Fabularly, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a combination of a sensational film, romantic themes or even comedy. Nothing we didn't know before... and they loved it in this series. The only difference is that the transfer of the classics to the Dragon Engine required not only reconstruction of individual scenes, but also sometimes creating them from scratch. Especially in the case of transitions between film interludes and individual clashes. The spectacular intro only raises the level of adrenaline, and the playing music even encourages to measure a few simple ones. Possibly throwing it at a delicatessen located nearby.
I terribly avoid telling the story from Yakuza Kiwami 2 for a very simple reason - it is best to discover it yourself and in peace. As in the case of a good TV series or a favourite film. If you haven't played Yakuza Kiwami (or a regular one) before, it's better to get acquainted with it, even though a small summary of the events appears at the very beginning of the game. Another problem is, for example, that the story itself is a multithreaded one, and reducing it only to the clash of "Two Dragons" - Ryuji Goda and Kazuma Kiryu - would be a big simplification.
In Yakuz Kiwami 2 there is also an additional story of Goro Majima. This one, however, is told in express mode and is a complete opposite of the main plot. It lacks a certain depth and is rather focused on moving from point A to point B, watching a cutscench and a few additional fights. It's a pity, because a few moments grabbed my heart and a few others amused me. The potential of these additional episodes would have been enough for a dozen or so additional hours. Not to mention the additional activities, which also in the case of Majima were limited in their own way.
The situation is different, however, when we take the shoulders of the barges with activities available to Kiryu. Returned favorite minigame of players, which is running a club with hostesses (and again blink of an eye on the players). Also Clan Creator came back, although in a slightly different style, using the presented in the game Majima Constructions. In addition, traditionally - a variety of card games, mahjongg, taking pictures of models or even... Bathroom mini-games. Some side quests also unlock new Kiryu skills. On the one hand, it's a nice addition, on the other hand - a little tied hands in the case of the blows arsenal, which has the Dojima Dragon.
For example, if we help the dominance of certain guys tormented by them, during fights they will drop their whips off near their sanctuary and even help to chase the bully away. There are more of these special actions, and each of them can bring a smile to your face. It's just a pity that the system of development of the main character suffered a bit. It seems that the basis is still the one known from Yakuza 6, but in the end a lot of special actions require fighting in a specific place in order to run a special animation. It happened that I saw some of the sequences actually once during the entire game. Others - practically every now and then. It's a pity that Kazuma's friends don't appear randomly. Certainly it would be much more attractive. Another issue is the fact that many well-known attacks or tricks will not be revealed in Yakuza Kiwami 2. We can always blame it on the fact that this is only the second (third) part and not all of Kiryu's tricks were known. After all, one of the secret techniques the main character will know only now.... but it's still a pity that some special actions were missing. Unless the wrestling "germanium" requires special training under the supervision of master Komaki himself, then it really makes sense.
Earlier I mentioned that the transition between animations and clashes is extremely smooth. The situation is similar in the case of the game, although there were some small drops of frames. The fact that Dragon Engine is a powerful engine is already known, and each subsequent game based on it looks better and better.
Yakuza Studio also had to make some concessions to the soundtrack. While some of the songs are new arrangements of previously known songs, Kiwami 2 did not include songs recorded by Crazy Ken Band. They were replaced by the Japanese rock band SiM and I have an impression that they emphasize certain moments in the story much better. Although the sentiment for "Kuroi Kizuato No Burrusu" will remain, the same as for the scene to which this song plays.
Despite some imperfections we have to say clearly and clearly - Yakuza Kiwami 2 is one of the best remakes of recent years. While the previous installment paved the way for the "extreme", refreshed adventures of Kazuma Kiryu, Yakuza Kiwami 2 pulls even more out of what has already been done. Dragon Engine does wonders, and the stories told earlier are reflected in later scenarios. There is no coincidence here, and subtle blinks of the eye cause a smile on the face.
For loyal Yakuza fans, this will be a great way to refresh themselves with probably the best story in the series. For new players who started their adventure from "Zero". - the next step in catching up with the years before.
