Despite releasing back in January in Japan, Sega's Yakuza: Like a Dragon is finally gearing up for the launch of its localization early next month. While the Yakuza series has never been an incredibly successful franchise outside of Japan, it has seen a huge surge in popularity after the release of Yakuza 0 in 2017. While Yakuza 0 acted as a perfect starting point for newcomers to the series in 2017, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is in a very similar position, introducing a new protagonist, new location, and new battle system - changing the game from an action beat-em-up to a turn-based JRPG. Sega has now released another trailer for the game, previewing its English dub, a first for the series since the very first game released in 2006.
Titled "The Quest Begins," the trailer highlights the game's classic JRPG mechanics. Based on classic titles such as Dragon Quest, the game follows Ichiban Kasuga, a down-on-his-luck Yakuza who, upon being released for a 17-year prison sentence, learns that he is wanted by his ex-clan. The trailer highlights some of Yakuza's infamous side activities such as sub-stories, the inclusion of classic Sega arcade games, and the brand new Dragon Kart racing mini-game.
The trailer also includes voice clips from the game's English dub featuring the likes of Star Trek star George Takei alongside Kaiji Tang, Andrew Morgado, Greg Chun, and Elizabeth Maxwell. The game's trailer ends with the big reveal that the game will feature English performances of the franchise's original karaoke songs. These tracks include the memeworthy "Baka Mitai (I've Been a Fool)." The rest of the track list includes "Hell Stew," "Like a Butterfly," "Machine Gun Kill," "Spring Breeze," and " The Future I Dreamed Of."
Yakuza: Like a Dragon's next generation release will be an Xbox Series X timed exclusive, with the PlayStation 5 version releasing 4 months later in March 2021. The game will also release on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with the Xbox One version supporting Microsoft's Smart Deliver service, allowing Xbox One players to receive the Xbox Series X version for free. The PlayStation 4 version will also offer a free upgrade path, but save data will not cross over between consoles like on Microsoft's platforms.
Recent gameplay has revealed that Yakuza: Like a Dragon will perform at 4K and 60 frames-per-second on Sony and Microsoft's new consoles. Sega has also recently revealed that it is planning another live-action film adaptation of the franchise following the success of this year's Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon will release on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on November 10, 2020. The PlayStation 5 version will release on March 2, 2021.