The Yakuza Remastered Collection PC Review – Wrapping up the Rest of the Adventure for PC Players

With Yakuza Kawami 1 and 2 readily available on PC, a new generation of gamers on a new platform has formed a relationship with the series. Until now, PC players have been left on a cliffhanger, but that’s all changing with The Yakuza Remastered Collection’s release on PC. Although initially released on PlayStation 4 in 2019, the series brings a trio of PlayStation 3 titles to allow fans to complete their Yakuza experience. While it’s a must-play for those who haven’t experienced these entries before, there’s nothing much to return to for versed fans.

The Yakuza Remastered Collection includes Yakuza 3 through 5. Each game has been remastered to run at 1080p 60 fps, which hasn’t changed in this PC release. While this version does support a variety of screen resolutions, there isn’t much here in terms of “taking advantage of the PC hardware,” instead, it seems like this was just a port to the platform and resembled its console counterpart in many ways.

This lack of anything extra may turn off fans trying to double-dip in the Yakuza offerings, and I can’t really blame you for the minimal excitement around this release. However, PC players who have yet to experience the PS4 version will be happy to know that you’re now able to play one of the best adventure games available. Further, the PC requirements for this game are so low that I’m sure many of you can play it without a problem.

Given that this is the same release from PS4, I’ll give you a quick rundown of the three games included in the collection.

The Yakuza Remastered Collection contains three games, beginning with Yakuza 3, we meet Kazuma Kiryu as he runs an orphanage. Still, external sources aim to bring his happiness to a halt. He’s never able to truly escape his past, and the once respectable Togo Clan demands Kiryu’s return to tie up loose ends and confront those who wish to see everything burn. The story is full of twists and ulterior motives, with Kiryu in the middle of it all.

Yakuza 4 continues the narrative of Kiryu finding himself between a rock and a hard place after a series of deaths revolving around the Togo Clan. This entry expands the list of protagonists who provides a different perspective to the adventure. Additionally, we learn more about the backstory of key characters, but it’s definitely a slow burn in terms of progression. Further, some of the characters just aren’t fun to play as during combat sections.

Lastly, Yakuza 5 reveals how hard it is for Kiryu to catch a break. Now working as a taxi driver, the protagonist decides to stop a possible rival clan war. After a death ends a truce between Omi Alliance and Togo Clan, the Togo Clan turns their focus onto forming alliances with others, so they don’t lose a power struggle between Omi Alliance. Players will assume the role of multiple protagonists and travel across various locations where bloodshed isn’t far behind.

Each entry is almost a perfect extension of the other. There’s an evolution of mechanics seen in the combat, side-missions, and various activities in terms of systems. The series is known for deviating from its serious narrative with optional events, and these entries are no different. Still, they do feature some moments of gameplay that are a product of their time in terms of action-adventure games released during the PlayStation 3 ere, which had me wonder why these titles didn’t get the Kiwami treatment. However, they are each solid games without a remake; I’m just being greedy.

One other aspect of The Yakuza Remastered Collection is how the English localization has been touched up. Sadly, the PS3 release had some issues, but that has all been corrected to give fans a much better understanding of the narrative instead of leaving them scratching their head to figure out what the text is trying to say.

On PC, The Yakuza Remastered Collectionn ran amazing, and I was presently surprised with how well it still looked on a 4k monitor. Assists have been touched up in this remaster, so expect to see some dated designs, but it looks good, so I didn’t seem to mind.

The Yakuza Remastered Collection on PC comes off as a gift to PC players looking to continue their Yakuza experience on the platform. It doesn’t contain any enhancements compared to the console release aside from a few added options, but it is still a damn good time. It may not be worth double-dipping, but rest assured, if this is your first time with this collection, then you’re getting the very best it has to offer.