The reveal ofYakuza 0: Director’s Cutwas one of the most eye-catching game announcements at the recent Nintendo Switch 2 Direct Presentation, with Ryu Ga Gotoku continuing its impressive pace of project releases that has brought the studio so much success in recent years. As a re-release of the 2015 title that revolutionized theYakuzafranchise, now known asLike a Dragon, a lot of pressure is already being placed on theDirector’s Cutto honor the original while keeping things fresh.
As expected,Yakuza 0: Director’s Cutcomes with a range of graphical improvements compared to the original, while also adding some bold changes to the title’s story as well as a brand-new online mode. It is clear to see why the shock announcement ofYakuza 0: Director’s Cuthas caused so much discussion among fans of Ryu Ga Gotoku’s longstanding franchise, and the new features of the release seem to be worth exploring for both brand-new and returning players.
The New Features of Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut Are Too Intriguing To Miss Out On
The 2017 release ofYakuza 0is regarded as one of the most important and influential entries in the entire franchise. The title really signified the series' expansion into Western audiences and marked a huge step into making the IP the powerhouse that it is today.Yakuza 0is renowned for its excellent story and the level of character development given tointegral franchise characters like Kiryu Kazumaand Goro Majima; its wacky side content is the perfect compliment to its more grounded and somber narrative.
TheLike a Dragonfranchise has moved on in the years sinceYakuza 0first launched, with itsnew mainline focus on turn-based JRPG mechanics and Ichiban Kasuga, but the popularity and status of0still remains, explaining the massive attention that theDirector’s Cuthas received since its announcement on April 2. It was confirmed at the recent Nintendo Direct thatYakuza 0: Director’s Cutwill launch as a timed exclusive for the Nintendo Switch 2, but will eventually come to other platforms.
Yakuza 0: Director’s Cutis set to be a launch title for the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5. It’s unclear how long this timed exclusivity will last before it makes its way to other platforms.
In terms of upgraded performance,Yakuza 0: Director’s Cutwill support 60 FPS and 4K resolution, bringing the classic title more up to speed with modern hardware and allowing for much sleeker gameplay. The main appeal of theDirector’s Cutlies elsewhere, however, with it being confirmed that the project will have close to 30 minutes ofbrand-new cutscenes spread throughoutYakuza 0’s famous story.
Story Changes and a New Multiplayer Dynamic Puts Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut in a World of Its Own
From what has been teased by Ryu Ga Gotoku, these new cutscenes will provide never-before-seen context and background to certain characters and events, potentially having massive implications for the game’s story, with some fans already raising concerns about how this may take away from the already stellar narrative thatYakuza 0owes a lot of its success to. It was also confirmed thatYakuza 0: Director’s Cutwill bring an all-new PvE multiplayer mode to the game, named Red Light Raid. As a co-operative multiplayer mode, Red Light Raid will see players team up with their friends to fight against waves of enemies, being able to choose from60 playable characters taken from the widerLike a Dragonuniverse.
Finally,Yakuza 0: Director’s Cutwill come with a full English dub, with Ryu Ga Gotoku clearly making a concerted push to make such an iconic release as accessible as possible to newer players who may be unfamiliar with the original. This is echoed in the increased variety of subtitles that theDirector’s Cutwill possess, with French, Italian, German, and Spanish subtitles being confirmed for the project. The extra content thatYakuza 0: Director’s Cutpossesses seems to more than justify its existence, with the performance, narrative, and multiplayer upgrades of the project hopefully making for a faithful yet unique experience forall fans of Ryu Ga Gotoku’s flagship franchise.
