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Republished on Wednesday twenty seventh July 2022: We’re bringing this evaluate again from the archives following the announcement of August’s PlayStation Plus lineup. The unique textual content follows.
The place will we even begin with Yakuza: Like a Dragon? SEGA’s collection has all the time been eccentric, however this newest instalment takes issues to an entire new stage. In a phrase, it is nuts — from starting to finish. In case you have not heard, Like a Dragon goes full role-playing sport: stats, tools, loot, occasion members, and sure, even flip based mostly battles. Whereas previous Yakuza video games have had their justifiable share of RPG techniques and mechanics — you may just about categorise them as ‘motion RPGs’ — this nonetheless appears like a dramatic shift in each construction and id. Like a Dragon is a borderline surreal expertise — particularly in the event you’re conversant in the franchise.
After slumming it with Kazuma Kiryu and the boys for eight entire mainline video games, developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio clearly thought that it was time to shake issues up. A completely new solid, a brand new story, a brand new setting — it is a recent begin, however the vital factor is that at its core, it nonetheless appears like a Yakuza title. Glorious storytelling and characters elevate the expertise as all the time, whereas non-obligatory actions and absurd facet quests add Yakuza’s trademark flavour.
The legacy of earlier protagonist Kazuma Kiryu may be overwhelming. The Dragon of Dojima has had three console generations to ascertain himself, and so changing him was by no means going to be straightforward. However with new lead Ichiban Kasuga, RGG Studio has hit a homerun with its first swing. In some ways, Ichiban is the other of Kiryu — at the very least by way of character. He is rash, emotional, and a little bit of a dumbass. He is susceptible to following his instincts and throwing warning to the wind, however he is loyal and all the time true to himself.
Ichiban makes for a genuinely endearing protagonist. He is an ex-yakuza who’s all the time struggled to make one thing of his life. And on the ripe age of 41 following on from the sport’s prolonged prologue, Ichiban decides that the time has come to observe his childhood dream of being a hero. No, actually. Like a Dragon revolves round the truth that Ichiban seems to be at life prefer it’s an RPG. He spent his childhood taking part in nothing however Dragon Quest — Sq. Enix’s timeless fantasy RPG collection — and with a view to ‘stage up’, he has to get out into the world and… Get a job.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is actually a standard, flip based mostly Japanese RPG, however it’s set in modern-day Yokohama — a bustling metropolis not too far south of Tokyo. Rolling countryside and idyllic cities are changed with concrete streets and workplace buildings. The hero’s holy sword is changed with a restricted version baseball bat. As a substitute of casting magic, Ichiban’s homeless pal pulls out a lighter and spews alcohol throughout the open flame. Once more, Ichiban sees life as an old style RPG — even the thugs and gangsters that trouble our heroes rework into red-eyed monster folks every time fight begins. It is ridiculousness performed with a straight face, and it really works shockingly properly.
In his quest to search out work, Ichiban and his buddies naturally change into embroiled in occasions that may form the way forward for Yokohama. In true Yakuza style, we’re steadily launched to a menagerie of ne’er-do-wells, however it’s Ichiban’s accomplices that steal the present. Along with our hero, his allies are a few of the finest characters to ever grace SEGA’s collection. The place Kiryu was a principally solitary protagonist, Ichiban has an entire occasion of individuals following him round, and so they all bounce off each other to wonderful impact.
Maybe one of the best factor about Ichiban and his group is that none of them are what you’d usually count on from a standard RPG occasion. Each homeless ex-nurse Nanba and haggard ex-detective Adachi are greying males over 40, but right here they’re cruising with Kasuga because the gang clobbers their manner throughout town. It is one way or the other each weird and mundane in equal measure — however it makes for an interesting 60-hour journey.
At its finest, Like a Dragon is effortlessly engrossing. Its story has the entire twists and turns that we have come to count on of the franchise, however it’s a disgrace that the in-game cutscenes can look so janky. Whereas the writing and prime notch characters are sufficient to hold the expertise, it is nonetheless jarring to leap from beautifully animated, pre-rendered scenes to static in-game fashions and textual content packing containers. This hit or miss high quality has been part of Yakuza for so long as we will bear in mind, however in Like a Dragon, the place there are sometimes so many characters to speak to and a lot plot to get via, the dialogue system is de facto exhibiting its age.
Like a Dragon additionally takes an extended, very long time to get going. Once more, nothing new for Yakuza, however with out the moment launch of action-based fight — which was all the time the right option to bookend an extended cutscene in previous Yakuza titles — it could possibly really feel such as you’re watching a film moderately than taking part in a online game. A really wordy film, at that.
Do not get the flawed concept, although. Like a Dragon’s flip based mostly fight is basically plenty of enjoyable, however it by no means fairly offers that very same thrill. That is very true through the opening ten hours or so, when Ichiban and his crew barely have any skills to name upon in battle. Very similar to Dragon Quest, fight solely hits its stride in a while, as you collect extra occasion members and acquire entry to all types of particular strikes. Till then, you are simply going from battle to battle choosing the identical primary instructions again and again. The preliminary lack of problem and tactical pondering may be off-putting — particularly when your time spent outdoors of battle is consumed by longwinded cutscenes.
There are positively some pacing issues at play right here, however follow the sport lengthy sufficient and you will be rewarded in your endurance. Because the story progresses, increasingly of town opens as much as you, and Yokohama’s streets are filled with alternative. Little by little, you are given entry to an enormous internet of interconnected techniques, all of which profit Ichiban and the occasion someplace down the road. For instance, preventing alongside your allies or shopping for them lunch will make them friendlier in direction of Ichiban, and in time, they’re going to divulge heart’s contents to him, resulting in a few of the most touching scenes within the sport. However past the drama, you additionally acquire higher battle synergy. Shut mates earn extra expertise, and so they make a behavior of following up on enemies who’ve been left weak by a earlier assault.
What’s extra, in a really Persona-esque twist, Ichiban has quite a lot of character traits — together with intelligence, charisma, and kindness — that improve as you strive your hand at minigames and facet quests. A extra charming Ichiban, as an example, may have the ability to clean speak his manner into an underground playing den, whereas creating Ichiban’s ardour might make him higher at buffing his teammates throughout fight. It will get to some extent the place every little thing that you just do counts in direction of the larger, general aim of constructing your occasion stronger, and it is tremendous satisfying to see all of it click on into place.
The identical is true of fight itself. There are some robust battles to be discovered within the sport’s later chapters, however overcoming your enemies with exact teamwork is strictly what being a hero is all about. It is actually rewarding to see your occasion blossom into an elite workforce of fighters, and the truth that you are given a lot freedom in constructing your splendid workforce solely provides to the sense of satisfaction. Certainly, there’s an in-depth job system that allows you to change a personality’s position solely. One minute Ichiban’s a tough and prepared bare-fisted brawler. The subsequent, he is a musician, battering lowlifes together with his guitar and taking part in songs to encourage his allies. There’s hours of enjoyment available in mixing and matching your squad.
Conclusion
It takes some time to essentially get going, however as soon as issues lastly kick into gear, Yakuza: Like a Dragon blossoms into one of the vital distinctive and engrossing RPGs on PS4. At its core, that is nonetheless the Yakuza that we all know and love, with stunning story beats and incredible characters, however in embracing the construction of an old style RPG, it efficiently branches the collection off in an entire new path. Equal elements refreshing and acquainted, it is a loopy and artistic sport that is aware of have enjoyable, as Ichiban Kasuga proves himself a worthy successor to the one and solely uncle Kaz.
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