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

One of the coolest things about the crazy world of Like A Dragon—besides its new title—is that one of its best entries is hitting the Nintendo Switch 2 next month. Honestly, who saw that coming?

So, it’s happening. Again. The Yakuza series just keeps showing up in random Nintendo places. Remember the Wii U version? Yeah, me neither. And then the Switch got Yakuza Kiwami, which was… pretty sweet. But now—drumroll—Yakuza 0 is dropping as part of the Switch 2 launch. I got my hands on it, no biggie.

Oh, Yakuza 0. It’s marking a decade in Japan. Wow, does this make me old? It first came out on PlayStation 3 and 4 back in the day. Now this “director’s cut” for Switch 2 is a thing, even though the OG director took off. Go figure. We’re talking English voices (yep, finally!), new cutscenes, and this Red Light Raid mode, which intrigued me for some strange reason.

So picture this: 45 minutes with the docked version on Switch 2. It’s like butter—smooth as anything. I swear the frames were locked at 60 fps. Is it native 4K? Well, maybe not. Could be 1440p, pretty close to the PS4 Pro vibe. I hit up a SEGA buddy about HDR support—gotta love that dynamic range—but nope, zero HDR here. A bit of a bummer.

For anyone who’s new to Yakuza, 0 is perfect. Seriously. All the heart, humor, and craziness in one package. Mini-games? Check. Karaoke? You betcha. I almost want to live in those 1980s Japanese streets forever. The beat ’em up styles? Oh yeah, pure fun. Can’t wait to relive this on the Switch after my PS4 days.

Now, Red Light Raid—do I sound hyped? Maybe not entirely. Combat isn’t my jam, and it’s a survival/horde thing. Waves of baddies coming at you, bosses too. I flew solo on this one, though you can team up with amigos. I picked this bizarre character, Ginger Chapman (think Chucky, but person-sized). Besides swinging a knife like crazy, not much to write home about. Repetitive, yet kinda funny.

Kazuma Kiryu, on the other hand, he’s my guy. Only one combat style, though, unlike the story mode buffet. You earn dough fighting, leveling up characters, all that jazz. Solo’s good for quick fun, but let’s be honest, multiplayer’s probably where it shines.

In the end, Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut might just be my top pick for Switch 2’s launch. Even though I’ve played it before, the English dub’s got my curiosity piqued—I mean, do they get the nuances right? And that Red Light Raid mode? I’m giving it another whirl, why not? Next month can’t come soon enough!

Man, games are wild.