Who would have thought one of Switch 2’s most desired launch titles would be an enhanced version of the OG Yakuza?

It’s obviously not a new game now. Yakuza 0 first dropped in 2015, originally finding a home on PS3 but Switch 2 has absolutely become the definitive place to play it.

This isn’t just a standard upgrade. Visually, the game is smooth and stunning, though sadly not supporting native HDR – though, of course, with Switch 2 you can turn that on anyway and the game doesn’t really suffer for that.

The world of Kamurocho is stunning, though. The bright neon lights dazzle and sparkle as ever, and the reflections on the ground, distortions in the puddles are also incredibly beautiful, with the game doing an amazing job of wrapping up and bundling many games within games in its bustling city.

From Mahjong cafes, to bowling alleys, and even faithful recreations of classic SEGA Arcade hits like Space Harrier, Outrun and Super Hang On.

Unsurprisingly, the action of the game is as smooth as you’ve seen anywhere, from the fast-flowing fighting, to bumping shoulders against people as you walk by them. And even in handheld mode, Yakuza 0 is a dream and if you’ve somehow never picked up this series, it’s the perfect introduction point to this world, between the story, characters and the possibilities at hand.

But it’s not just a like-for-like recreation of the game. SEGA have gone a few steps further and the other big thing you’ll notice right away is a fully localised English Dub Voice Acted version of the game, featuring Yong Yea returning as Kiryu and Matt Mercer as his opposite, Goro Majima. Even David Hayter sneaks in for an appearence.

For us English speaking players, while playing the Yakuza games has always been fun and entertaining, having a truly localised experience just makes the game even more enjoyable, especially as it is so well acted. The dynamic between Kiryu and Nishi from the start is really wonderfully choreographed as they’re walking the streets, chatting about Yakuza life, going drinking and singing Karaoke.

Take a look for yourself…

But the tension builds quickly as Kiryu faces down the Yakuza, getting into tense arguments with loan sharks, lieutenants and then adding Goro to the mix is going to make this immediately appealing for folks to replay. Especially since the game first released ten years back and it might have been a minute for some.

I truly hope this is the beginning of adapting all Yakuza titles in a similar way as between the quality of visuals, the flow of gameplay and the new dramatic flair, Yakuza 0 has really benefited from the tweaks.

And if that wasn’t enough, there’s even new cutscenes added into the game, though, arguably, I’d say these are probably the least interesting of the new additions. They do add some interesting possibilities to the game’s over-arching story and perhaps add some unexpected context in a few areas, potentially making it more interesting for diehard Yakuza fans to make some new connections.

One of which definitely has people talking, but they all have connections to the wider story and some even slip into future Yakuza games, each with voice acting and full gameplay animation which is a nice touch. But also, confusingly, even tweak some of the existing storylines to almost ret-con some things. Very odd.

Another feature that’s snuck a bit under the radar is the ability to save anywhere. Previously, you’d have to venture to the Phone booths to save the game – which sometimes could see you wait up to half hour between cutscenes and the rest of it. So this absolutely suits a more modern feeling game, and for such a story-intensive one as this, is very welcome.

The game also throws more tips at you now as you walk along the streets, which might be helpful for knowing how to do certain things or where to go next.

The final new thing to highlight, of course, is the game’s Red Light Raid Mode. Brand new in this release, you essentially have a seperate series of battle missions which can be played solo with computer or you can hop online to join a group. This is also alongside the existing Climax Battles which are still in this version.

Red Light Raid is its own self contained experience, completed with a lifetime ranking leaderboard, where the aim is for you and your team to fight through waves of enemies, including bosses you’ll experience in the main game. And to unlock every fighter, you will need to beat Yakuza 0 all over again.

But the interesting thing about Red Raid is you can play as all-new players. So, yes, you can still play as Kiryu and Majima in their various fighting styles, but you can also play as many of your favourite sub-characters like Kuze, Tachibana, Nishi, but even random additions like Red Lip Yamamoto,  Mr Phantom and Ebara. Each character has their own health, fighting spirit and abilities, so factoring these is also important.

The quirk, though, is that you have a time limit and you need to fight through all the challenges in a wave to be successful but you can also see your teammates get downed and therefore eliminated from future waves, which see an increasingly devasting number of enemies to fight.

With GameChat, you can dive into a group with friends pretty quickly, but you can also hop on with other people online and if you can’t find other players, join in with CPU. Unfortunately, this ended up being a common way for me to play as I just couldn’t find anyone else to party up with. The problem of launching an older game at full price at a new system’s launch one would suspect.

And that’s a shame because the mode is a real blast and without any cross-play or GameShare functionality, unfortunately you’re probably going to be playing this one with the CPU unless you have a group of you together who have the game. And sadly, the computer does get trounced pretty heavily, so this is going to make later levels a struggle. But regardless, Red Light Raid is a blast and is a fun way to keep replaying the game as you try to unlock all the characters, each playing quite differently from the other.

As a standalone experience, though, the update in visuals, the feel of playing the game handheld, the other quality of life improvements, as well as English dub and the Red Light Raid Mode really makes Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut a must-own, especially if it’s your first time with the series. The base game alone easily has around 30 hours of story, but with all the fun side activities, you can easily spend 50 hours around Kamurocho itself, and then Red Raid Mode also offers even more hours of gameplay.

Arguments around the quality of the cut-scenes and the limited player pool online aside, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is the definitive edition of a truly fantastic video game. It’s clearly been SEGA’s labour of love for the launch of Nintendo Switch 2 and, we hope, the beginning of all the series getting an update ready for the platform. While Kiwami 1 is already on Switch 1, this is a clear night and day upgrade that is also the perfect jumping on point for a fantastic franchise.

Verdict

Yakuza 0 Directors Cut is far and away the definitive edition of one of the best entries in the franchise. With much improved visual fidelity, seamless handheld play, full English dub, the option to save anywhere, as well as the all-new Red Raid Mode, there’s no better place to begin your Yakuza journey than on Nintendo Switch 2. Arguments around the additional cut-scenes aside, if you somehow never got into the series and have been waiting for the perfect place to start, look no further..

 

Pros

---

Yakuza 0 Directors Cut is out now on Nintendo Switch 2

Code kindly provided by SEGA for review purposes