Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name may have new branding, but this is a game about embracing old comforts, more than anything else.
Formerly known as Yakuza in the West (Sega rebranded it to Like a Dragon, a more literal translation of its Japanese name, in the last year), the latest game is a lot like its predecessors. Like, a lot. It takes place in the same neighborhood as three of the previous games. A lot of the same side activities are here. Most importantly, it’s the grand return of longtime series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu.
This is, essentially, a side story — one that’s a lot shorter than most other games in the series (it took me 10 hours to complete the main storyline, whereas other games typically take between 20-50 hours). Like a Dragon Gaiden is about as fun as a game can be while still feeling inessential. Its story takes too long to reach its (excellent) emotional payoff, and the return to brawler-style combat feels a bit like a step backward.
But if you’ve ever liked Yakuza in the past, this bite-sized organized crime saga is still worth the time. The fact that it's a day one Xbox Game Pass game means you might not even need to pay full price for it, too.
Back to Sotenbori
Warning: This section will feature story spoilers for Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Any series approaching 10 mainline entries is inevitably going to get up to some convoluted timeline shenanigans, and this one is no different. Let me clear things up right away: Like a Dragon Gaiden takes place concurrently with 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon, to date, the most recent game in the series. The whole idea is to explain just what the heck Kiryu got up to after faking his death at the end of Yakuza 6 in order to protect his loved ones.
Surprise! It turns out he spent most of that time beating people up on behalf of the shadowy organization that helped him fake his death and gave him a new name. It doesn’t take long before he gets roped into another semi-complicated yakuza scheme involving crime families, both new and old, ultimately culminating in the climactic dissolution of the Tojo Clan and Omi Alliance, as seen in Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
The plot takes Kiryu to Sotenbori, a neighborhood prominently featured in Yakuza 0, 2, and 5. Recycling an old mini-open-world might be a disappointment in any other series, but it’s just how Yakuza rolls. Playing through these games in order means eventually developing a real relationship with each neighborhood, and as a series vet, it’s always nice to return to Sotenbori, with its gorgeous riverfront, bustling commerce district, and seedy back alleys full of goons to beat the holy hell out of.
As much as we love the current series protagonist and ultimate himbo Kasuga Ichiban, I have to admit there’s some comfort in spending 10 to 20 hours with Kiryu again. He is, simply put, one of the best gaming heroes of all time. Kiryu is a stoic warrior-monk who is equally capable of doing the coolest action guy stuff you’ve ever seen and spitting out some fire philosophical wisdom right afterward.
Like a Dragon Gaiden’s plot machinations are largely sort of uninteresting until an explosively delightful and wonderfully stupid final act. It’s worth the wait for what is a genuinely heart-wrenching emotional payoff, something fans have been waiting for from Kiryu for years. He finally gets some real, self-serving introspection after decades of fighting on behalf of others.
If you love Kiryu, this game is worth playing for that alone.
Advanced wire-fighting maneuvers
The other vector by which Like a Dragon Gaiden is a throwback is a little bit less endearing to me.
Specifically, developer Ryo Ga Gotoku Studio (RGGS) brought back the franchise’s old real-time brawler combat that fueled fights for the first seven games. To be clear, it’s still fun, and they’ve done a couple of things to freshen it up. Timed parry counters are here for certain unblockable attacks, and Kiryu has a goofy-ass new “Agent” fighting style full of hilarious gadgets to use for big group encounters.
For instance, there’s a “spider wire” that comes out of a watch, which you can eventually upgrade to ensnare around five enemies at once — whipping them around the arena or stealing weapons out of their hands. Drones can be deployed for self-defense, exploding cigarettes can be thrown like grenades, and rocket shoes can be used to violently propel Kiryu into groups of helpless dudes.
It’s still the same arcadey beat-’em-up nonsense the series used to be known for before it switched to more strategic turn-based battles with Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and that would be fine in a vacuum. Unfortunately, the turn-based combat in the newer games is just a lot more dynamic and interesting to me. Boss fights require more tactical planning (in Gaiden, you just punch and dodge until it’s over), and there’s a huge variety of options at your disposal.
By comparison, Like a Dragon Gaiden feels simplistic to its detriment. There is depth to be found in the upgrade system, but unless you feel like pouring hours into side quests to earn the money required for top-tier upgrades, you may never see the best stuff.
I get the rationale for this. RGGS wanted to make a game for the folks who prefer the old style of combat because not everyone vibes with turn-based fights. It’s a smart business decision, and it’s executed well enough here. I just feel that it’s a little hard to go back after the bold and delightful shift a few years ago.
It’s fun to see an old friend
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Yakuza game without a copious amount of side activities to play with. You can golf, play darts, participate in pocket car races, and do karaoke just like in previous games. This may be a comparatively small game, but it’s not lacking in any of the bells and whistles.
There are plenty of juicy side quests to do as well (some featuring characters from previous games or spin-offs), and these are as fun and funny as always. As I said, this is a lot like previous Yakuza games, and that’s not a bad thing! Similar to the last few entries, it also looks great and runs flawlessly on PlayStation 5.
In general, it’s warm and soothing to pal around with Kiryu and co. for another game, especially after his role as the protagonist was snatched away by someone else. I wish its storyline felt more essential, and I do bemoan the return of brawler combat, but there are enough high points to be found in both that I can’t hate either aspect of Like a Dragon Gaiden.
And it accomplished its ultimate goal, which is to get me super excited for the upcoming Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth in January 2024.
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