Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut Hands-on Preview – Hands-on Preview

It’s happening again. Another entry in the Yakuza series is coming to a Nintendo system. The Wii U got one, the Switch recently received a great port of Yakuza Kiwami, and now Yakuza 0 is arriving for the launch of Nintendo Switch 2. I recently got some hands-on time with the game.

Yakuza 0 is actually celebrating its 10 year anniversary in Japan where it was released on both PlayStation 3 & 4. The Switch 2 version is being called a director’s cut (despite the original game’s director and lead producer leaving SEGA). New features in this version include English voice acting, new cutscenes, and a new mode called Red Light Raid.

After experiencing 45 minutes of the docked version of the game, I can say it’s running super smoothly on Switch 2. We were able to take direct feed gameplay footage and it would appear the game runs at a constant 60 frames per second. I can’t confirm whether the game runs in native 4K, but the resolution appears to be at least 1440p (which matches the PS4 Pro version). I asked a SEGA representative if HDR support had been added, but it appears that it sadly is absent.

Yakuza 0 is a great entry point for newcomers to the series. The single player mode has everything. An intriguing story with lots of humor and heart. Tons of mini-games and fun diversions such as karaoke, old SEGA arcade games, and batting cages. The game also has enjoyable beat ‘em up gameplay with multiple fighting styles. In addition, it’s just fun exploring 1980s Japan. I’m greatly looking forward to re-experiencing everything the story mode has to offer (after first playing it on PlayStation 4).

I’m less excited about the Red Light Raid mode. Now to be fair, I’m not the greatest at Yakuza combat and Red Light Raid is your classic survival/horde mode. You must defeat multiple waves of enemies along with a couple of bosses in each mission. I got to try the solo variant of this mode (with optional computer allies), but it can also be played locally with friends or online. There’s an assortment of characters to choose from in this mode (many are small side characters/background characters from the main story). The first character I tried was Ginger Chapman (imagine the evil Chucky doll as a human). His moveset seemed very limited outside of swinging a knife. I stabbed my way through an onslaught of foes, which was amusing, but also a bit repetitive.

I had more fun playing as a variant of protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. However, unlike the story mode where you eventually unlock 4 different combat styles, you must choose a variant that can only use a single style. Competing in this mode earns you money, which then can be used to level up your characters (and possibly purchase new ones). The single player version of this mode was fun in a short burst, but I imagine it’s much more intriguing when played with friends.

Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut is one of the game’s I’m most looking forward to at the Nintendo Switch 2 launch. I may have played it before, but I’m actually very curious about checking out the English dub (you also can still play the game in Japanese). I’m not completely sold on the new Red Light Raid mode, but will at least give it another shot when the game releases next month.