It may have taken ten months, but Yakuza: Like a Dragon has finally made its way to Western shores. It's the best-looking Yakuza title to date and the first to be available on next-gen systems. PS5 owners will have to wait a little longer before they can sink their teeth into it, but for everybody else, it's a cause for celebration.
The game is bursting at the seams with content and yet somehow manages to avoid feeling too bloated. That's not to say though that Like a Dragon is not without its flaws. At a glance, it may appear to be a huge stride forward for the series, but there are still quite a few things holding it back. It's something of a mixed bag, managing at times to be both pulsating and frustrating in nearly equal measures.
10 Love: The Minigames
The Yakuza series is perhaps best known for its wide range of minigames and side activities. For those looking to indulge in a spot of golf or belt out some karaoke, Like a Dragon is more than willing to provide. It features a ridiculous amount of content that will prolong the experience to no end.
New activities like Dragon Karting and can collecting help to keep the game feeling fresh while returning classics help to maintain a feeling of familiarity. The latter might not seem too important, but given the sweeping changes found in other areas of the game, having something to hold on to can only be a good thing for the fandom.
9 Don't Like: The Combat System
While it's admirable that the team at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio wanted to mix things up a bit, the turn-based combat system can at times feel a little half-baked. While it's true that the combat mechanics found in the Yakuza games of old were beginning to feel a little stale, they were perfectly functional. It feels like a case of the studio reinventing the wheel when all that was needed was a little more air in the tires.
That's not to say that the turn-based combat system in Like a Dragon is without merit. In fact, it is a valiant first attempt. Unfortunately, though, the weight of its numerous flaws is such that the excellently implemented job system just can't carry it. In due time, this system will undoubtedly be polished and refined, however, in its current form, it feels like a big step backward for the series.
8 Love: The Storytelling
Storytelling hasn't always been one of the series' strengths, with some of the past titles relying far too much on exposition. These long-winded conversations still remain in Like a Dragon; if anything, they are a lot more prevalent. Where the game differs from some of the series' weaker entries is that this exposition enhances the narrative rather than simply expanding it.
On the face of it, Ichiban's story may not seem too complicated, but there is depth to it that cannot be expressed through action alone. While Like a Dragon does not reach the same standards as the series' second and third games, nor the more recent Yakuza 0, it still tells an engaging story that, for the most part, is masterfully told.
7 Don't Like: The Difficulty Spikes
Grinding to tackle end game content is par for the course in modern gaming. As frustrating as it may be, it's something that players can choose to ignore if they so wish. If players find themselves in a position where they need to grind in order to progress the main story, then something really isn't right.
Due to the constant barrage of battles, players should be suitably leveled for the vast majority of the game. Upon entering the final third, however, there is a huge spike in difficulty that will lead to many players having to abandon the main story and grind for several hours.
6 Love: The Protagonist
Filling the shoes of Kiryu was always going to be a monumental task. Through sharing in his trials and tribulations, fans of the series have become incredibly attached to him. While Kiryu's narrative arc reached its final destination, the thought of the series continuing in his absence was a daunting one for many. Thankfully, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio found the perfect replacement.
Ichiban may not have the gravitas of Kiryu, but what he lacks in grandeur, he more than makes up for in charisma. Although time-skips are often seen as narrative shortcuts, the use of one to set up Ichiban's journey made him instantly relatable. Watching him coming to terms with being abandoned and his subsequent struggles make him all the more likable.
5 Don't Like: The Repetitive Dungeons
The game's underground dungeons may be a good fit for the new combat system, but their designs and layouts are sadly lacking. Given the series' tendency to recycle old assets, the repetition found in the dungeons will not come as a shock to Yakuza fans. What is surprising, though, is just how much repetition there is in Like a Dragon's dungeons.
This problem is somewhat compounded by the need to grind towards the game's closing stages. Grinding is tedious enough at the best of times, but it becomes downright tiresome when everything looks so similar. Combine this with the mundane combat system and Like a Dragon's finale can leave a really sour taste.
4 Love: The English Dub
It's been a while since a mainline Yakuza game featured an English dub. To be precise, it has been 14 years. Although it's far from perfect, the quality of Like a Dragon's dub is far superior to the one found in the series' first entry. Better still, the option to play the game with the Japanese dub still remains, meaning Western players get the best of both worlds.
While proper localization is great in itself, it also bodes very well for the future of the series in the West. It's a sign that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sega recognize the importance of the Western market and are committed to providing games that cater to them as well as their domestic audience. As long as this doesn't lead to a complete tonal shift somewhere further down the line, it can only be a good thing.
3 Don't Like: The Delay
Although there has always been a market for the Yakuza games in the West, it was not until fairly recently that it grew to a significant size. As a result, the developers are finally starting to take the Western market seriously. This is reflected by the decision to fully localize Like a Dragon, but it is somewhat contradicted by the huge delay in bringing the game to Western shores.
Like a Dragon may have only just released in the West, but it has been available in Japan for ten months. Recording a new dub understandably takes time, but this seems like the sort of thing that could have been happening in parallel with the recording of the Japanese dub. As such, the decision to wait makes it feel like the Western market was an afterthought, which, given its size, seems a little ill-advised.
2 Love: The Supporting Cast
The Yakuza series is full of wacky and loveable characters and Like a Dragon is no different. For as strong a protagonist as Ichiban is, without a complimentary supporting cast, all of the work put into fleshing out his character would have been for nothing. Thankfully, the game duly delivers on this front.
At first glance, the characters may seem like a motley crew of caricatures and stereotypes and, to a certain extent, they are. Thankfully, there's much more to them than first meets the eye, and the wide range of personalities that Ichiban encounters on his journey perfectly complement both him and the general tone of the game itself. They may at times be over the top but that's arguably what makes them great.
1 Don't Like: The Technical Limitations
For a game that's utilizing the tried and tested Dragon Engine and is recycling many of the assets used elsewhere in the series, Like a Dragon doesn't always run as well as it should. In quiet areas, things chug along just fine, but some of the more densely populated parts of the game don't always run smoothly on last-gen systems.
On both the Xbox One and PS4, there is noticeable pop-in in busy areas and occasional stuttering too. These may be things that can be tidied up with a future patch, but given the game has been out for nearly a year in Japan, one suspects that if these issues could be fixed then they would have been resolved already. The load times can also be a little on the long side, but perhaps not quite long enough to cause any real annoyance.