Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut on Switch 2 is the best and worst way to play an all-time classic

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I deeply love Yakuza 0 and believe it is among the most influential games ever created. This game played a crucial role in helping the beloved series gain popularity outside Japan, and for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (the team behind Sonic), it marked a significant step towards establishing a distinct identity beyond their iconic blue mascot.

Over the past decade since Yakuza 0’s debut, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has earned a reputation as one of the most consistent developers in the industry, launching an impressive total of 22 games, many of which offer exceptional gaming experiences ranging from good to great. Notably, Yakuza 0 stands out as a timeless classic on its own merit. The Like A Dragon series has been attempting to capture the same level of success achieved by this game since its Japanese release in 2015 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. Some fans believe that the series hasn’t quite reached those peaks again. Yakuza 0 offers a unique setting reminiscent of 80s Japan’s economic bubble, as well as compelling characters that deepen the series’ main protagonist and antagonist. Additionally, it features some of the most intriguing subplots and side activities ever created within the Yakuza universe, making it an enduringly excellent game even after ten years.

He’s still got it

It’s not surprising that Sega and RGG considered Yakuza 0 ideal for the launch of Switch 2, given its role in winning over fans to the franchise initially. By bringing this game to a Nintendo audience for the first time, they are likely to generate a significant number of new followers in an as-yet unexplored market segment. As a longtime fan of Yakuza myself, I must say that this release brings me great joy.

Even though Yakuza 0 was developed for the PS3, it continues to be visually impressive. The gritty ambiance of ’80s Kamurocho and Sotenbori manages to conceal somewhat outdated textures and NPC background models. Nevertheless, the meticulous detail in the main characters’ models (equaling or surpassing many motion-captured models from this year’s games) combined with the vibrant neon lights of Japan’s underworld enhanced by HDR, ensures that the game still looks stunning.

Not only does the Director’s Cut of Yakuza 0 on Switch offer an enhanced gaming experience, but it also runs at a smooth 60fps – a significant upgrade from the previous versions which were locked at 30fps. While the game has been released multiple times across various platforms, it was never optimized to run at higher frame rates, despite the advancements in hardware over the years. Now, players can enjoy this classic game without any performance hiccups on Switch. The improved frame rate makes gameplay feel incredibly smooth and satisfying.

This game has a special place in my heart since it was my first foray into the series, yet I must admit that it offers a perfect blend of combat styles from earlier and later games within the Dragon Engine. Yakuza 0 excels at providing both free-flowing combos and strategic beat ’em up encounters, and playing it at 60 frames per second only enhances this experience. Essentially, the Director’s Cut of Yakuza 0 is the ideal way to immerse oneself in this remarkable game.

Best ignored

The issue lies in a few catches. Given that the revamped edition of a decade-old game is priced at $50, it’s not surprising that RGG and Sega aimed to provide additional content to warrant the price, especially since Yakuza 0 often sells for as low as $8 or $9 on Steam. However, this new material, at best, seems unnecessary and, at worst, negatively impacts the overall experience.

In some of the fresh content introduced, you might not even notice the change, but there are new Red Light Raids that have been teased in various trailers. On paper, it seems like an exciting concept – team up with three other players and battle through hordes of enemies on the streets of Kamurocho, Sotenbori, and other locations from the main game. However, in reality, it turns out to be a tedious grind, offering no significant rewards. Even if you manage to find a match, it can feel pointless.

To promote a total of 60 playable characters for this game mode, RGG Studios seems to have prioritized quantity over quality, potentially impacting the gameplay experience of Yakuza 0. This is because they’ve included around 15 named bosses and side characters, as well as numerous additional characters often referred to as “jobbers” in wrestling terms – essentially, ordinary enemies with simpler skill sets, serving mainly to increase the roster size.

It’s disappointing to note that the game appears to favor these main characters, as it seems some other significant characters have had their move sets reduced to align with these common thugs. This issue is particularly evident in the case of the game’s co-protagonists, Kiryu and Majima. In the main story mode, they each possess three distinct fighting styles (with a fourth becoming available in New Game Plus), along with extensive skill trees. However, in Red Light Raid, their individual fighting styles have been split among different characters. Now, we have a Brawler Kiryu or Thug Majima instead of the original versions.

In summary, the experience of playing Red Light Raids left me feeling unfulfilled. I rarely encountered human players, and the AI characters that filled in were not particularly helpful. The gameplay itself is repetitive, consisting mainly of battling waves of enemies that randomly appear, with no significant changes or challenges as you progress. Upgrading your character’s abilities to tackle harder levels requires grinding for money, which is also used to purchase new playable characters. This means if, like me, you find yourself disliking the moveset of a character you initially bought, you must grind all over again to try another character. To add insult to injury, the lack of an achievement or trophy system in Switch 2 makes this endless grinding feel even more monotonous and anticlimactic.

For better and worse

Instead, let me rephrase that statement: The main issue with the Director’s Cut isn’t merely an optional side mode; it’s the inclusion of 26 minutes of new voiced cutscenes throughout the game. These scenes are problematic even without considering Kiryu’s ongoing poor English dub, as highlighted by YouTuber YoungYea. This additional content significantly undermines the original game’s intense tone for long-time fans.

In the game’s second half, you’ll find five new scenes that weren’t there before. It’s important to note that I won’t reveal any spoilers, but these changes rewrite the deaths of three characters with seemingly no clear explanation. Over the years, a popular joke in the Yakuza community has been that no one truly dies in this series, as certain characters have returned after apparently fatal events. The inconsistency in handling significant character moments is a concern often expressed by fans. To give an example, Yakuza 6 was advertised as the conclusion of Kiryu’s story, but RGG continued to develop that narrative for another three games following its release. These recent alterations might add fuel to this ongoing criticism, as they not only resurrect well-liked characters, but also characters who were previously minor and mostly forgotten by many.

In these news updates, two out of the three surviving characters appear puzzling since they don’t hold significant roles. These are secondary characters primarily included to create tension and portray the gritty reality that Kiryu experiences for the first time in this series. They die to emphasize the gravity of the situation. However, their continued survival contradicts the game’s darker atmosphere, which is a key factor in its appeal within the series. Furthermore, considering their ages (nearing 90 and 100), it’s unlikely they will be reintroduced in future games set in modern times.

In Yakuza 0, the death of a key character that was later retconned seems unjustified because it’s this event that makes the story truly intense, increases tension, and makes players realize that any character could be at risk. Now, it doesn’t feel like that anymore. These alterations weaken some of the most impactful narrative moments in Yakuza 0, offering minimal benefits instead.

The title “Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut” may seem confusing when closely examined, as the game director for Yakuza 0 in 2015 was Kazuki Hosokawa. However, Hosokawa and the series creator, Toshihiro Nagoshi, left Sega in 2022 to establish Nagoshi Studio. Although one of the producers, Masayoshi Yokoyama, remains with RGG as studio head, the other lead producer, Mitsuhiro Shimano, has also departed from the company.

This suggests that “Director’s Cut” refers to the version of the game that the original creative team envisioned for Yakuza 0. However, with two-thirds of this core leadership no longer at RGG, it feels strange to consider Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut as a representation of their true vision.

Yakuza 0 remains an exceptional game, with technical enhancements that make it shine brighter than before. Yet, unnecessary adjustments and mediocre new content have diminished some of its former brilliance within the Yakuza series. In truth, these changes could potentially make enjoying this remarkable game less enjoyable.

A code of Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut on Switch 2 was provided by Sega for this piece.

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2025-06-17 19:29