Based on everything we've seen of it so far, Yakuza Kiwami 3 is shaping up to be a seriously robust remake of what many would consider to be a PS3 classic.
But what was the process behind expanding and reworking such a beloved instalment? As reported by Automaton, producer and director Ryosuke Horii has dished out some pretty juicy quotes on the subject during a recent media interview.
"I think the most difficult and delicate part of developing a remake is deciding how much to carry over from the original," Horii begins.
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"If you don’t handle that well, you end up with a remake of mediocre quality. When working on this project, what I kept in mind was respecting the original, but not relying on it too much."
Obviously, remakes are nothing new for RGG at this point, but Kiwami 3 does appear to be the studio's most ambitious revival yet — at least in terms of additions, like the whole new Dark Ties campaign that sees you play as main game antagonist Mine.
But Horii also strongly suggests that the original Yakuza 3 — which first released in 2009 — is a prime candidate for the remake treatment, because it simply hasn't aged very well.
He says it's "a game with many rough edges", and that "you can’t make a good remake if you don’t confront that reality".
"I think you need the courage to fight against those idealized memories," he adds, pushing back against the kind of nostalgia that could cloud a team's judgement.
But then Horii goes on to clarify that Kiwami 3 actually has the youngest development team in RGG's history — a calculated decision that was made in order to avoid existing bias for the original release.
Going into a little more detail, Horii gives his own impressions of Yakuza 3, all these years later. He comments that the original has "extremely difficult" combat, perhaps alluding to the game's infamous block-happy enemies and Kiryu's questionable combo potential.
"It was tough to beat the game, and I’d even say it was the hardest in the series," he continues.
Horii then reassures players that the studio's come a long way since, and that Kiwami 3 should provide a much improved experience.
"I think it’s a very ambitious game that doesn’t just dwell on memories of the past," he concludes.
What are your thoughts on Horii's words? Are you looking forward to Kiwami 3? How do you feel about all its new stuff? Wear your best Hawaiian shirt in the comments section below.