Oh wow, so it’s happening. This Like A Dragon game is hitting the Nintendo Switch 2 real soon. This keeps happening, doesn’t it? Yakuza’s becoming a Nintendo thing. First, the Wii U had one, then the Switch showed off a slick Yakuza Kiwami, and now—ta-da!—Yakuza 0’s making its entrance with the Switch 2. Just had some hands-on time with it, and yeah, I’ve got thoughts.
Can you believe it? Yakuza 0 is like hitting a decade since its Japan debut on PlayStation 3 and 4. Seems it’s birthday season. They’re dubbing this Switch 2 version a director’s cut, but, surprise! The original director’s not even around at SEGA anymore. Go figure. New toys in the package include English voices and some fresh cutscenes, plus this thing called Red Light Raid. Why not, right?
After spending 45 minutes fooling around with the docked version, guess what? It’s smooth as butter on the Switch 2. We snagged some direct feed gameplay footage—you know, for posterity—and it rocks a solid 60 FPS. Can’t say it’s spanking native 4K (I’m no tech guru), but 1440p’s my best guess. Tried to corner a SEGA insider about HDR support, but nah, that’s off the table. Bummer.
Oh, and Yakuza 0? It’s kind of like the door man to the series. Perfect for rookies. It’s got this gripping tale filled with laughs and feels. Imagine a buffet of mini-games: karaoke, old SEGA arcades, you name it. Beat ’em up play on steroids, with different fighting styles to boot. And hey, nothing like a trip down 1980s Japan—nostalgia overload! Been there on the PlayStation 4, but definitely psyched to dive back into story mode.
But… Red Light Raid mode, not really lighting my fire. For real, I don’t excel at Yakuza brawls. It’s your horde/survival thing, battling wave after wave. Did a solo run (AI helpers tossed in), though you can drag some pals in, either couch-side or online. Tried this character, Ginger Chapman—just picture Chucky going through a human phase. His moves? Limited, yet stabbing through enemies was oddly satisfying. Also, predictably boring after a while.
Kazuma Kiryu’s variant was my pick later. Unlike in-story where you unlock multiple fighting forms, here it’s pick one and roll with it. You earn money in the process and splash it on leveling up or upgrading characters. Had a kick in solo mode for a bit, but I bet it’s more fun in group chaos.
Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut is top of my list for Switch 2’s inauguration. Played it before, sure, but curious about the English dub this time around (you can switch back to Japanese if that’s your jam). Red Light Raid isn’t winning me over yet, but who knows, maybe a second round will change that. We’ll see when it drops in a month. Fingers crossed!
