Release Date: November 10, 2020
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Turn-Based, Japanese Role-Playing Game
ESRB Rating: M (Mature 17+)
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X/S, PC
Yakuza as a series has a strong grip on its fan base, and dipping one's toes in and trying the games out may help clear up what this series is about. Set over the last few modern decades on the mean city streets, Yakuza has been the tale of the seedy underground world of crime in a fictionalized depiction of Tokyo. The story of Yakuza is a drama following mob families, the fragile city peace hiding the evils of crime uncontrolled, and the lives of those caught up in such a world. But standing out among all of its elements, Yakuza has been the legend of Kazuma Kiryu. A man steeped in the criminal world, but who cannot tolerate injustice and holds himself and his mob family up to a lofty code of honor, Kiryu is a one man wrecking ball and force of nature who noble decisions and deeds earn him a title of respect and fear: The Dragon of Dojima. Each game in the main series has been another chapter to his saga, his drive to leave no wrong committed on his territory unanswered, and the pursuit of the happiness and fulfillment of the people in his chosen family. With the determination and unyielding strength of Batman, players combo'd, blocked, and parried their way to exhilarating and high octane street fights. All of this is somehow juxtaposed to a series of ridiculous and humorous mini-games and side quests that leaves a player scratching their head at the implied fluidness to Kiryu's character. On any given day Kiryu's live could be filled with knuckled-clenched and combo filled brawling to avenge his loved ones in the morning, followed by karaoke, dancing, and RC racing at night. It's this bizarre quirkiness that has made Yakuza and its characters endearing to fans in the East and the West.
Anyone on PlayStation since the PS2 era may have noticed that slowly over time, this brawling action series has gained in fans and popularity. With each release, word on the series grew, with the fan base reaching an all time high in 2017 and 2018 with the releases of Yakuza 0 (a prequel to the series set before the first game) and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. With seven mainline games in the series (and let's not get started on the spin-offs), Microsoft saw the worldwide appeal and made a big jump to partner with Sega to actively bring this series to Xbox. Microsoft played a big hand in seeing the series notoriety in the west rise further than ever.
With Yakuza 6 bringing a conclusion to Kazuma Kiryu's heroic saga, and both PlayStation and Xbox players along for the ride, fans wondered and waited, what could be next for this series? Enter the next entry whose announcement left the entire fan base bewildered in equal parts astonishment and confusion: Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The next Yakuza game would simultaneously launch on PlayStation and Xbox, with a brand protagonist, and would leave behind the fast action behind to become a turn-based role-playing game. What in the world?
What caps off that left field play from out of nowhere, is that it actually worked. Sega ditched numbering this game to be more welcoming and inviting to a wider audience (how intimidating would it be if the first game you picked up in the series was called Yakuza 7!?) and gave them a new protagonist with a clean slate to begin following.
Enter Ichiban Kasuga. A low ranking grunt in the Arakawa family, Ichiban is brash, loud, and leave no guessing as to what he's thinking. Ichi is quick to action, and aspires to a similar notion as Kiryu that his place in the criminal underworld is to help maintain peace and live by his word, so civilians who live on the “outside” need not worry. At times, his nobler gestures take back seat to the boneheadedness of his ideas and actions. The game takes no shame in pointing out that Ichi spent much of his childhood as a gamer pouring countless hours in Dragon Quest (a staple Japanese RPG alongside the Final Fantasy series). A number of his fellows note that his childish chivalry has no place in their world. Always down on his luck, Ichiban is setup on New Years Day 2000 and takes the fall for a murder he did not commit. Sentenced to 15 years in prison, Ichiban misses nearly all major events of the Yakuza series, and walks out brand new to the world around him and looking to start fresh. As he spends the game clawing his way up from the bottom and dregs of society, the adventure of a man who becomes known as “The Rock Bottom Dragon” begins. The story in Like a Dragon has a particularly slow start and buildup, but stick with it and a rich tale of intrigue, justice, friendship set in a world of fear and crime await.
Now the real question is, can a series that spent a decade and a half as a fierce brawling and fighting game really able to make the leap and be reborn with a turn-based combat system? Again, the studio somehow found a way to make it work. Characters are organized into different roles in a class system, but on the mean streets of Tokyo you're more likely to run into an ex-detective or a wizened hobo rather than a fighter or a mage. After pulling “the sword from stone”, Ichiban declares himself to possess a hero's soul (He literally rips a baseball bat out of cement). The creativity and imagination behind reinterpreting these fantasy archetypes is sure to give players a chuckle up to the final boss. And thanks to Ichiban's “colorful imagination” as a gamer, combatants on the streets are given playful new spins. (Beer-zerker, trash goblins, and street magicians ahoy).
The series penchant for wacky side content is still present. If zany mini-games catch your attention, then how about a full on Mario Kart clone? Ichiban finds a side-quest to do exactly that. Battling dastardly sheep men lulling you to your sleep in the movie theater? Check. There is an entire side section of the game involving Ichiban taking over and managing a local business, filled with management tasks such as finding staff with a variety of staff, buying and selling properties, navigating investments and returns, and attending shareholder meetings to “duel” in Q&As. And the ever popular karaoke bars are still present and kicking. For anybody who needs the occasional break from the intense seriousness of the main plot, the side content of wacky and zany tales and activities are entertaining distractions.
What sort of content should you expect in your playthrough experience of Yakuza: Like a Dragon? While the main plot is a great drama to take in, take note that the criminal underworld depicted in the game features violence both intense and ridiculous. Tobacco products are present, as are the implications and discussions of prostitution (The protagonist himself has the unfortunate origin of being orphaned as a baby in a brothel, and raised by the staff. While the cast around him will poke fun at it, Ichiban himself uses it to help him humanize and empathize for people from all walks of life). Despite the idea of sex work being present in certain moments, and the topic of lust being used to “humorously” theme a few enemies encountered, there are no depictions or scenes of sexual content.
With a refresh in the gameplay and story, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a interesting and great entry point into the series for newcomers. With two new games on the horizon there's no better time to check out the drama, and hilarity, of the Yakuza series. Perhaps Ichiban's fortunes will one day turn around. As the self-proclaimed hero, it's bound to happen at some point.