Yakuza: Like a Dragon Review: A New Next-Gen Beginning for the Series

A Japanese RPG with pedestrian graphics might not be what many Xbox Series X owners expected as their main next-gen exclusive launch title, but here we are with Yakuza: like a dragon. While it may not be a huge technical exercise for Microsoft’s most powerful console, it is a revolution for the series and, by far the most exclusive console in the Series X and S launch line.

This is the eighth main line Yakuza game, with Sega presumably ditching series numbering in an attempt to gain a wider audience. (Still called Ryu ga Gotoku 7 In Japan, “Like a Dragon” is a direct translation of the Yakuza Japanese name of the series). This game is a canon sequel, with occasional recurring characters and references that fans will appreciate, but I wouldn’t worry about playing the previous seven if you don’t have the time.

That is because Like a dragon It has an entirely new cast, a different setting, and a radically modified playstyle from its predecessors. 2018 is excellent Yakuza 6 served as a farewell to original protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, one of the most iconoclastic characters to ever appear in a video game, and as promised, Like a dragon replaces it with a new advantage.

While Kiryu was stoic and brooding, Ichiban Kasuga is wild and outgoing. He’ll make jokes, tell dad jokes, and break into situations with the subtlety of a puppy. But both men share a history of tragedy and sacrifice and are united by a strong sense of integrity. I found Kasuga to be a very enjoyable main character in my time with the game and in some ways it feels better for Yakuza’s weird mix of humor and sincerity.

Much of the supporting cast is less personable but no less entertaining. Like a dragon turn a typical Yakuza story of wrongful imprisonment and betrayal, with Kyosuke finding himself homeless in Yokohama after spending 18 years behind bars to be beaten by a colleague. Things have changed in the yakuza world since he was away, and he is forced to ally himself with various characters from the underbelly of Yokohama in an attempt not only to survive, but to become a “hero”.

That last goal is due to Kasuga turning out to be a huge RPG nerd, frequently referring to Dragon quest as inspiration. This is a theme transferred to the central action of Like a dragon itself, which transitions from real-time fighting combat to turn-based JRPG-style battles where you select commands from a menu.

This is not as big of a change as you might think. the Yakuza Games have always been essentially JRPG with a more hands-on approach to combat, and there’s not much structural difference over Like a dragon. You are still exploring a fairly small but densely detailed area, going from scene to quest to scene at your leisure. In fact, the biggest change is that Like a dragonThe Yokohama version is much larger than previous series locations, so you’ll spend a lot more time on foot. That gives you more opportunities to distract yourself with a game room and participate in a few rounds of Virtua Fighter 2 or Outrun.

The actual combat system isn’t particularly deep, although the same could be said for most others. Yakuza games. The switch to turn-based action allows for some really wacky moves, especially when you start to experiment with the game’s work system. Kyosuke’s homeless wanderer partner Nanba, for example, starts out being able to attack enemies with pigeons by throwing seeds at them. But now that I’ve given him a job as a musician, he has a devastating attack that involves “physically throwing” a CD in the direction of his opponents.

But not much has been gained in terms of tactical reach. While all of your characters automatically move across the battlefield, positioning only comes into play when you’re trying to attack a distant enemy and another comes in first. Characters often get stuck behind the scenes, which can be frustrating when you want to target a specific opponent but don’t have an obvious way to do it. You can use environmental attacks when they are in range (attacking enemies with a bicycle is a time-honored Yakuza tradition), but it’s not as easy as in the past.

I don’t really have an inherent preference for real-time or turn-based combat, and Like a dragon switching to the latter doesn’t change the game too much in the end. I wouldn’t call it a clear improvement, but it’s not a regression either. Overall, I appreciate the attempt to put a fresh spin on the classic Yakuza experience.

It’s fair to say Like a dragon it is not a technical showcase. It came out on the PS4 in Japan almost a year ago, and it’s only now making its way to the West. That means even if you’re playing it in Series X today, it’s firmly rooted in the older generation, even more so than cross-generation games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla or Watch Dogs: Legion which are also available at launch. (That’s not uncommon in the series: Yakuza 0 it was a PS3 game exclusive to Japan before a PS4 version was successful in the West almost two years later). Yakuza The series still has great facial animation and acting performances, the cut scenes in the engine are well directed, and the cities are rendered in often impressive detail. But this is not the place to go for next-generation graphics technology.

Like a dragon however, it greatly benefits from its status as an Xbox Play Anywhere title. I started playing it on my Xbox One X last week, installed it on my PC a few days later (TL; DR review: it supports ultra-wide resolutions and has a splash screen that says “REAL YAKUZA USE A GAMEPAD”), and now it’s activated the X Series that was delivered to me this morning.

The X Series version has the option for a 4K / 30fps mode, but by default, it runs at 1440p / 60fps, which I think is the best option. While it looks essentially identical to what I was playing on the One X, it runs twice as smoothly, which is a welcome improvement. The game also has a lot of interstitial loading screens on the One X, which the X Series throttles to the point where they are negligible.

Like a dragon It may not be what you would expect from a next-gen launch title, but the Xbox Series X isn’t always what you’d expect from a next-gen console. While the power of the hardware is not in doubt, at this point it serves more as a performance boost than a paradigm shift. From that point of view, Like a dragon it’s a great game to have available on the first day. It’s a new version of the Yakuza series, it will keep you busy for a long time and works better than ever.

Yakuza: like a dragon is available today on Xbox, Windows, Steam, and PS4. A version for PS5 will be available on March 2, 2021.