Where does a franchise go when it’s already mastered its genre? Fans of the Yakuza franchise have played through seven full games as Kazuma Kiryu, and with his storyline complete, Ryu Ga Gotoku is ushering in a bold new mashup for the next generation of consoles.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon stars Ichiban Kasuga, an ex-Yakuza member unceremoniously dumped into the Yokohama underworld. Kasuga wants to become a hero, like the ones you play in classic JRPGs. Instead of reverting to the same formula, Like A Dragon answers the question “what if Yakuza were a Dragon Quest game?” The answer is: spectacular.
The core Yakuza series to this point has been a zany, over-the-top beat ’em up game, but Like A Dragon completely reinvents the combat system.
Instead of a button-mashy action game, Like A Dragon is a traditional turn-based JRPG, clearly inspired by Dragon Quest. Instead of playing as a lone Yakuza like Kiryu, you spend the game with a jovial party of characters, and gradually level up their abilities to be able to take on tougher and tougher enemies.
Each of the members of your party can change their “job,” which gives them a different look, allows them to equip a different set of weapons, and changes their abilities. If you want Ichiban Kasuga to be the main damage threat in your party, for example, you can develop him that way – but he could also serve as a healer or magic user.
Battles in Like A Dragon – which are frequent – are often hilarious. One of the weaknesses of earlier Yakuza games is that there has been very little enemy variety outside of bosses – you were generally just fighting wave after wave of suited Yakuza or some other ruffians on the street. In Like A Dragon, it is explained that Ichiban has an overactive imagination, and he sees enemies transform into a fitting JRPG-style monster as a battle sequence starts. It’s a clever way that allows for the introduction of hundreds of new enemy types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses you have to plan around in battle. The developers did some amazing work with the enemy designs, and it helps to take away from the tedium of fighting all the time.
In earlier Yakuza games, I found myself trying to avoid as many fights with roving enemies on the street as I could. The payoff for winning generally wasn’t worth the time it took to beat everyone up as I tried to explore the world and complete side stories. The progression system in Like A Dragon, however, lends a bit more meaning to every encounter. You’re always trying to level up your character or increase your job level to unlock a useful new ability, so being roped into a battle against a gang of angry chefs actually provides some utility now. There’s one big exception here, a colossal underground dungeon you must progress through early on in the game (and can later return to if you want to fight rare enemies). Replicating a JRPG dungeon was a neat idea for the first 15 minutes, but it became a slog.
Even if you miss the old combat, the switch to a party system is undoubtedly Like A Dragon‘s greatest strength. You control Ichiban throughout the world, but your party members are always with you, following where you go, ready to jump into battle. While you’re walking around Yokohama, the party will frequently get into discussions and have bonding moments. All of these characters are well written, and you’ll come to care about each of them.
What the Yakuza series does better than any other is blend its plentiful lighthearted and wacky moments alongside heavy, emotional story beats. One moment, you may be helping a naked man who ran out of a soapland get some new clothes, and in the next you could be witnessing a shocking twist in the main storyline. It’s an experience only Yakuza can deliver.
Yokohama is full of fun diversions outside of the storyline, as well. All of the usual minigames you’ve come to expect – darts, mahjong, shoji, and SEGA arcardes – are back, and Like A Dragon introduces some new side attractions as well. There’s a vocational school where you can take tests on a variety of subjects to increase your “personality” skills, which are needed to initiate many conversations. There’s a kart-racing minigame called Dragon Kart, and even a full-on business simulation management mode, where you try to become the top corporation in Yokohama.
Like A Dragon is a great entry point for new fans of the series. The storyline is separate from what we’ve seen happen in past games, and Like A Dragon introduces English voice acting for the first time in the series to help appeal to an American audience. The voice acting is fine – but this is a Yakuza game. It just feels right to play it in Japanese with subtitles, and after a few hours of hearing the English cast, I switched and didn’t look back.
Like A Dragon could be a divisive game among long-time fans of the series. Yakuza perfected its formula years ago as a brawler, and the switch to a turn-based RPG is a bold move for such a beloved franchise – and I hope we see more games like this from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio in the future. Like A Dragon provides a deeper and even more engaging experience in the Yakuza universe, and serves as an excellent foundation for the next generation of Yakuza games.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon will release on Xbox Series S and X, Xbox One, PS4 and PC on November 10th, and later on PS5 on March 2nd, 2021. This review reflects the PC version of the game.
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