playtime. It’s a neat addition that makes Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut feel like more of a complete package than it already does, but I’d rather just go play the base game content myself, as there’s so much to do already. It is a fine addition but not a game changer. 

Switch 2 Version

This is pretty much the 3rd major release of Yakuza 0, and it still looks great. Yakuza 0 Directors Cut on Switch 2 runs at a locked 60fps and generally looks pretty damn good on the handheld display which is by far my favourite way to play it on Switch 2. I also took this opportunity to redownload the game onto my Steam Deck OLED, and the results are pretty much identical, with often very little difference. Though on Steam Deck you can, of course, push it to take advantage of the 90Hz display, you cannot do the same on Switch 2’s 120Hz display.  

WOW BREAKING THE LAW! BREAKING THE WORLD! KOWASE!

New to the Director’s Cut is the addition of an English voice cast. I’m always one to say sub over dub, and that remains true here. YongYea returns as Kiryu Kazuma, who doesn’t nail the charm that the Japanese voice acting does, but does have a few good scenes. As for the rest of the cast, it’s mostly just fine; especially Matthew Mercer as Majima, managing to match that same energy, but that’s about as much praise as I can give the dub. As such, I wouldn’t recommend switching to English, but if you are somehow someone who doesn’t like subtitles, then it’s not a bad way to play.

Otherwise, this is the same great voice cast in Japanese, and the new scenes are voiced by the original voice actors as well! The performances are passionate and really push the story to the next level, managing to pack that emotional punch and nuance of each character. Alongside the great voice cast is an equally great soundtrack that, of course, extends out to the karaoke.

Yakuza 0

If you’ve never played Yakuza 0 before, then this is another fantastic version of one of the best titles in the franchise, and I would highly recommend it as one of the best titles in the Switch 2’s launch lineup. It’s a game that everyone should experience at least once, and the Switch 2 Director’s Cut might actually the best way for a new player to get into the franchise. However, not much here is worth getting the game again if you’ve got the tremendous PC or current-gen versions already.

Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut is available now on Switch 2. (The non-Director’s Cut is still available on every single modern platform)

Reviewed on Switch 2. 

A copy of Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut was provided by the publisher.