Yakuza 3

This section provides a quick rundown of the various menus available in Yakuza 3.

Title Menu

New Game - Begin a new adventure. You'll first select your difficulty, then whether you'd like your upgrades automatically assigned.

Load Game - Load a previously saved adventure.

Extras - This brings up a sub-menu where you can select:

• Two-Player Vs. Mode - Play with a friend in Golf, Darts, Pool, or Bowling.
• Options - Access the same Options menu as the Pause Menu.

Additional menu items appear after completing the game; refer to the Completion section for more information.

Pause Menu

• Items - Shows your inventory, with a maximum capacity of 20 items. Press R1 to view Valuables, which do not count towards this total.
• Map - Displays your current area, with points of interest highlighted.
• Upgrades - Lists four abilities that can be learned by using weapons of specific types.
• Email - Check messages from friends and well-wishers.
• Profiles - View a dramatis personae of the characters.
• Substories - Track completed substories.
• Completion - Lists attractions and distractions available, including:
  • Hostesses - Track relationships with the ten Hostesses.
  • Coin Lockers - View progress on Coin Lockers in Kamurocho and Ryukyu.
  • Food/Drink - See all restaurants and their offerings.
  • Heat Actions - View completed Heat Actions.
  • Coliseum - Track progress in Coliseum tournaments.
  • Weapon Modding - Check progress on weapons crafted at Kamiyama Works.
  • Revelations - Track progress on learned Revelations.
  • Minigames - View minigames and their completion requirements.
• Options - Adjust various in-game settings.

Options Menu

Accessible from both the Title Screen and Pause Menu:

• Camera Control - Adjust Vertical, Horizontal, and First-Person camera aspects. 'Normal' follows Right Stick tilt; 'Inverted' reverses it.
• Minimap Rotation - Toggles whether the minimap rotates with the camera.
• Subtitles - Turn off subtitles for major cutscenes.
• Event Skip - Enable skipping cutscenes by pressing the Options button.
• Screen Brightness - Adjust screen brightness if needed.
• English Karaoke Lyrics - Displays karaoke lyrics in English when on; shows Japanese with Roman transliteration when off.

Other menus exist within specific minigames or situations and are detailed in their respective sections.

Q: What is _Yakuza 3_?

A: _Yakuza 3_ is the third mainline game in SEGA's _Yakuza_ series, originally released in 2009. It's an action adventure game with RPG elements where you play a Japanese crime story intermixed with an exploration of Japan. This particular guide addresses the remastered version, released in Japan in 2018 and in the West in 2019.

Q: How can I get this game?

A: If you're a Western player looking to play _Yakuza 3_, there are a few ways:

1. You can buy the original disc release for the PlayStation 3.
2. You can buy the remastered version standalone. Digitally, the remaster is available on PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam.
3. You can buy the " _Yakuza Remastered Collection_" on PlayStation, Xbox, or Steam. The collection is available on all platforms digitally. If you're looking for a physical copy, it's only available for the PlayStation 4.

Q: Is this is a good game to start the _Yakuza_ series with?

A: If you're trying to get into the series, my suggestion is to start with _Yakuza 0_. At the time of this writing, _Yakuza 0_ is a bargain game on most platforms it's available on. It's my pick for the best entry to the series. After that, I'd suggest _Yakuza Kiwami_, and then _Kiwami 2_, and then you can play the _Remastered Collection_. That said, I'm not your Yakuza-mom. You really can play the games in just about any order.

Q: How do I save in this game?

A: Saving is only done manually in this game. You can save at payphones throughout the city (marked with an "S" on the map), or at your established hideouts in the various locations, or between chapters. Make sure you save the game before going to critical points so you don't lose your progress if a mistake is made.

Q: Is this game a remake or a remaster?

A: This is part of the _Yakuza Remastered Collection_. What this means is that the game is largely intact to how it looked on the PlayStation 3 in terms of engine and gameplay. The graphics have been upscaled to a 1080p resolution and the game runs at 60 frames per second. Also, the load times are near non-existent. Otherwise, the endless majority of content is the same as it was on the PlayStation 3.

Q: Is there anything in this game different from the Western PS3 _Yakuza 3_?

A: So, the Western _Yakuza 3_ is rather notorious among _Yakuza_ localization. At a time when there was a considerably smaller budget for the series, a fair amount of content had to be cut for the release to even happen. This obviously left a poor impression on series fans at the time and the current localization team has sought to rectify that. With that in mind, you'll find the following content in this remaster compared to the Western PS3 release:

1. Minigames for Mahjong, Aroma Massage, and Shogi that were missing in the Western version are now back in the remaster.
2. The Cabaret Clubs are now fully interactive once again, after having been reduced to just dating the hostesses. The "Hostess Maker" minigame is also back.
3. All Substories that were cut from the Western release (a total of 21) have been reinstated in the remaster.
4. The localization has been updated to have parity with other more recent games in the series. For example, "Sunshine Orphanage" is now called "Morning Glory Orphanage", and "Shintaro Fuma" is now referred to as his original name of "Shintaro Kazama".

Q: Is there anything in this game different from the original Japanese version of _Yakuza 3_ on the PS3?

A: Having addressed localization changes, now it's time to address how things in this remaster are different from the original PS3 release in Japan as it was envisioned. The following small changes have been made:

1. The minigame "Answer X Answer" has been removed from the arcades in all versions of this remaster. It was also not present in the Western PS3 release.
2. Seven hostesses have been replaced. Their likenesses were real people and licensed, so they have been remodeled, although the dialogue is the same. As an interesting note, two of them have been replaced with Yui, returning from _Yakuza Kiwami_, and Kana, returning from _Yakuza Kiwami 2_.
3. There were three Substories that involve a trans woman named Michiru chasing after Kiryu. Due to the insensitivity of the content of these substories towards trans people, they have been removed for all versions of this remaster.

Q: Is there anything in this game different from the Japanese remaster of _Yakuza 3_ on the PS4?

A: Apart from being in English, this game is equivalent to the PS4 remaster that released in Japan in 2018. No content from that release has been cut.

Q: What is this game rated?

A: This game is rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB. It includes the content descriptors of: Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, and Use of Alcohol. In this game, you enter the world of Japanese organized crime, which includes a lot of illegal stuff. The combat in this game can be brutal, especially the "Heat Actions" you perform in combat, but while blood sprays out a lot, it's never too overt. There is no visible gore on screen. Anything considerably violent is not shown on screen. As far as sexual content is concerned, references are made to sex, but it's all very muted.

Q: Who do I play as in this game?

A: You play the entire game as series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu.

Q: What's an easy way to grind experience?

A: Grinding experience is difficult and/or time-consuming in this game. Even if you do every completion aspect of the game and wear the experience boosting "Yakuza Training Gear" as long as possible, you're still likely to come up short when the credits roll. Fortunately, there's no trophy tied to getting skills, but there are Heat Actions, if you're looking for that completion.

So, there are a couple of ways to go about this. One is realizing that random battles in Chapter 12, if you're wearing the Yakuza Training Gear, can actually net you 1000 experience points (one exp level) per battle. You can literally get there

Alright, let's get you set up with some essential hints and tips for Yakuza 3. Think of this as your buddy giving you the lowdown before you dive into the thick of it!

Don't forget your Heat Actions! Seriously, all those punches you're throwing build up Heat, so why not use it to pull off some flashy, high-damage moves? They can turn a tough fight into a quick win, saving you a lot of hassle.

When your health is low, you've got a couple of go-to options: hit up one of the many restaurants for a meal, or pop an item like a Toughness or Staminan drink. It's always a good idea to keep a few of these on hand, especially before a big story mission.

Make time for Substories. Trust me, doing these side missions is totally worth it. You'll snag useful items, gain experience, and earn cash that'll make the main story a breeze.

And hey, you'll definitely want to seek out your