Having given Yakuza 1 and 2 a glittering makeover with Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2, next up for the Kiwami treatment could be historical samurai spin-off Yakuza: Kenzan, if producer Daisuke Sato has his way. Furthermore, it could also mark the first time Yakuza: Kenzan has been released in the west.
"Personally, Yakuza: Kenzan is quite suitable to get a ‘Kiwami’ makeover," Sato stated during a Yakuza 5 for PS4 launch event in Taipei (as reported by
Bahamut and translated by
Siliconera). The Kiwami remasters have proved very popular, so Kenzan Kiwami would certainly make a lot of sense.
Yakuza: Kenzan released only in Japan for PS3 back in 2008, and is a spin-off that transposes Yakuza characters to the Edo period in Japan circa 1605, casting Kiryu and Majima as samurai in an alternate reality. Originally, Kenzan didn't make the jump overseas due to cultural references that might have proven difficult for a western audience to understand.
However, Sato acknowledges that there's an appetite for Kenzan in the west, and a Kiwami version would be the perfect opportunity to deliver that. "A lot of western players mentioned that they want to play this game in English, and Asian players also want the game to release in Chinese," he said. "And because Kenzan was an early PS3 game, if it were to receive a simple HD remaster it would feel like it’s missing something, so in my opinion a ‘Kiwami’ version would be better."
Sound promising, then. If Yakuza: Kenzan Kiwami were to happen, does that mean we can look forward to sequel Yakuza: Ishin also coming to the west in the future? We can only hope. For the time being, however, there's new Yakuza spin-off Judgment to enjoy, and
very, very, very good it is too.
ZWAME Jogos: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth já se encontra disponível para a PlayStation 5. Podem ler a nossa análise no Portal Jogos.