Ever since Dungeons and Dragons came out in the mid-70s, people have enjoyed playing roleplaying games. Everyone knew of series like Final Fantasy and Shining Force during the bit wars in the late 80s and 90s. On GameFAQs, Chrono Trigger is considered the best Super Nintendo game and the best roleplaying game on Super Nintendo.
However, a new roleplaying series would be introduced in the mid-2000s. I’m talking about the Yakuza series. There have been many spin-offs and remakes since the first Yakuza game came out in 2005. The game is Yakuza: Like A Dragon which came out in 2020. Other than playing Yakuza 6 for an hour, I have never played another Yakuza game. So what will someone with very little exposure to the Yakuza series like me think?
One major part of the gameplay is fighting. That is what you do most of the time in this game. If you happen to be near a weapon that is not nailed down, your character will use the weapon to attack an enemy. You also have special skills and moves that will require MP. You also unlock a feature called PoundMates where you can pay an amount of the yen you have for someone to come in and do a devastating attack on the opponents you are fighting.
When you have to go to the next mission, there is a pink spot on your map and radar to continue the next mission. You can also have a waypoint to a different location if you want to get food or stock up on something for your next mission first. You can buy a meal for your entire party and if you buy the recommended meal, every member of your party will have their HP and MP restored fully. Some taxis will drive you and your party around a certain region.
I have no problem with the controls. Nothing is hard to pull off and the controls are not complicated. So there is nothing I would change about the controls.
Before I get to the story, there are a lot of cutscenes which seems to be the case with any Yakuza game. However, while this game is no different, the cutscenes must be watched to enjoy the story.
You play as a man named Ichiban Kasuga. when Ichiban got in trouble with some Yakuza, Ichiban said he was connected to Masumi Arakawa. Masumi would pick up Ichiban, pay off Ichiban’s debt with his finger and Ichiban would work for Masumi ever since. In 2001, Jo allegedly commits a murder and Masumi asks Ichiban to take the blame. Since Ichiban did not want this murder to hurt Masumi’s reputation, Ichiban agrees to confess. When Ichiban gets out of jail 18 years later, Masumi who said he would pick up Ichiban is nowhere to be found.
Ichiban finds out from a police officer that the Tojo Clan does not exist anymore and the city Ichiban used to live in now belongs to the Omi Alliance which used to be at war with the Tojo clan. Masumi was the one who betrayed the Tojo Clan to join the Omi Alliance did so after Masumi’s son passed away. When Ichiban confronts Masumi after getting out of jail, Masumi shoots Ichiban and leaves him for dead although Ichiban survives thanks to a homeless guy who found him.
The graphics are beautiful. While the city looks alright in the daytime, it looks much better at night with all the lights on. There are plenty of different locations you visit throughout the story. When it comes to Ichiban and the rest of his party, they all have unique looks which fit the backstory of their character. You also get new outfits that your character can wear while in battle although they will revert to their original clothing when the battle is over. Whether or not you want your party to wear their alternative outfits depends on how you feel about the different outfits.
I love the sound of this game. The voices help pull you into the story of the game. When Ichiban is about to confront Masumi and Jo tells Ichiban if he goes through the door, there’s no turning back and Ichiban will have to deal with the consequences. When Jo asks if Ichiban is ready to face the consequences, Ichiban goes “18 years. I’ve been waiting 18 years to open this door.”
There is one problem I have with the sound. Some conversations aren’t fully voiced and there is only a sound here or there from the characters while you read what is going on in the conversation. Is there a reason every conversation and cutscene couldn’t be fully voiced since most of them are, to begin with?
There is a lot to do in his game. If you try to complete everything including all the side missions then you will have a game that will keep you busy for a long time. However, once you complete everything, there is no reason to keep coming back.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon is a lot of fun and it’s easy at first so people who never played a Yakuza game or roleplaying game won’t be discouraged from giving this game a chance. I have no problem with the controls. The story is interesting and even though I’m only in Chapter 7, it hasn’t lost my interest once. There are 14 chapters in the game. I love the graphics in the game. I only have one problem with the sound in the game. Also, I don’t see any replayability once you complete everything. So I give Yakuza: Like A Dragon on the Xbox One 9 out of 10. Yakuza: Like A Dragon is available on many current consoles and you should check out this game if you have a current PlayStation or Xbox. If you have an Xbox One or Xbox Series, you can play this game for free on Game Pass. With the consoles this game is available on, you have no reason to not try this game.
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