Ever since announcement that longtime series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu will return along with recent star Ichiban Kasuga in Like a Dragon 8, fans have been speculating on how the star power of these two protagonists will affect its gameplay. Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has confirmed that Like a Dragon 8 will retain the turn-based combat of its predecessor, meaning players can expect to take control of Kiryu in a new way as he makes his first appearance as a playable character in this style of gameplay. With Yakuza: Like a Dragon's emphasis on party-building, it's looking like the new direction for the series will shake up combat strategies as players manage the parties of two protagonists.
Fans of the Like a Dragon series are probably familiar with the days of Kiryu being the sole playable character. Things stayed that way until Yakuza 4 shook things up by having four playable characters, and Yakuza 5 upped the ante by having a total of five. Each entry in the series has introduced new and eccentric characters that have culminated with Yakuza: Like a Dragon's cast of playable party members. Now the possibility of having eight playable characters across two parties seems fitting for Like a Dragon 8, and it may give fans the chance to play as their favorite characters once again.
Fan-Favorites Might Return as Party Members for Kiryu
The characters available for Kasuga's party in Yakuza: Like a Dragon tend to fall into traditional RPG archetypes, only translated for a more grounded story. Examples of these archetypes include Nanba acting as the mage, Adachi is like a tank, and Saeko fills the support role. Additional unlockable characters offer more diverse strategies, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon's job system makes these roles a bit less defined than some other RPGs. However, fans can expect Kiryu's party in Like a Dragon 8 to still follow similar archetypes for its members.
There is a large roster of allies that Kiryu could pull from for his party, with one of the most likely characters to be included is his longtime rival Goro Majima, who could take on a rogue archetype with his underhanded fighting style. Taiga Saejima is another likely choice, as he would make a perfect tank for the party with his imposing figure and heavy fists. The last spot deserves to go to Shun Akiyama, who has helped Kiryu on multiple occasions and whose keen intel gained through his connections to the city's homeless population would make him a great support character.
How Managing Two Parties Could Affect Gameplay
Having to manage a roster of characters that spans two parties may seem like a daunting task, especially for players who aren't accustomed to the complex party-building mechanics of other JRPGs. However, the Like a Dragon series is perfectly structured for swapping between playable characters as has been proven by its previous entries. It's likely Like a Dragon 8 will follow Yakuza 0's structure of alternating between characters every couple of chapters. This way, players will have enough time to level up party members and tackle their specific side quests before being whisked off to the other party.
It's also very likely that the two parties will merge at some point in the game, allowing players to freely swap out party members as they see fit. This would require all characters across both parties to be roughly the same level, indicating that both parties will see approximately the same play time. Like a Dragon 8 seems like the biggest game in the franchise to date, and the success or failure of this game hinges on its ability to tell a cohesive story while incorporating such a large roster of playable characters. However, it's clear from its past work that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is up to the task.
Like a Dragon 8 will release in 2024 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.