Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020)

This was my first Yakuza game.

I almost dropped it early on because of one main issue: the combat doesn't feel very special and there is just too much of it. The "go from point A to B, fight random enemies, watch a cutscene, and fight a mini-boss" loop can be exhausting.

Despite that, it became one of my favorite games ever. The side content is so well-made that it actually helps you bond with the characters and get used to the city. The map is small, but it’s dense and filled with things that actually matter.

It also has what I think is the best protagonist in gaming. It’s impossible not to like Ichiban Kasuga; his journey is both intriguing and inspiring.

The story starts a bit slow, but later on it gets much more interesting. I was shocked by how many twists there were, and even the references to older games hit hard, even though I haven't played them yet.

I highly recommend this to anyone who likes JRPGs, turn-based combat, or just a great story with a quirky cast. Just a tip: play it when you actually have time to dive into it. I only managed to finish it because I was on vacation, and that made a huge difference.

Now, I’m definitely planning to play the rest of the series.

Who knows if this wild experiment will bear fruit and become its own series. Yakuza: Like a Dragon has everything it needs; an excellent crop of new characters, and even a new playground to base a series in, as we hadn't been to Yokohama previously. The future of the series would depend on how turn-based combat sells in comparison to action brawler combat, I would assume. Either way, though, Like a Dragon is a delight.

It's a parody-homage to every turn-based JRPG trope you've ever known, set against brilliant character writing and the traditional urban playgrounds that have built this series into something beloved. I hope the development team is rewarded for the inherent risk of this undertaking.

I've been going through the yakuza games in order for the last five or so years, it's started with yakuza 0 and no game in the series has dethroned it for me. This continues now, but this game is the closest to doing so. The rpg mechanics were great, story was mostly great even if some things were a bit far fetched, and the mini games are the strongest in the series. Ive been skipping side content in yakuza games for awhile now, but in this game they're very fun, eapecially the mini games(and some of them are a bit mandatory). Enjoyed this one a lot, although I definitely wish they balanced the game a bit better(I can see a lot of players rage quit at the later parts without grinding). Ive never been a big beat em up or button masher guy, and I'm very glad the series has changed for the better.

8.75/10

Like most games in this series (except one) there's a pinata of things to do here that are drip fed to you at a good pace. None of its bits and pieces of content are all that deep but there's always a distraction.

For a series where the main way you engage with your obstacles is through a homoerotic fist fight, the side step to turn based combat holds onto the same feeling quite well. You not only still feel like you're involved in a street brawl while choosing attacks in a menu, there's an in universe reason why it's turn based and it actually makes sense. More than that, the rpg mechanics enhance the story telling.

Because you need party members for an rpg, this is a group story this time. And everyone plays their own robust and well integrated part. The new protagonist is still very much a gangster with a heart of gold as the series regular is, but he also distinguishes himself in his own way.

The plot spotlights on multiple vulnerable groups that rarely get to be the feature of any story let alone a video game. The unhoused, unemployed, sex workers, former and current convicts. It treats these groups fairly and honestly while still maintaining room to be absurd and entertaining. It is in this that this game truly deserves praise.

Game #10/200 Yakuza: Like a Dragon is one of my all-time favorite games. I began a few weeks ago with fairly limited knowledge and basically no experience with the prolific Yakuza series, and from what I saw online that would be okay; there is virtually no significant crossover between the previous titles that would necessitate playing the earlier games. Moreover, Y:LAD is heavily influenced by turn-based RPGs (most notably Dragon Quest, but Persona is an obvious one for anyone who has played those as well), which means its battle system is different than the brawler-y combat of the other Yakuza titles. Overall, what I discovered was a perfect game for me. It eschews traditional JRPG tropes in its characterization and story to develop a mature storyline but maintains a purist sort of fixation on various other JRPG aspects (mainly gameplay: battles, exploration, side quests, job system, etc.)

The turn-based battle system on its own is not worthy of much merit; it's fairly basic and its depth lies mainly in MP management and selecting abilities that either target one opponent or a large group. This isn't to say that it isn't fun -- it is simple, but it's a blast. The moves and animations are sometimes quite funny ("Push and Shove" for example is a powerful, untechnical sort of push attack, "Fat Stack" allows you to slap an opponent with money in a Saints Row-esque animation, some other moves whose names I forgot allow the player's characters to attack with boxcutters and staplers or lower defense by making a sexual pose). Battles are relatively fast-paced and there are many options to engage with, like calling a "Poundmate," or a summon, which has a unique effect, using healing or battle items, or defending. There's enough variety there, but I found that using the same powerful moves over and over basically worked perfectly fine. I never had much trouble with the difficulty, but I also pursued a ton of the side content as I played and took advantage of rewards. Equipment is also easy to deal with as you can push "square" and get the strongest items equipped instantly, not unlike some Final Fantasy titles. With a game with so much to micromanage, features like this (and fast travel) were super appreciated. To highlight the battle system in a more positive light, I will say that there is a nice variety of both party members and enemy types and combat is visceral and fun. It's simple in a Dragon Quest sort of way, which most people will hopefully recognize as a compliment. I must add though that job changes were never really necessary and they could've handled this system much better. You could change jobs but only mildly benefit from doing so as most job abilities did not cross over. It worked just fine to keep everyone as their default class and maybe switch up one or two characters.

The characters were brilliantly written in my opinion. I would actually go so far as to say that this is the best and most mature JRPG I've played (and I've played a ton). There is no melodrama, no tropey teen romance (basically none at all in fact), women are written as real people, and characters have distinct personalities that are not cliche driven. This final aspect is the most impressive, as you see a lot of games, even excellent ones (like Trails, for example) that have fun characters but are shaped around a cliche (thinking still of some Trails characters like TitS1-2 Olivier, Laura, Bleublanc, and so many more that have a definite trait that overrides any possibility of nuance in their personality). I would tie this game with Persona 5 in its characterization, but edge this game in the humor department (it's laugh out loud funny on many ocassions) and prefer this game's story as well. I am the first to admit that I am not much of a story guy. I am not so bad as to skip cutscenes in most games, but I get lost very easily as my mind wanders when I get bored. With that being said, I followed this game's story closely and rarely got confused. I fell in love with Kasuga, whose strong determination and earnestness was pulled off so deftly that he distinguishes himself from his JRPG predecessors while somehow following in their footsteps. He is incredibly cool and admirable as he makes manly sacrifices for the sake of loyalty. The theme of the game seems to revolve around loyalty/sacrifice -- as we learn that all of the supporting characters make some similar sacrificies -- which fits beautifully with the Yakuza aesthetic.

There's a lot more to say. The graphics (PS5) were gorgeous and I enjoyed wandering the colorful streets of Yokohama (I hope I'm remembering this name correctly) and seeing all of the realistic store fronts and people. Faces were distinct and nicely animated. Tunes fit the mood of various scenarios and there were some sick battle themes, but nothing really stood out music-wise as an ear worm. There was a karaoke jam that I really loved despite its cheesiness. The game does make great use of sound effects and music though and everything clicks. As I mentioned there is tons of humor in even the most random spots of the game and Kasuga will have you cracking up. He is such a charming and fun character to spend time with.

You can easily push yourself into the 40 hour range without having any kind of completist mindset. Side quests were memorable and fun and offered a lot of variety. While some were pretty short or required a few battles or conversations, many other had subplots that could not be replicated in any other game. Some that stood out include investigating fake figurines of a local (incredibly cheesy) mascot and bringing counterfeiters to justice, helping a little girl collect money to help her sick friend, giving an old woman a super hot pepper so she can run across the street, finding something strong enough to hurt a pleasure seeking "Mr. Masochist," and whatever that quest was with all the grown men in diapers. Other than quests, there are mini games like Dragon Kart, Mah Jong, Can Quest, Part-Time Hero (you can lose hours upon hours seeking completion on everything), Virtua Fighter 2, claw games, and the list goes on. I got lost in the world of Y:LAD on numerous ocassions, actively avoiding that little purple circle on the map so I can do more tasks (side note: where's the fishing mini-game?!).

Overall, Y:LAD was a phenomenal experience. It offered more than an amazing story, as the battling system was well-done and addicting despite its simplicity, the quests and mini games were non-stop, but never in-your-face or tiresome, and the collectables were endless as well. It's an emotional journey full of laughs (as cliche as that sounds), which seems to present itself initially as a "love letter" type of game because it wears its influences to previous JRPGs on its sleeve, but quickly becomes a very full and satisfying experience independent of anything else. I definitely hope to come back to Y:LAD years from now, possibly after playing through the entire Yakuza franchise.

Why couldn't this have been a spinoff instead...Just to talk about the good things first, I really enjoyed exploring another new city with Yokohama. Dragon Karts, Can Quest, vocational school, and the movie theater, all being new activities, were great. Nearly every new character was good, and even Ichiban was a decent mc when he and the entire game weren't reminding you he was a gamer.

But my god, the combat is awful. Every fight just gets inflated to be at least twice as long as before. The positional combat just drags it out even more if you really want to take advantage of it. The bosses and "setpieces" are at their worst. The first dungeon plays out like every other dungeon, with hallways full of enemies that never prove a threat to you. Constant healing stations and random items litter pointless, samey-looking sewers. Then you get to the first boss, where you walk into the restaurant to find your patriarch so he can explain himself. You meet your captain, whom you took the fall for in prison for 18 years. You expect this amazing buildup to end in a satisfying fight, like every other game. Instead, you slowly select your skill and use them while hitting your little qtes just to make sure you do an extra 10 dmg! You get a little break from this occasionally to remind you of what could have been. Do you change anything up from gameplay in the lead-up to this boss? Of course not; you just keep selecting the same skill to use and watch a meter mindlessly go down. Oh, now you're out of mana, and the boss still has 15% of his health bar. Well, I guess it's time to just hit your auto attack and make sure you perfect guard their attacks even if you're in no danger. Well, that sure was a fight, but you really toughed it out and understood the extent of the boss's mechanics.

Except for 1 or being generous 2, this is how every boss fight plays out. I want to especially highlight a terrible one because it was done almost perfectly in Yakuza 6! The lead-up to Joon-gi Han and then his actual fight were such a disappointment. Y6 players will obviously know him, so seeing him pop up here already was a red flag. First off, you can tell his personality is very different and worse for it. He isn't such a charismatic, ruthless leader anymore, having been reduced to just a calm guy following orders from his leader. Moving on to the actual boss fight isn't up to par at all. I feel like new fans would be just as disappointed as I am, as the fight was so basic when we're halfway through the game at this point. Going away from these boss complaints, the random battles out in the world have worse spawn rates than Y5 and Judgment! Everyone is also forced to start the game on normal when every other entry could start on hard.

Yeah, I understand later he's not the same, but being a body double twist is awful, even by Yakuza twist standards. It really felt like they just wanted to use a great design again no matter what while also ruining what made Joon-gi Han so great in the previous game. Even the other twists in this game were a new low. Mirrorface is probably the worst twist I've seen in a series full of increasingly weird twists. Other than Ichiban pouring his heart out, everything after the Kiryu fight I wish I could forget and erase from the game. If I could, I would remove Kiryu too, but with RGG's recent summit introducing even more Kiryu games, it seems like they do not want to give him an ending.

The story otherwise was decent, with some pretty good moments in Chapter 12. That entire chapter was a huge highlight, especially when they decided to include the first boss of the game near the end. I really was not feeling the combat for most of the game until this chapter. Some jobs needed to be done better because many skills are simply useless or not transferable while stuck in a useless job. Not to mention, even if you just wanted to experiment, it is a huge hassle to always go back to one spot to change a job. There were many times when I wanted to swap things around to learn a specific skill but quickly decided to just stay with what I had.

Aside from the strange inclusion of a fake Joon-gi Han, I thought the rest of the party was a good addition. Nanba and Adachi were the best ones, with Saeko losing a lot of relevance after a few chapters. Zhao and JGH were kind of interesting since you recruit them from a different faction, but they didn't seem to have as much screentime. Of course, there is another optional character too, but the game just forgets about Eri almost entirely. Eri is never shown in any cutscene in the story and really only exists for the business minigame. Even in the story cutscenes, there is so much inconsistency with who is shown. Sometimes you just see the main trio of Adachi, Nanba, and Saeko, while other times they sprinkle in JGH and/or Zhao. Sometimes it's a combination of these five, with no rhyme or reason for any of the changes. Even in substories, you will only see Ichiban, which makes it just feel so awkward. Each of the characters also has their own bond links, where you can usually learn more about them. Each one of these stories ends the same way, with their problem being solved after an easy fight, leaving them all feeling pointless. Also, tossing in Kashiwagi and Lau Ka Long when they are both clearly dead is insane.

This was my first Yakuza game (yes a shame, i know) so i did not really know what to expect. When i first started playing it though, i couldn't put it down anymore. What starts off as a game where you think you're just a Japanese mafia lackey doing tasks in the world, quickly branches out to a grandiose story about the main protagonist and the friends he makes along the way.

The game feels and play like an rpg of the older generations; even though it entirely takes play in a city, i continusouly felt to me like playing an older Final Fantasy game, which felt incredibly good. The amount of (optional) side activities, like all the different minigames, the side quests, most of which are really well written too, and character developments, etc. The very high level of detail, the presented atmosphere where the world goes from realitvely friendly to superhostile over the course of the story and the integrated twist of very weird and sometimes dark humour and the very detailed and broad combat system, fueled by the extensive job system, all amount to a really enjoyable experience. The ending of the game is also one of the most moving endings i've seen in a while, and was really wel done.

All in all i would rate this game a 9 out of 10, it's not perfect, but it's very close to it, and this game surely has awakened my desire to play all the other Yakuza games.

For a game that is often tongue-in-cheek and occasionally pretty crass, Yakuza: Like a Dragon contains some very thoughtful critiques of various aspects of Japanese culture, such as the treatment of the elderly, perspectives on sex work, the enforcement of rules or laws that were imposed on the Japanese by foreign powers (i.e. US occupation of Japan), homelessness, and so on. This is on top of its very clever and entertaining metacommentary on Japanese RPGs and action games. Not everything it does is always a hole in one, but it is often clearly done thoughtfully and with heart. Could it be better in some areas? Yes, most certainly. Sometimes the conclusions it arrives at, or the explanations if employs, in regard to certain social norms or deviations form the norm are a bit too simplistic, sometimes even a little naïve. But it strikes me a game that was made by devs who were trying pretty hard not to punch down, and some of the weaker aspects are due to their entrenchment within the systems that uphold the norms they are critiquing.

Crucially, in contrast to something like GTA a series that thinks equal opportunity punching down is the sole source of satire, Yakuza: Like a Dragon feels like deep and significant social commentary. There is just something super appealing about Kasuga, a person who genuinely seems to care about people, is empathetic, generous and frequently prone to rather intelligent reflections on the world around him. Again, he's not perfect, but the combination of winning traits and failings make him feel like more like a person than simply a flat video character. He's more than a caricature, and that makes the experience of Yakuza: Like a Dragon unlike many of the games in this space. Maybe the closest is Saints Row: The Third and Saints Row IV, but as much as I enjoy the characters in those games, they are designed as very specific satirical caricatures (and not without good reason) that don't really ever reflect the kind of depth that we find in Kasuga.

I didn't go into Yakuza Like a Dragon expecting to feel many of these ways, and am pleasantly surprised by what I have found so far.

Having been scared off by subtitles in the previous games in the series, this was my first foray into the Yakuza games. And I absolutely adored it. Ichiban Kasuga is the most likeable protagonist in any game ever, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. And his sidekicks aren't bad either.

The story is an odd mix of super-serious yakuza politics in the main story, and completely absurd craziness in most of the side content. And it just works.

The localization in this game is excellent, though I occasionally found myself wishing that they'd have gone the final 25% and localized the rest of the game. NPCs often say stuff in Japanese, accompanied by subtitles. And I can't help but think that the Japanese-language taunts & call-outs that the weirdo/pervert enemies make as you fight them or pass them on the street are probably hilariously stupid.

The RPG battles aren't particularly difficult (excluding the impossible-without-dozen-&-dozens-&-DOZENS-of-hours-of-mindless-grinding True Final Tower dungeon that I eventually gave up on), but they're entertaining. Text messages explaining abilities that are normally boring & dry in other JRPGs often made me chuckle mid-battle in Yakuza 7 ("GIfted Gatherer rummages around... ...oh shit, he's got a gun!"). And I often found myself watching through the skippable summon & special ability sequences over & over just because they're so damn cool. There's an auto-battle option, but to be honest, I never used it once in my 100+ hours spent playing the game.

I've read that you need to grind a lot at around the 3/4 mark of the main story. But I didn't actually find that to be the case, since I'd spent the entire game completing every available side-quest and avoiding taxi fast-travel.

Some of the optional minigames are fun (I spent way too many hours at the crane machines); but some are indecipherably Japanese (the not-quite-chess board game with Japanese symbols as game pieces), or mind-numbingly grindy if you're trying to Platinum the game (hitting hundreds of home runs in the batting cage so you can max out your charisma stat). Seriously, if you value your sanity, don't even try to Platinum this game if you're playing the Western release which requires finishing the True Final Millennium Tower. Focus on the fun.

Credits rolled after about 80hrs of gameplay. What an honestly great game. I'm giving this game the five stars it deserves now, and putting it in my Top 25 Games of All Time list.

And I'm doing that before I finish getting the Platinum trophy (because I might really get cranky by the time I grind my way through the True Final Millennium Tower)

I'm at chapter 12 and 2 things.

1. What the hell is up with the curve? There are 2 back-to-back pacebreakers. One I already broke through easily because I did the management mimigame ahead of time, but the battle arena is the biggest pace breaker in the entire game so far. In the story, you go to headquarters. At first, the enemies are level 35 and then there is this big fanservice boss and they're level 50. So what you have to do is to complete this battle arena while getting nothing out of it story wise. This part sucks.

2. HOLY FUCKING SHIT! IT'S MAJIMA! My face was red when I saw him.

Finished the game last week. Game is 50% Yakuza Netflix drama show and 50% JRPG (parody).

pros

• hilarious enemies
• charismatic party
• Ichiban Kasuga is amazing
• story
• turn-based combat
• JRPG tropes

cons

• slow beginning
• slow ending
• pacing
• grinding gets repetitive

Highly recommended if you're into JRPG's. The slow start and some bumps near the end, make for a otherwise lovely experience. Funniest game I've played in a while.

The first Yakuza game to dive into the turn-based JRPG genre is one of the best recent releases in that genre, a slow-burning story of underdogs and criminal conspiracy that offers one big payoff after another for those who can suspend their disbelief for its wilder moments.

Story/Characters:

The dense, slow-paced plot rewards patience through powerful human moments and exciting twists. Each scene has some kind of purpose to the main plot in a way that can be really satisfying to see unfold. Some of these connections and related story beats can become borderline ludicrous at times, particularly later on, but it’s consistently entertaining, starts very strong, develops very quickly in the middle, and thankfully sticks the landing.

The central party of characters is refreshingly relatable and nontraditional for an RPG. They have an enjoyable dynamic that breathes extra life into open world wandering and downtime between major plot points. Antagonists are also highly memorable, with many changing their relationship with the main party and with each other over the course of the game in some really interesting ways that I can’t spoil.

Notes: Prior knowledge of the series is in no way required. Main story could be completed in 30 hours. The game is probably at least half cutscene if you do—seriously—so make sure you’re okay with that.

Gameplay:

The turn-based combat system is based in tradition, but is unexpectedly dynamic and fluid thanks to extra strategy around characters’ positions in 3D space relative to one another and to environmental hazards, as well as timed blocking and attack inputs that forces the focus on the battle rather than the menu.

Sudden boss level spikes in the last quarter of the game bring the narrative to a halt and force the player to spend hours, 10-15% of the total game length or more for me in the last few chapters alone, going through “dungeons” that have no relation to the story. These were actually kinda fun at times but became tiresome in the final chapter and should have been optional content after the story because of the impact on pacing. The combat already was getting more complex and challenging—no need to inflate the “difficulty” in this way.

The job system reframes JRPG classes in the context of real jobs in the Yakuza universe in a way that is funny and offers some unique abilities. While some jobs like Idol, Hitman, and Host/Hostess really shine, others are bland or uninteresting, but the system as a whole works as you balance type advantages and party roles.

There’s lots of the standard Yakuza side content, from laugh out loud bite-sized extra storylines to ridiculously detailed minigames, all well-placed throughout the game as an occasional fun diversion—some are filler but others are excellent, so it’s worth poking around and taking anything that seems interesting.

Notes: It runs poorly and loads really slowly on a base Xbox One. I played most of it on the Series X and it was perfect.

Overall:

This is a fun adventure with loads of personality and intrigue that makes it easy to fall deep into. On new-gen hardware it looks great and has lightning-fast loading times. Although it’s not a traditional Yakuza title, this is an excellent entrypoint into the series for people interested in a shorter JRPG that breaks the genre’s usual narrative and style conventions. Definitely one of my favorite games of the year!