Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Review - A Masterpiece Reborn

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I have several collections on my Steam Library to help me organize my never-ending backlog of games. One is called “best series ever” and includes all the Yakuza and Like a Dragon games because it is my favorite gaming franchise. When I learned I would be reviewing Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut on the Nintendo Switch 2, I was rightfully excited. One of the best games in the series was brought to Nintendo’s new platform with extra content? Sign me up. And after playing through the neon-lit streets of Kamurocho and Sotenbori, I can say I’m mostly surprised. While the Director’s Cut delivers a smooth experience, it has a few technical hiccups and some narrative additions that miss the mark.

The Dragon and the Mad Dog

At this point, everyone should be familiar with the plot of Yakuza 0. After all, we all walk the same road as fledgling fans. Almost everyone starts with Like a Dragon: Yakuza and falls in love with the series. Then, they move to Yakuza 0 to discover perfection. Why is that? Yakuza 0 brings us to the ’80s in Kamurocho and Sotenbori and follows the beginnings of two of the series’ favorites: the Dragon of Dojima, Kiryu, and the Mad Dog of Shimano, Majima. Yet, a bit before everyone called them that.

Without spoiling much, especially for newcomers, the plot jumps between Kiryu and Majima. The former is trying to clean his and his boss’s name after a debt collection goes wrong. The latter is trying to get back into the Yakuza clan after failing it some time ago.

The story is fantastic, and fans regard it as one of the best in the whole series, if not the best, and for good reasons. In that regard, nothing changed for the most part. A few new cutscenes change and add to the franchise’s story. Still, as the overarching plot goes, it is one of the best. If you’re jumping into the series for the first time, you’ll love it. Veteran fans, like myself, will see it as a mixed bag. But I will delve into that later.

Another new addition to the storytelling is the English dub, which is way better than I thought. I still play the game in Japanese, but credit where it’s due. The new cast members are fantastic, and they do a terrific job at properly dubbing one of Ryu Ga Gotoku’s classics.

In addition, Yakuza 0 has the usual goofy and more lighthearted substories the series is known for. It also adds mini-games like Pocket Circuit Racing, Karaoke, Disco Dancing, Cabaret management, and more. This entry is one of the beefiest, but it doesn’t reach Yakuza 5 levels of content. However, there are many things to keep people occupied for hundreds of hours.

Stylish Brawling

Many, like myself, might’ve started their Yakuza journey on LaD 7 or Like a Dragon: Yakuza. If you’re jumping from that or Infinite Wealth, you should know that Yakuza was, first and foremost, an action brawler. Way before it became a turn-based RPG. Kiryu and Majima each feature different combat styles with different moves and favor different playstyles. While it isn’t my favorite combat system of the franchise, it is one of the most fleshed out. Plus, it provides depth and uniqueness to both protagonists. Whether it is Kiryu with his beast mode swinging chairs around or Majima defeating enemies with break dance moves, the combat is genuinely amazing, and upgrading each combat style just makes things even better.

I didn’t see any major changes or improvements for the Director’s Cut. In a way, the jank of the Dragon Engine of those days is still there. Targeting enemies and moving the camera around can still feel a bit weird. While the Nintendo Switch 2 is a way better console than its predecessor, some fights still take a bit to start or end. Other than that, it is impressive, especially when you have hordes of enemies on the screen, and the Switch 2 manages to remain steady at 60 frames per second.

A Technical Accomplishment With Only a Few Downsides

By now, we know the Nintendo Switch 2 is capable of doing things its predecessor couldn’t do. In that sense, having Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut as a launch title is an excellent way to showcase this console’s new capabilities.

Regarding framerate, it maintains 60 fps with no issues. It is even more surprising to see all the cutscenes in 60 frames, which is something I hadn’t seen before. However, it all comes with a sacrifice. While the framerate never suffers, the object pop-in is quite noticeable in all areas. I’d like to say that it isn’t a major issue, but it is quite distracting. As someone who knows Kamurocho perfectly, I find it strange to see some trees and stands appear out of nowhere while running through the streets. The same happens in Sotenbori, unfortunately.

Besides that, there were a few minor instances of visual glitches. Things like Kiryu and Majima having their iconic “That’s rad” moments when learning a new combat style, and subtitles missing, but nothing too big. While it is definetely a technical step up and a great way to show the new console’s capabilities, it still suffers from a few things when trying to hit a steady framerate.

Underwhelming Additions

The two biggest additions in Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut are the Red Light Raid mode and the new cutscenes. Let’s start with the former. Red Light Raid is a co-op or solo mode that focuses on beating waves of enemies and well-known bosses of this entry in different stages of varied difficulty. The character lineup is huge, featuring characters we only saw as NPCs or enemies. Majima and Kiryu are also there, but with a few changes. Instead of having all three styles in one character, each combat style represents one character. So, you have Brawler Kiryu and Slugger Majima, instead of all three in one.

Overall, I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it is quite chaotic as a multiplayer mode, and doing co-op matches can be really fun. However, I don’t see much incentive to play it that much, especially when the base game’s combat is way more enjoyable. Plus, it can be quite grindy, and unlocking a second character, especially a good one, will take a few runs. Not a bad mode per se, but it isn’t one that was truly necessary for this edition.

But while I can definitely get behind Red Light Raid after a few matches, the new cutscenes didn’t hit the mark for me. They weren’t terrible, especially since some of them felt like a nod for future games. Yet, most of them felt like they were in the old trope we fans know as “the rubber bullet situation.” The whole series is known for showcasing the emotional deaths of beloved characters and a few villains who meet a well-deserved demise. Yet, it is also known for bringing all those characters back to life in ways that would not make sense.

Even if some of the new cutscenes make some good ties for future installments and even feel a bit cathartic for the two protagonists, they feel highly unnecessary and a downgrade to the masterpiece that Yakuza 0 already was. They do not ruin the game whatsoever, but when you have a piece of art already working smoothly and looking great, why add something that might stain it?

The Beginning of a Legend

Looking at Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut from a strictly technical standpoint, it is great. It manages to deliver a smooth experience to one of the series’ best entries, albeit with a few hiccups. Regarding the new additions, they hurt more than they help. The new cutscenes are a bag of mixed feelings. On the one hand, I’ll always want more Kiryu and Majima in any form of media. On the other hand, the way these cutscenes modify the story is not great and follows some narrative tropes that the franchise needs to fix one day.

Still, Yakuza 0, even in its Director’s Cut version, remains one of the best titles in the Like a Dragon/Yakuza franchise. New fans will have a blast playing through the humble and chaotic beginnings of the Dragon of Dojima and the Mad Dog of Shimano. Veteran fans, however, will love the technical improvements. And if they are willing to accept the new story beats or look past them, they will relive one of the best Yakuza games ever made.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut (Nintendo Switch 2 Reviewed)

8 Great!

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut is an excellent launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2 that showcases its technical capabilities. However, some of the new additions make it feel like the inferior version of this legendary entry.