"Once you’re at rock bottom, the only way forward is up.
But the bottom doesn’t have to be all dark and gloomy.
If you can stand and look up, you’ll see the light of hope there."
Esse que foi o game escolhido pela RGG pra um soft reboot na série, trazendo um novo protagonista e mudando assim seu nome no ocidente para "Like a Dragon", determinando uma nova era para a franquia.
Após 15 anos acompanhando a história do Dragão de Dojima é difícil acreditar que teríamos um novo protagonista a altura, mas felizmente Ichiban não deixa a desejar em nenhum aspecto.
Passando o bastão (literalmente ), de lenda para herói, Ichiban Kasuga é um personagem repleto de muito carisma, bom humor e personalidade. Diferentemente de Kiryu que serve de inspiração por ser uma potência inalcançável, Ichiban é aquele protagonista no qual nos identificamos. Um sonhador, o herói viciado em Dragon Quest que junto de seus amigos combatem a vilania de Isezaki Ijincho; com seus trabalhos remunerados é claro.
Falando em combater, diferenciando-se drasticamente de seus antecessores, o game segue utilizando de combates por turno como mecânica de batalha. Aqui também não temos mais posturas e sim empregos, denominados "ocupações". O game é extremamente autêntico no quesito classes, ridiculamente divertido, e foi aqui que vi pela primeira vez em um turn based com botões de interação (como defender ou fortificar o golpe) em meio ao combate. Agora você também não está mais sozinho! O nosso herói conta com a ajuda de sua trupe, que aumenta com o desenrolar da história, sendo a party composta por 4 membros (Ichiban e mais 3) . Apesar de polêmico e arriscado, penso que foi uma mudança saudável para a série, pois define um novo começo para a franquia e facilita a entrada de novos jogadores, principalmente se esse for um amante de JRPG.
Apesar de tais mudanças, o game se mantém fiel às raízes da franquia. A narrativa segue sendo novelão clássico da franquia, com tramas sobre violência, política e desigualdade social, assim como incontáveis reviravoltas. A história é contada de forma lenta, sendo até meio maçante em certos momentos, mas a reta final é faz tudo valer a pena.
A exploração continua excelente também, com alguns minigames novos como:
Corrida das latas - onde você compete com outros catadores de latas para trocar por recompensas;
Dragon Kart - sem mais autoramas! agora você pode correr de verdade em disputa de karts estilo Mario Kart mesmo;
Confeitaria do Ichiban - esse que junto do famigerado minigame do cabaret, se tornou um dos meus favoritos da franquia. Nele você gerencia empresas, isso mesmo, você é simplesmente um CEO onde seu objetivo é gerar lucros e vencer batalhas argumentativas contra acionistas;
Cinema Gaivota - nesse você precisa lutar contra o sono enquanto assiste filmes chatos, apertando os botões que aparecem na tela para acabar com os homens carneiros, mas cuidado, não ataque o homem galinha ele é gente boa!
Exame de proficiência Ounabara - como se não bastasse estudar na vida real, pq não nos jogos de video game também? afinal você precisa aprimorar os status de personalidade do protagonista (copia barata de Persona, shame)
Além desses e outros minigames, acrescentaram métodos de aumentar o relacionamento com seus membros de party. O evento parceiros de copo, onde você troca ideia com seus companheiros enquanto conhece mais sobre a história deles. E claro, eventos de romance também estão presentes.
É importante ressaltar que Like a Dragon é o primeiro da franquia Yakuza a receber uma tradução completa em português! Gratidão eterna, SEGA.
Bom, eu poderia me estender ainda mais pq esse game é incrível, mas vou apenas finalizar com esse convite;
Venha se tornar um caçador Sujimon também, temos que pegar!
But the bottom doesn’t have to be all dark and gloomy.
If you can stand and look up, you’ll see the light of hope there."
Esse que foi o game escolhido pela RGG pra um soft reboot na série, trazendo um novo protagonista e mudando assim seu nome no ocidente para "Like a Dragon", determinando uma nova era para a franquia.
Após 15 anos acompanhando a história do Dragão de Dojima é difícil acreditar que teríamos um novo protagonista a altura, mas felizmente Ichiban não deixa a desejar em nenhum aspecto.
Passando o bastão (literalmente ), de lenda para herói, Ichiban Kasuga é um personagem repleto de muito carisma, bom humor e personalidade. Diferentemente de Kiryu que serve de inspiração por ser uma potência inalcançável, Ichiban é aquele protagonista no qual nos identificamos. Um sonhador, o herói viciado em Dragon Quest que junto de seus amigos combatem a vilania de Isezaki Ijincho; com seus trabalhos remunerados é claro.
Falando em combater, diferenciando-se drasticamente de seus antecessores, o game segue utilizando de combates por turno como mecânica de batalha. Aqui também não temos mais posturas e sim empregos, denominados "ocupações". O game é extremamente autêntico no quesito classes, ridiculamente divertido, e foi aqui que vi pela primeira vez em um turn based com botões de interação (como defender ou fortificar o golpe) em meio ao combate. Agora você também não está mais sozinho! O nosso herói conta com a ajuda de sua trupe, que aumenta com o desenrolar da história, sendo a party composta por 4 membros (Ichiban e mais 3) . Apesar de polêmico e arriscado, penso que foi uma mudança saudável para a série, pois define um novo começo para a franquia e facilita a entrada de novos jogadores, principalmente se esse for um amante de JRPG.
Apesar de tais mudanças, o game se mantém fiel às raízes da franquia. A narrativa segue sendo novelão clássico da franquia, com tramas sobre violência, política e desigualdade social, assim como incontáveis reviravoltas. A história é contada de forma lenta, sendo até meio maçante em certos momentos, mas a reta final é faz tudo valer a pena.
A exploração continua excelente também, com alguns minigames novos como:
Corrida das latas - onde você compete com outros catadores de latas para trocar por recompensas;
Dragon Kart - sem mais autoramas! agora você pode correr de verdade em disputa de karts estilo Mario Kart mesmo;
Confeitaria do Ichiban - esse que junto do famigerado minigame do cabaret, se tornou um dos meus favoritos da franquia. Nele você gerencia empresas, isso mesmo, você é simplesmente um CEO onde seu objetivo é gerar lucros e vencer batalhas argumentativas contra acionistas;
Cinema Gaivota - nesse você precisa lutar contra o sono enquanto assiste filmes chatos, apertando os botões que aparecem na tela para acabar com os homens carneiros, mas cuidado, não ataque o homem galinha ele é gente boa!
Exame de proficiência Ounabara - como se não bastasse estudar na vida real, pq não nos jogos de video game também? afinal você precisa aprimorar os status de personalidade do protagonista (copia barata de Persona, shame)
Além desses e outros minigames, acrescentaram métodos de aumentar o relacionamento com seus membros de party. O evento parceiros de copo, onde você troca ideia com seus companheiros enquanto conhece mais sobre a história deles. E claro, eventos de romance também estão presentes.
É importante ressaltar que Like a Dragon é o primeiro da franquia Yakuza a receber uma tradução completa em português! Gratidão eterna, SEGA.
Bom, eu poderia me estender ainda mais pq esse game é incrível, mas vou apenas finalizar com esse convite;
Venha se tornar um caçador Sujimon também, temos que pegar!
my thoughts on yakuza 7 are incredibly complicated, so as always these are just my raw thoughts. sorry if they don't make any damn sense!
yakuza 7 is a jrpg take on the yakuza/like a dragon series that wears its main inspiration on its sleeve and points out that same sleeve the whole way through. it starts out decently strong and keeps a lighthearted tone, relative to previous games at least. there's a few great moments here and there but it doesn't beat you over the head with them like yakuza 0 did. there's hints that the game is going to hit pretty hard interspersed throughout, but for the most part it plays out like early yakuza games with a found family twist to it.
however, at the end of chapter 12, at one of the most indulgent and silly and fanservicey chapters at that point, the game punches you in the gut and it catches you off guard completely, and i love it to death. chapters 12-15 are easily the most enjoyable moments in the entire franchise thus far for me. i cried as much at those 4 chapters as i did at the entirety of 0. the final cutscenes of this game are easily the most emotionally raw the series has ever been and completely sold me on ichiban as a protagonist and i couldn't be happier that kazuhiro nakaya gets a chance to shine in this series again because he blows it out of the fucking park.
a spectacular performance aside, ichiban is the perfect protagonist for this story. the found family angle and how he relies and loves his friends as opposed to kiryu who, while having allies, would constantly self sacrifice and rush in alone is done so well. this is my favorite main cast of characters in a yakuza game with great antagonists (even if they take a while to shine) and one of my favorite parties in any jrpg i've ever played
in terms of what i didn't like, the music in this game is probably the most lacking an ost in the series has felt for me. i might be alone on that but barely any music stood out to me. it's not that big of a deal to me and i can look past it for sure, but it still is a bit of a let down. the way the game handles the lower rungs of society is also a bit frustrating. homeless people are lauded as hard workers and underdogs, but enemies like the hungry hungry homeless rub me a bit wrong. the main cast being staunch defenders of sex workers is also cool, but they seem to only care if it's survival sex work. nothing too major, but things that just rubbed me the wrong way enough for me to mention.
forgot to mention when i first wrote this review (adding this 2 days after) but yokohama is probably the first new city added in the series since sotenbori that has actually been just as enjoyable to experience and explore as kamurocho. definitely not as boring as some of the yakuza 3/5 locations
all in all, yakuza: like a dragon is a promising reboot to a series i love to death, and with all of the announcements for the series lately, i couldn't have picked a better time to finally finish this entry, and i'm really excited to see what ichiban and his pals get up to next.
yakuza 7 is a jrpg take on the yakuza/like a dragon series that wears its main inspiration on its sleeve and points out that same sleeve the whole way through. it starts out decently strong and keeps a lighthearted tone, relative to previous games at least. there's a few great moments here and there but it doesn't beat you over the head with them like yakuza 0 did. there's hints that the game is going to hit pretty hard interspersed throughout, but for the most part it plays out like early yakuza games with a found family twist to it.
however, at the end of chapter 12, at one of the most indulgent and silly and fanservicey chapters at that point, the game punches you in the gut and it catches you off guard completely, and i love it to death. chapters 12-15 are easily the most enjoyable moments in the entire franchise thus far for me. i cried as much at those 4 chapters as i did at the entirety of 0. the final cutscenes of this game are easily the most emotionally raw the series has ever been and completely sold me on ichiban as a protagonist and i couldn't be happier that kazuhiro nakaya gets a chance to shine in this series again because he blows it out of the fucking park.
a spectacular performance aside, ichiban is the perfect protagonist for this story. the found family angle and how he relies and loves his friends as opposed to kiryu who, while having allies, would constantly self sacrifice and rush in alone is done so well. this is my favorite main cast of characters in a yakuza game with great antagonists (even if they take a while to shine) and one of my favorite parties in any jrpg i've ever played
in terms of what i didn't like, the music in this game is probably the most lacking an ost in the series has felt for me. i might be alone on that but barely any music stood out to me. it's not that big of a deal to me and i can look past it for sure, but it still is a bit of a let down. the way the game handles the lower rungs of society is also a bit frustrating. homeless people are lauded as hard workers and underdogs, but enemies like the hungry hungry homeless rub me a bit wrong. the main cast being staunch defenders of sex workers is also cool, but they seem to only care if it's survival sex work. nothing too major, but things that just rubbed me the wrong way enough for me to mention.
forgot to mention when i first wrote this review (adding this 2 days after) but yokohama is probably the first new city added in the series since sotenbori that has actually been just as enjoyable to experience and explore as kamurocho. definitely not as boring as some of the yakuza 3/5 locations
all in all, yakuza: like a dragon is a promising reboot to a series i love to death, and with all of the announcements for the series lately, i couldn't have picked a better time to finally finish this entry, and i'm really excited to see what ichiban and his pals get up to next.
Yakuza 7 is a great first attempt at an RPG from RGG Studio, but compared to the other games in the series, it is a weak entry. The story is absolutely the best in the entire series here and the combat, while strange as hell to go into when you get off the back of Yakuza 6 or Judgment, is actually enjoyable especially with the way you are rewarded for being fast to attack. It also has some of my favourite boss fights ever, and not just in the Yakuza series. However that's not to say the combat is flawless, as it has some bad balancing where some party members are absolutely broken and some just aren't ever viable once you have the ability to swap out members. There's some weird jank as well where attacking party members can just get stuck on objects and have their positions reset after like 2 minutes of walking into something, this is a common occurrence.
My main gripe with this game, which I'd never think in a million years I'd have with a Yakuza game, is the music. Unlike pretty much all entries, this soundtrack is very forgettable or just downright horrible, and the tracks that are good here are maybe a handful of original tracks, and then tracks this game pulls or remixes from past entries. I don't like the direction this series is going in with electronic music, when it's done well in games like 0, Kiwami etc it is fine, but here it's terrible.
And don't get me started on that random 20 level grind that you have to do in chapter 12.
Overall I enjoyed this game but it is very flawed, and I hope they can fix these gripes I have in the next entry (and Lost Judgment will probably be a million times better because of beat-em-up combat)
My main gripe with this game, which I'd never think in a million years I'd have with a Yakuza game, is the music. Unlike pretty much all entries, this soundtrack is very forgettable or just downright horrible, and the tracks that are good here are maybe a handful of original tracks, and then tracks this game pulls or remixes from past entries. I don't like the direction this series is going in with electronic music, when it's done well in games like 0, Kiwami etc it is fine, but here it's terrible.
And don't get me started on that random 20 level grind that you have to do in chapter 12.
Overall I enjoyed this game but it is very flawed, and I hope they can fix these gripes I have in the next entry (and Lost Judgment will probably be a million times better because of beat-em-up combat)
Schizo hobo adventures. Was worried about this since I don't like turn based games but this absolutely rules.
it's amazing how easy it is to recommend this game to everyone and anyone. this game is absolutely foundational
been a yakuza fan since i was fifteen years old and holy fucking shit it still hits the same if not more. even with all the nostalgia and memories this could honestly be my favorite yakuza game ever and that's saying a lot
this game switches from "HOLY SHIT HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE SO COOL" into serious real yakuza shit into the most tragic and perfect writing ever all on a rotation RGG STUDIOS HOW DO YOU MAKE IT LOOK SO EASYYYY NO ONE DOES IT LIKE YOU
i am on board with EVERYTHING that changed. party and turn based system ? peak and easily better than all the combat systems of its predecessors. the way they turned this into turn based was so fucking genius and way more fun
one of my all time favorite series delivers again i'm so fucking happy i decided to circle around and continue the series 6 years after catching up
in just one game and the start of the "second arc" it shoots up to atleast top2 rgg games THANK YOU RGG
not gonna waste much time im jumping immediately on judgement and lost judgement so i can continue this series
this game switches from "HOLY SHIT HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE SO COOL" into serious real yakuza shit into the most tragic and perfect writing ever all on a rotation RGG STUDIOS HOW DO YOU MAKE IT LOOK SO EASYYYY NO ONE DOES IT LIKE YOU
i am on board with EVERYTHING that changed. party and turn based system ? peak and easily better than all the combat systems of its predecessors. the way they turned this into turn based was so fucking genius and way more fun
one of my all time favorite series delivers again i'm so fucking happy i decided to circle around and continue the series 6 years after catching up
in just one game and the start of the "second arc" it shoots up to atleast top2 rgg games THANK YOU RGG
not gonna waste much time im jumping immediately on judgement and lost judgement so i can continue this series
This is my Paper Mario: Sticker Star moment.
I LOVE the main Yakuza games! I've been binging them throughout the pandemic, and when Like a Dragon came to Game Pass, I decided to skip ahead and see what it was like. The story and characters are absolutely phenomenal, and and side quests are zany as ever.
But this turn based combat? I just cannot get into it.
After about 12 hours with Like a Dragon, I found myself dreading every fight. I just wanted them to be over so I could get back to the rest of the game. And honestly, it's not worth playing through a game if I can't stand a core mechanic.
I'm sorry, Ichiban. Looks like I'm gonna have to hope Judgment has got me covered.
I LOVE the main Yakuza games! I've been binging them throughout the pandemic, and when Like a Dragon came to Game Pass, I decided to skip ahead and see what it was like. The story and characters are absolutely phenomenal, and and side quests are zany as ever.
But this turn based combat? I just cannot get into it.
After about 12 hours with Like a Dragon, I found myself dreading every fight. I just wanted them to be over so I could get back to the rest of the game. And honestly, it's not worth playing through a game if I can't stand a core mechanic.
I'm sorry, Ichiban. Looks like I'm gonna have to hope Judgment has got me covered.
While a dramatic departure from the rest of the Yakuza series in terms of gameplay, almost everything else about Yakuza 7 is the franchise at its absolute peak. It’s not only one of, if not the best entries in the franchise, but it’s also one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played. It’s tremendously addicting in just about every regard, once I started playing it, I had such a difficult time putting it down.
The story is very well told, and I think it’s up there with some of RGG Studios’ best work. The new protagonist, Ichiban, is not only my new favorite Yakuza protagonist, but one of my favorite video game characters of all time. It is impossible to not get swept up into the flames of his kindness, passion and charisma. While I absolutely adore and idolize Kiryu, and he was my favorite character in the series until this point, I was absolutely won over by Ichiban and his grueling journey of losing everything and then crawling his way to the top. I enjoyed the rest of the cast quite a bit as well, but I did find that they all take a backseat to Ichi as far as their involvement in the story goes. This isn’t really a bad thing, just noticeable. Thanks to the Bond system, you do get a chance to learn more about them and get involved with their personal stories on the side. I just prefer it when the party members of a JRPG are more involved with the overall story.
Whether or not you’ll enjoy the combat will hinge entirely on how you feel about JRPGs. If you actively despise turn-based combat, there’s admittedly not much here that will get you to reconsider your feelings for it as it’s mostly pretty standard. Skill attacks require you to either mash a button or press a button at a specific time similar to the Heat actions of old but otherwise it plays like a traditional turn-based JRPG. My only complaint when it comes to the combat is that if the protagonist, Ichiban dies then your game is immediately over, and I absolutely despise it when JRPGs do that. It just makes no sense when you have party members or items that can bring other party members back to life. Normally it's not a huge issue, I rarely found it happening to me, but later in the game there are bosses and certain enemies who have either instant kill attacks, or attacks that can kill a party member if they weren’t at full health already and it's when Ichiban dies during moments like this that make this design choice absolutely infuriating.
My only other complaint about the game is how the game handles enemy encounters. Enemies in the overworld have a wide and far range of vision, especially compared to previous Yakuza games. This makes it easy for them to spot you and difficult as well as annoying to avoid them. I also can’t tell you how many times I’ve defeated a squad of enemies on my way to a destination, only to watch another 5 or 6 dudes literally materialize right in front of me and I’m forced to fight them as well. At the very least, they completely vanish from the map if you successfully run away, but this was still annoying to deal with, especially in Sotenbori, where the streets are so narrow that it's almost impossible to avoid enemy encounters altogether.
Everything else about the game is absolutely top notch. The game has an abundance of different mechanics and systems that all feed back into one another and make for a title that feels like it's constantly rewarding you. This is primarily what makes the game so addicting. I couldn’t put this game down when I started it. I was thoroughly engaged and entertained from beginning to end. Fantastic game.
The story is very well told, and I think it’s up there with some of RGG Studios’ best work. The new protagonist, Ichiban, is not only my new favorite Yakuza protagonist, but one of my favorite video game characters of all time. It is impossible to not get swept up into the flames of his kindness, passion and charisma. While I absolutely adore and idolize Kiryu, and he was my favorite character in the series until this point, I was absolutely won over by Ichiban and his grueling journey of losing everything and then crawling his way to the top. I enjoyed the rest of the cast quite a bit as well, but I did find that they all take a backseat to Ichi as far as their involvement in the story goes. This isn’t really a bad thing, just noticeable. Thanks to the Bond system, you do get a chance to learn more about them and get involved with their personal stories on the side. I just prefer it when the party members of a JRPG are more involved with the overall story.
Whether or not you’ll enjoy the combat will hinge entirely on how you feel about JRPGs. If you actively despise turn-based combat, there’s admittedly not much here that will get you to reconsider your feelings for it as it’s mostly pretty standard. Skill attacks require you to either mash a button or press a button at a specific time similar to the Heat actions of old but otherwise it plays like a traditional turn-based JRPG. My only complaint when it comes to the combat is that if the protagonist, Ichiban dies then your game is immediately over, and I absolutely despise it when JRPGs do that. It just makes no sense when you have party members or items that can bring other party members back to life. Normally it's not a huge issue, I rarely found it happening to me, but later in the game there are bosses and certain enemies who have either instant kill attacks, or attacks that can kill a party member if they weren’t at full health already and it's when Ichiban dies during moments like this that make this design choice absolutely infuriating.
My only other complaint about the game is how the game handles enemy encounters. Enemies in the overworld have a wide and far range of vision, especially compared to previous Yakuza games. This makes it easy for them to spot you and difficult as well as annoying to avoid them. I also can’t tell you how many times I’ve defeated a squad of enemies on my way to a destination, only to watch another 5 or 6 dudes literally materialize right in front of me and I’m forced to fight them as well. At the very least, they completely vanish from the map if you successfully run away, but this was still annoying to deal with, especially in Sotenbori, where the streets are so narrow that it's almost impossible to avoid enemy encounters altogether.
Everything else about the game is absolutely top notch. The game has an abundance of different mechanics and systems that all feed back into one another and make for a title that feels like it's constantly rewarding you. This is primarily what makes the game so addicting. I couldn’t put this game down when I started it. I was thoroughly engaged and entertained from beginning to end. Fantastic game.
Took me 3 years but finally, I have beat it.
Wonderful finale, I really love the turn based combat honestly, there are some things I would change like switching jobs on the fly if you already "learned" it, there are jank with stopping on objects that I'm curious if they'll change how fights work in 8.
What they have here is a solid base for future installments, looking forward to 8 soon!
Wonderful finale, I really love the turn based combat honestly, there are some things I would change like switching jobs on the fly if you already "learned" it, there are jank with stopping on objects that I'm curious if they'll change how fights work in 8.
What they have here is a solid base for future installments, looking forward to 8 soon!
The word "deconstruction" gets thrown around a lot these days. Formally defined as "questioning traditional assumptions about the ability of language to represent reality", it's often used to describe works that seek to criticize a specific genre. I disagree with this use of the word, but less because of the "what" and more because of the "why". I believe deconstruction should be used not only to criticise media, but to use that media's pieces to build something new.
An excellent example of this is one of my favorite films: Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's 2007 action-comedy masterpiece Hot Fuzz. It deconstructs both the contemporary American cop flick and the traditional detective story by flipping classic tropes on their heads. However, all of this is done not out of criticism, but as a way to both pay tribute to those genres and highlight their potential.
In that sense, yes, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a deconstruction of the JRPG. Rather than a teenager killing God, you're a 40-year-old man trying to find a job. But the game is still very much a JRPG: It has all the classic mechanical trappings, numerous references to other games, including multiple explicit mentions of Dragon Quest (and people still compare it to Persona), and yes, it relies on the tried-and-true trope of the power of friendship.
That last one is a major criticism of JRPG's I've seen from certain online sources, and I feel Like a Dragon does everything in its power to embrace it. Everything from the combat to the substories to the summons to the incredibly complex management minigame revolves around helping others. There's a major mechanic that involves spending time with your friends and helping them work out their personal issues (alright, it's a little like Persona). A lot of the strongest attacks in the game involve working with your other party members.
But more than anything else, Yakuza: Like a Dragon embraces the theme of friendship through its story, especially through its protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga. He's someone who spent most of his life at "rock bottom", and gets dragged through the mud on a regular basis, often by powers much greater than him. But he gets out through a power even greater than that: the people he can count on. Everyone who supports him, from his party members to the most insignificant NPC, makes his journey just a little bit easier. Even in his darkest times, Ichiban can still bounce back to his infectious optimism thanks in no small part to the support he gives to and recieves from the people around him.
Of course, the game still isn't perfect. While it's an amazing first attempt at a JRPG, you can also tell it's a first attempt. Dungeons are a slog and sometimes combat is too (you didn't have to borrow everything from Dragon Quest, guys). Job systems are fun, but the lack of ability mixing combined with not being able to switch on the fly means there's very little reason to experiment. Also, there are some pretty nasty difficulty spikes near the very end. I get why they're there, but I would've appreciated a little warning.
Despite all my criticisms, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is still an excellent game with a wonderful story and the best deconstruction ever made of the JRPG. Suck it, Undertale.
An excellent example of this is one of my favorite films: Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's 2007 action-comedy masterpiece Hot Fuzz. It deconstructs both the contemporary American cop flick and the traditional detective story by flipping classic tropes on their heads. However, all of this is done not out of criticism, but as a way to both pay tribute to those genres and highlight their potential.
In that sense, yes, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a deconstruction of the JRPG. Rather than a teenager killing God, you're a 40-year-old man trying to find a job. But the game is still very much a JRPG: It has all the classic mechanical trappings, numerous references to other games, including multiple explicit mentions of Dragon Quest (and people still compare it to Persona), and yes, it relies on the tried-and-true trope of the power of friendship.
That last one is a major criticism of JRPG's I've seen from certain online sources, and I feel Like a Dragon does everything in its power to embrace it. Everything from the combat to the substories to the summons to the incredibly complex management minigame revolves around helping others. There's a major mechanic that involves spending time with your friends and helping them work out their personal issues (alright, it's a little like Persona). A lot of the strongest attacks in the game involve working with your other party members.
But more than anything else, Yakuza: Like a Dragon embraces the theme of friendship through its story, especially through its protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga. He's someone who spent most of his life at "rock bottom", and gets dragged through the mud on a regular basis, often by powers much greater than him. But he gets out through a power even greater than that: the people he can count on. Everyone who supports him, from his party members to the most insignificant NPC, makes his journey just a little bit easier. Even in his darkest times, Ichiban can still bounce back to his infectious optimism thanks in no small part to the support he gives to and recieves from the people around him.
Of course, the game still isn't perfect. While it's an amazing first attempt at a JRPG, you can also tell it's a first attempt. Dungeons are a slog and sometimes combat is too (you didn't have to borrow everything from Dragon Quest, guys). Job systems are fun, but the lack of ability mixing combined with not being able to switch on the fly means there's very little reason to experiment. Also, there are some pretty nasty difficulty spikes near the very end. I get why they're there, but I would've appreciated a little warning.
Despite all my criticisms, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is still an excellent game with a wonderful story and the best deconstruction ever made of the JRPG. Suck it, Undertale.
This review contains spoilers
Yakuza: Like a Dragon: A fresh spin on a formula that never gets old.
Yakuza: LIke a Dragon is the 8th mainline game in the coveted RGG series, but instead follows a new protagonist: Ichiban Kasuga. And over the course of 40-60 hours, you'll learn that Ichiban is just as good of a main character as Kiryu was.
Despite being a completely new genre of gameplay while also lacking a lot of the familiar faces we are used to, Yakuza: Like a Dragon has to be one of my favorite RGG games to date.
Story:
The story follows Ichiban trying to get into contact with his former boss Masumi Arakawa, who saved his life when he was 16, and spent 20 years in prison for the sake of his "family." (only to find out 20 years later that Masumi joined the Omi Alliance from the Tojo Clan)
The storytelling is as good as every other Yakuza game. A plot interesting enough to keep you on your seat and finding out more. RGG never misses with the classic "something happened during timeskip which is now tied to some big grand scheme to destroy the world", and it will never get old in my opinion.
What makes this game even better are the characters. Every character--side, playable, extra--are all lovable, popular, and fleshed out. Every single character that is involved in the story aren't flat and all have their own complexities. Each character involved in the story has a motivation and a reason for why they do what they do, and that is something that previous games have lacked.
It also helps that since this is a JRPG, Ichiban has a party of people that are essentially with him 24/7. This means that the members in Ichiban's party are involved in the story at pretty much every point. It's a cheat code to developing characters, and it also makes it easier to integrate subplots for character development into the main story like they did with Nanba.
Let's talk about Ichiban.
Ichiban encapsulates the vibe of RGG games. He tackles some of the most serious business, while still managing to find an opportunity to be silly. His addiction to Dragon Quest captures this very well.
We also know that behind this happy-go-lucky front, he is a very compassionate and caring individual who will go to no ends to help people who he considers family. Ichiban is the type of guy to help people because he loves them, not because of an ulterior motive like most Yakuza. The complexities behind Ichiban's character is what propels this game to be next level and on-par with other games in this series.
Gameplay:
I will give the gameplay some major slack since it's the first JRPG for this series. If the gameplay wasn't somewhat flawed, this would easily be a 5/5.
LaD fell under the JRPG trap of pretty one-dimensional enemies and strategy. Trash mobs were one shot fodder while bosses had no gimmicks other than "i have a lot of hp and do more than one action per turn." Because of this, the game became more of a number battle rather than strategic warfare. The game artificially creates difficulty by making bosses longer to kill, not harder.
Alongside that, Yokohama is FUCKING MASSIVE. I would say Yokohama is like 3 Kamurochos large, and Kamurocho is already big enough. What makes RGG distinctive and arguably better than other open world exploration games is that all the content is packed inside a walkable city. Open World games like GTA and Zelda suffer from the fact that they are making Open Worlds for the sake of Open Worlds, when in reality you can condense all the content into one, compact area. Yokohama is a great city, but it would be great if the size of the city itself was cut down to about 1/3 or 1/2 of its size in this game.
For a JRPG, the dungeon crawling in this game is... mediocre at best. It's boring as shit. It also doesn't help that the music in the dungeon is the same 5 second chime on a loop. And because of that, grinding in dungeons makes me wanna gouge my eyes.
The grinding in this game is not anything too unusual, though if you're attempting to plat the game, good luck trying to get max job level LOL that shit will take you 20-30 hours minimum.
Conclusion:
If people don't want to play 7 games to get started in RGG games, LaD is an entry that I would put alongside 0 for people to try. They're both games that are great by themselves, and even better for returning fans of the series.
The storytelling and characterization in this game is second to none in my opinion, but with it being the first JRPG series, there are bound to be some flaws and traps the developers fall into in terms of gameplay.
4.5/5
(80 hours played)
Yakuza: LIke a Dragon is the 8th mainline game in the coveted RGG series, but instead follows a new protagonist: Ichiban Kasuga. And over the course of 40-60 hours, you'll learn that Ichiban is just as good of a main character as Kiryu was.
Despite being a completely new genre of gameplay while also lacking a lot of the familiar faces we are used to, Yakuza: Like a Dragon has to be one of my favorite RGG games to date.
Story:
The story follows Ichiban trying to get into contact with his former boss Masumi Arakawa, who saved his life when he was 16, and spent 20 years in prison for the sake of his "family." (only to find out 20 years later that Masumi joined the Omi Alliance from the Tojo Clan)
The storytelling is as good as every other Yakuza game. A plot interesting enough to keep you on your seat and finding out more. RGG never misses with the classic "something happened during timeskip which is now tied to some big grand scheme to destroy the world", and it will never get old in my opinion.
What makes this game even better are the characters. Every character--side, playable, extra--are all lovable, popular, and fleshed out. Every single character that is involved in the story aren't flat and all have their own complexities. Each character involved in the story has a motivation and a reason for why they do what they do, and that is something that previous games have lacked.
It also helps that since this is a JRPG, Ichiban has a party of people that are essentially with him 24/7. This means that the members in Ichiban's party are involved in the story at pretty much every point. It's a cheat code to developing characters, and it also makes it easier to integrate subplots for character development into the main story like they did with Nanba.
Let's talk about Ichiban.
Ichiban encapsulates the vibe of RGG games. He tackles some of the most serious business, while still managing to find an opportunity to be silly. His addiction to Dragon Quest captures this very well.
We also know that behind this happy-go-lucky front, he is a very compassionate and caring individual who will go to no ends to help people who he considers family. Ichiban is the type of guy to help people because he loves them, not because of an ulterior motive like most Yakuza. The complexities behind Ichiban's character is what propels this game to be next level and on-par with other games in this series.
Gameplay:
I will give the gameplay some major slack since it's the first JRPG for this series. If the gameplay wasn't somewhat flawed, this would easily be a 5/5.
LaD fell under the JRPG trap of pretty one-dimensional enemies and strategy. Trash mobs were one shot fodder while bosses had no gimmicks other than "i have a lot of hp and do more than one action per turn." Because of this, the game became more of a number battle rather than strategic warfare. The game artificially creates difficulty by making bosses longer to kill, not harder.
Alongside that, Yokohama is FUCKING MASSIVE. I would say Yokohama is like 3 Kamurochos large, and Kamurocho is already big enough. What makes RGG distinctive and arguably better than other open world exploration games is that all the content is packed inside a walkable city. Open World games like GTA and Zelda suffer from the fact that they are making Open Worlds for the sake of Open Worlds, when in reality you can condense all the content into one, compact area. Yokohama is a great city, but it would be great if the size of the city itself was cut down to about 1/3 or 1/2 of its size in this game.
For a JRPG, the dungeon crawling in this game is... mediocre at best. It's boring as shit. It also doesn't help that the music in the dungeon is the same 5 second chime on a loop. And because of that, grinding in dungeons makes me wanna gouge my eyes.
The grinding in this game is not anything too unusual, though if you're attempting to plat the game, good luck trying to get max job level LOL that shit will take you 20-30 hours minimum.
Conclusion:
If people don't want to play 7 games to get started in RGG games, LaD is an entry that I would put alongside 0 for people to try. They're both games that are great by themselves, and even better for returning fans of the series.
The storytelling and characterization in this game is second to none in my opinion, but with it being the first JRPG series, there are bound to be some flaws and traps the developers fall into in terms of gameplay.
4.5/5
(80 hours played)
It’s hard to believe that this is the first JRPG entry in an action beat-em-up franchise with 7 previous entries, but now it’s hard to imagine anything else. The Yakuza series just works so well as a turn-based RPG and while the combat isn’t perfect, this game's wackiness and absurdity makes up for it. I mean what other game can I attack someone with a fucking laser from outer space?
But as goofy as this game gets, it’s never afraid to get personal and make you care about these amazing characters. I just absolutely adore this cast and Ichiban is the perfect protagonist. Ichiban had some pretty big fucking shoes to fill and he is on the same level, if not better, than Kiryu. Which just makes me even more excited for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth coming later this month. They will be unstoppable.
But as goofy as this game gets, it’s never afraid to get personal and make you care about these amazing characters. I just absolutely adore this cast and Ichiban is the perfect protagonist. Ichiban had some pretty big fucking shoes to fill and he is on the same level, if not better, than Kiryu. Which just makes me even more excited for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth coming later this month. They will be unstoppable.
Ichiban really is the perfect protagonist to succeed Kiryu and potentially even surpass him. Easily has the best gameplay in the franchise too
This review contains spoilers
An old friend tried out a new cake recipe for me after I complained that the one he'd been making every year for a decade was getting a bit repetitive. It was a bit raw on the inside, and he got the measurements totally wrong, so I ended up eating so much of it that I felt a bit sick, but it was made with love, and I was still grateful that my friend tried something new for me.
The JRPG combat in this is essentially a paradox. It's simultaneously the bedrock of the game and also feels completely unnecessary. It's the lynchpin of Ichi's character - a representation his fantastical, idealistic, manchildish imagination, and also serves as a way to mark out his friendship-collecting character and all the other ways he differs from Kazuma Kiryu... But it also kills any and all momentum the game tries to build, especially in its back half. I really, really just wanted to raw punch bad people. Especially Ryo Aoki.
The "grind your ass off to face a legend" trick was a nice wee bit of fun and a respectful nod to the RGG legacy the first time they tried it with Majima, but then immediately following it up with the exact same thing for Kiryu felt like a stupid jerkoff. Narratively, the game was hurtling towards one of the biggest climaxes in its history; gameplay-wise, I was spending hours upon hours going between kushikatsu restaurants and Pokemon battle arenas to collect gemstones so I could make my telephone nunchucks do ice damage, which is apparently the Dragon of Dojima's one weakness.
Kiryu's presence in the game is something of a sticking point for me. I didn't bother playing Yakuza 6 because the "this time he's REALLY not coming back!" promises rang hollow, and Yakuza 7 feels like something of a validation of my decision. I get that they wanted to have Kiryu (almost literally) pass the torch to Ichi, but there's something hollow about having Kiryu go "Okay, I guess YOU are LIKE a DRAGON, TOO!" after a boss battle where I turtled out his neutered combos with poison damage and paid summons. Why not give us a crumb of the legend with Majima and Saejima in this game, then give Kiryu a meatier role in a subsequent entry? Now RGG Studio have set a worrying precedent for the Former Dragon to come back in a walk-on role for every game, no doubt sporting sillier and sillier disguises to maintain this ridiculous pretence of him being dead. 72 year old Kiryu wearing a top hat and moustache to talk to the chief of police in Yakuza X, please.
Anyway, I feel like I'm ragging a little too hard on what is mostly a very good game. The opening hours of this are among the best narratives these games have ever attempted - which, by extension, means Yakuza 7 is among the best story-driven games ever made. I just wish the game didn't graduate from explorations of poverty, homelessness and sex work into more Yakuza-By-Numbers storytelling that I could find on just about any Battles Without Honour or Humanity DVD (a critical flaw of the series that doesn't just apply to this latest entry - Yakuza 0 and 3 were particularly guilty of this too).
Woops, I slipped into ragging on the game again! Gahhhh!! I really do like these games a lot! I've collectively spent about 500 hours playing them, and they are really fun! I only want the best for this series! Please, forgive me!! cuts off pinky
The JRPG combat in this is essentially a paradox. It's simultaneously the bedrock of the game and also feels completely unnecessary. It's the lynchpin of Ichi's character - a representation his fantastical, idealistic, manchildish imagination, and also serves as a way to mark out his friendship-collecting character and all the other ways he differs from Kazuma Kiryu... But it also kills any and all momentum the game tries to build, especially in its back half. I really, really just wanted to raw punch bad people. Especially Ryo Aoki.
The "grind your ass off to face a legend" trick was a nice wee bit of fun and a respectful nod to the RGG legacy the first time they tried it with Majima, but then immediately following it up with the exact same thing for Kiryu felt like a stupid jerkoff. Narratively, the game was hurtling towards one of the biggest climaxes in its history; gameplay-wise, I was spending hours upon hours going between kushikatsu restaurants and Pokemon battle arenas to collect gemstones so I could make my telephone nunchucks do ice damage, which is apparently the Dragon of Dojima's one weakness.
Kiryu's presence in the game is something of a sticking point for me. I didn't bother playing Yakuza 6 because the "this time he's REALLY not coming back!" promises rang hollow, and Yakuza 7 feels like something of a validation of my decision. I get that they wanted to have Kiryu (almost literally) pass the torch to Ichi, but there's something hollow about having Kiryu go "Okay, I guess YOU are LIKE a DRAGON, TOO!" after a boss battle where I turtled out his neutered combos with poison damage and paid summons. Why not give us a crumb of the legend with Majima and Saejima in this game, then give Kiryu a meatier role in a subsequent entry? Now RGG Studio have set a worrying precedent for the Former Dragon to come back in a walk-on role for every game, no doubt sporting sillier and sillier disguises to maintain this ridiculous pretence of him being dead. 72 year old Kiryu wearing a top hat and moustache to talk to the chief of police in Yakuza X, please.
Anyway, I feel like I'm ragging a little too hard on what is mostly a very good game. The opening hours of this are among the best narratives these games have ever attempted - which, by extension, means Yakuza 7 is among the best story-driven games ever made. I just wish the game didn't graduate from explorations of poverty, homelessness and sex work into more Yakuza-By-Numbers storytelling that I could find on just about any Battles Without Honour or Humanity DVD (a critical flaw of the series that doesn't just apply to this latest entry - Yakuza 0 and 3 were particularly guilty of this too).
Woops, I slipped into ragging on the game again! Gahhhh!! I really do like these games a lot! I've collectively spent about 500 hours playing them, and they are really fun! I only want the best for this series! Please, forgive me!! cuts off pinky
Al grano: en lo referente a narrativa, el juego es nefasto. Plantea situaciones de pretendida importancia que aparca u olvida a conveniencia, expele tufo a machonería shonenesca (y no tan shonenesca) y es tan desvergonzadamente manipulador (en su blanqueo de la delincuencia) que ni el tono animesco consigue desviar mi indignación al respecto, sinsentidos e hipérboles aparte. El juego defiende las zonas grises, pero opera bajo una filosofía de blancos y negros. Lo demás ya lo sabéis: protagonista pluscuamperfecto solucionando problemas hipercomplicados a puñetazos, el enfoque que llores y te empalmes. Y muchos, muchos giros absurdos en la trama. Vamos, un Yakuza. Y no, su prota no es el personaje imperfecto que se ha dicho, sino una versión desenfadada de Kiryu: ahora bromea y bromean con él, pero siempre tiene claro lo que quiere hacer y lo hace, siempre es justo, nunca comete errores y por ser más fuerte que los demás vencerá todas las veces. Sí, otro Goku, pelacos inclusive y ahora con un dragón a la espalda. Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Like Dragon Quest (por el RPG), pero también like Dragon Ball (por el shonen juvenil pasado de rosca).
Pero es que ni siquiera es eso. Podría tolerar, de verdad que sí, si sus mecanismos no fuesen de baratillo. Like a Dragon es la clase de historia que interviene a través de sus personajes. Los usa como altavoz de aquello que los desarrolladores quieren decirnos, directa y a veces casi explícitamente. Piensan en voz alta, gritan lo que sienten para forzar una emoción que no alcanzan los sucesos y explican cada nuevo acontecimiento para que hasta el jugador menos atento no se pierda. Vamos, que los personajes exponen lo que el juego es incapaz de expresar. El título te dice lo que debes sentir, en imperativo, consiguiendo que (yo) lo sienta menos. Y esa distancia entre lo pretendido y lo logrado, al menos en mí, genera un efecto de incomodidad que a veces, en sus momentos más melodramáticos, alcanza la vergüenza ajena.
Volví a Yakuza tras mi experiencia negativa con Zero a ver si los cambios de Like a Dragon (nuevo protagonista, aventura en grupo, sistema RPG) suponían la redención y vuelta a empezar que su argumento reencarnador sugería. Algo de eso encontré: el combate por turnos expande las posibilidades cómicas y tácticas del título, y gracias a la cantidad de posibles premios (experiencia, ítems, equipamiento, ayudas en batalla, etc.) que trae la transición a RPG la ciudad llama a ser explorada más que antes. Pero, a grandes rasgos, la cosa sigue igual.
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Adoro el sentido del humor y el mimo al contenido opcional de Yakuza. La relevancia de las pequeñas cosas, siempre las más locas y divertidas, como si la vida fuese para disfrutarla y pasarlo bien, donde y cuando sea, aprovechando cada momento y situación aparentemente intrascendentes. Los curradísimos karaokes, las sesiones de cine, misiones secundarias con personajes tan estrafalarios como entrañables. Cada rincón con suma atención al detalle, cinemáticas incluidas. Sí, la vida son las pequeñas cosas. Es, sin duda, lo mejor de estos juegos. ¡Y Yakuza: Like a Dragon es el Yakuza que más empeño pone en hacer reír! Lo que pasa es que reír, lamentablemente, es parte accesoria en estos juegos. Puede que la risa sea su corazón, pero a efectos prácticos está adherida a una genérica y mediocre estructura dramática que es su esqueleto. Es el drama lo que mueve la trama, apareciendo el sentido del humor aquí y allá pero quedando mayormente relegado a lo opcional o colindante. Reír en Yakuza es misión secundaria, su humor contenido opcional.
Y uno puede pensar: ¿cuál es el problema? Una vueltecilla por la ciudad para echarnos unas risas hasta que toque ponerse serios de nuevo ¿no? Solo que, en estos juegos, nunca quiero que llegue el momento de ponerse serios, porque sé lo que me espera. Sé el shonen prototípico por el que tengo que pasar. Esos diálogos, esa conocida vergüenza ajena. Pero es lo que se me exige para avanzar, lo que me ofrecen sus historias. Son dos mitades conviviendo: drama y comedia. Juntas pero no unidas. Una de ellas, la primordial y obligatoria, execrable.
Pero es que ni siquiera es eso. Podría tolerar, de verdad que sí, si sus mecanismos no fuesen de baratillo. Like a Dragon es la clase de historia que interviene a través de sus personajes. Los usa como altavoz de aquello que los desarrolladores quieren decirnos, directa y a veces casi explícitamente. Piensan en voz alta, gritan lo que sienten para forzar una emoción que no alcanzan los sucesos y explican cada nuevo acontecimiento para que hasta el jugador menos atento no se pierda. Vamos, que los personajes exponen lo que el juego es incapaz de expresar. El título te dice lo que debes sentir, en imperativo, consiguiendo que (yo) lo sienta menos. Y esa distancia entre lo pretendido y lo logrado, al menos en mí, genera un efecto de incomodidad que a veces, en sus momentos más melodramáticos, alcanza la vergüenza ajena.
Volví a Yakuza tras mi experiencia negativa con Zero a ver si los cambios de Like a Dragon (nuevo protagonista, aventura en grupo, sistema RPG) suponían la redención y vuelta a empezar que su argumento reencarnador sugería. Algo de eso encontré: el combate por turnos expande las posibilidades cómicas y tácticas del título, y gracias a la cantidad de posibles premios (experiencia, ítems, equipamiento, ayudas en batalla, etc.) que trae la transición a RPG la ciudad llama a ser explorada más que antes. Pero, a grandes rasgos, la cosa sigue igual.
-----
Adoro el sentido del humor y el mimo al contenido opcional de Yakuza. La relevancia de las pequeñas cosas, siempre las más locas y divertidas, como si la vida fuese para disfrutarla y pasarlo bien, donde y cuando sea, aprovechando cada momento y situación aparentemente intrascendentes. Los curradísimos karaokes, las sesiones de cine, misiones secundarias con personajes tan estrafalarios como entrañables. Cada rincón con suma atención al detalle, cinemáticas incluidas. Sí, la vida son las pequeñas cosas. Es, sin duda, lo mejor de estos juegos. ¡Y Yakuza: Like a Dragon es el Yakuza que más empeño pone en hacer reír! Lo que pasa es que reír, lamentablemente, es parte accesoria en estos juegos. Puede que la risa sea su corazón, pero a efectos prácticos está adherida a una genérica y mediocre estructura dramática que es su esqueleto. Es el drama lo que mueve la trama, apareciendo el sentido del humor aquí y allá pero quedando mayormente relegado a lo opcional o colindante. Reír en Yakuza es misión secundaria, su humor contenido opcional.
Y uno puede pensar: ¿cuál es el problema? Una vueltecilla por la ciudad para echarnos unas risas hasta que toque ponerse serios de nuevo ¿no? Solo que, en estos juegos, nunca quiero que llegue el momento de ponerse serios, porque sé lo que me espera. Sé el shonen prototípico por el que tengo que pasar. Esos diálogos, esa conocida vergüenza ajena. Pero es lo que se me exige para avanzar, lo que me ofrecen sus historias. Son dos mitades conviviendo: drama y comedia. Juntas pero no unidas. Una de ellas, la primordial y obligatoria, execrable.
Very nice story tbh
Also Adachi is best boy
Also Adachi is best boy
It has a funny chicken.
The suggestion to grind at the Sotenbori arena wasn't a suggestion, it was a threat.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (also commonly known as Yakuza 7) is easily at its best when it covers the simple, endearing, and legitimately heartfelt themes of family and friendship, Ichiban's personal life story, and his relationships with his closest relatives, like Jo Sawashiro, Masumi and Masato Arakawa, and hell I'd say Ichi himself is one of my favorite RGG protags alongside idk Yagami, Kaito, or Shinada, albeit he's a bit too hyperactive for my tastes, and relies a bit too much on "quirky gamer references" (futaba sakura moment) and that keeps him a bit lower than these three.
But, it's easily at its worst when it does the usual conventional but needlessly convoluted and arguably ridiculous Yakuza plots we've all come to know which starts happening around chapter 7, when more and more stuff starts getting revealed, like the counterfeit money schemes, the betrayals, the needless withholding of information (looking at YOU Seonhee lmfao), the unnecessary deaths, the stupid yakuza world politics, clan wars, ridiculously huge criminal plots, and of course fucking Mirror Face, the plot device of all plot devices :skull:
Other than that, I'd say a majority of the protagonists and antagonists except Ichiban himself, his closest relatives. and the very first members of your party, those being Adachi and Nanba, aren't really all that deep or fleshed out in the long run (a few of them being Ishioda, Eri, and god forbid Seonhee, as she has practically zero personality besides being "great value" Ada Wong with a K-pop filter slapped on top), and the Drink Links (Social Links in RGG language) don't do enough to amend the issue (except for Han's which contains very crucial lore about his character), and the RPG gameplay is pretty barebones compared to the other big JRPG games out, like Persona, Dragon Quest, or even the earlier Final Fantasy titles, but it still feels like there's effort put into the whole package; as it's still relatively fun, and requires quite a bit of thought and strategy put into it (excluding some boss fights which are just spamming your best moves until they die) That, and I can excuse a lot of it, seeing as it's still their first turn-based RPG game, so they'll most definitely polish it up in Yakuza 8.
But, it's easily at its worst when it does the usual conventional but needlessly convoluted and arguably ridiculous Yakuza plots we've all come to know which starts happening around chapter 7, when more and more stuff starts getting revealed, like the counterfeit money schemes, the betrayals, the needless withholding of information (looking at YOU Seonhee lmfao), the unnecessary deaths, the stupid yakuza world politics, clan wars, ridiculously huge criminal plots, and of course fucking Mirror Face, the plot device of all plot devices :skull:
Other than that, I'd say a majority of the protagonists and antagonists except Ichiban himself, his closest relatives. and the very first members of your party, those being Adachi and Nanba, aren't really all that deep or fleshed out in the long run (a few of them being Ishioda, Eri, and god forbid Seonhee, as she has practically zero personality besides being "great value" Ada Wong with a K-pop filter slapped on top), and the Drink Links (Social Links in RGG language) don't do enough to amend the issue (except for Han's which contains very crucial lore about his character), and the RPG gameplay is pretty barebones compared to the other big JRPG games out, like Persona, Dragon Quest, or even the earlier Final Fantasy titles, but it still feels like there's effort put into the whole package; as it's still relatively fun, and requires quite a bit of thought and strategy put into it (excluding some boss fights which are just spamming your best moves until they die) That, and I can excuse a lot of it, seeing as it's still their first turn-based RPG game, so they'll most definitely polish it up in Yakuza 8.
One of the best JRPGs I’ve played and a great entry point to the franchise. Story was amazing, gameplay was great and side content was fantastic. Very unique and experimental compared to most JRPGs but it worked amazingly. Can’t decide between a 9 or 10 for this so I’m just going to say it’s a 9.5 for rn.
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FUCK
FUCK
The good things outweigh the bad ones.
Story-wise, definitely in the top 3, at least.
Ichiban is a very well-written character, you'll get everything you need to know about him in only one game. With only ONE game, you can love him as much as you love Kiryu, which is INSANE.
RGG Studio went nuts with the motion capture and things like that and combined with Ichiban's VA, they reached an unprecedented level of immersion in the franchise.
The other characters and your friends are also very likable.
The plot is pure yakuza juice, but a LOT more emotional.
The "bad things" that I referred to before are the changes in the combat system and the overall tone of the game.
Even though I liked the dubstep/electronic soundtrack of this one, I REALLY miss the rock ones, from the previous games. This is justifiable, cuz the game now is a lot more goofy than epic and serious, as it was before. With Ichiban as a protagonist, this makes total sense, but I miss it nonetheless.
The other main bad thing is turn-based combat. Not gonna take long here, but I really suck at those games, and part of the reason is that I'll always prefer to spend time trying to hone my motor skills and being mechanically better at the game, instead of doing repetitive tasks over and over again, to level up my character, get better gear, powers and such just to have a fight that is practically the same as the very first fight that I fought at the beginning of the game. For me, it's an artificial way of progression.
Though in the end, I think that this is personal, and it's not fair to judge the game through this specific view.
Even though I HATE grinding, I've managed to have an EXCELLENT time with this one.
I still think they should have at least made the game a "main spinoff" or something like this, cuz using the name of a franchise with like 15 games and 15 years of story in an ALMOST completely different game, fells off, but again, I can more or less understand why they went this way.
Even though ~Yakuza~ Like a Dragon 8 will be another turn-based JRPG with probably lots of grinding, I still look forward to it.
Yakuza/LaD gave me an incredible journey through the past 2 years, and I can only be grateful for it, but for now, it's time to rest.
Story-wise, definitely in the top 3, at least.
Ichiban is a very well-written character, you'll get everything you need to know about him in only one game. With only ONE game, you can love him as much as you love Kiryu, which is INSANE.
RGG Studio went nuts with the motion capture and things like that and combined with Ichiban's VA, they reached an unprecedented level of immersion in the franchise.
The other characters and your friends are also very likable.
The plot is pure yakuza juice, but a LOT more emotional.
The "bad things" that I referred to before are the changes in the combat system and the overall tone of the game.
Even though I liked the dubstep/electronic soundtrack of this one, I REALLY miss the rock ones, from the previous games. This is justifiable, cuz the game now is a lot more goofy than epic and serious, as it was before. With Ichiban as a protagonist, this makes total sense, but I miss it nonetheless.
The other main bad thing is turn-based combat. Not gonna take long here, but I really suck at those games, and part of the reason is that I'll always prefer to spend time trying to hone my motor skills and being mechanically better at the game, instead of doing repetitive tasks over and over again, to level up my character, get better gear, powers and such just to have a fight that is practically the same as the very first fight that I fought at the beginning of the game. For me, it's an artificial way of progression.
Though in the end, I think that this is personal, and it's not fair to judge the game through this specific view.
Even though I HATE grinding, I've managed to have an EXCELLENT time with this one.
I still think they should have at least made the game a "main spinoff" or something like this, cuz using the name of a franchise with like 15 games and 15 years of story in an ALMOST completely different game, fells off, but again, I can more or less understand why they went this way.
Even though ~Yakuza~ Like a Dragon 8 will be another turn-based JRPG with probably lots of grinding, I still look forward to it.
Yakuza/LaD gave me an incredible journey through the past 2 years, and I can only be grateful for it, but for now, it's time to rest.
I recommend playing with time and willingness to read, it's worth it.
Turn-based combat works super well and the story changes anyone's life for the better.
I’m currently at Chapter 12, 40 Hours in, I have enjoyed my time with the game more than I ever expected to, but life and work got on the way, and the game is gonna get out of PS Plus Extra on the 19th. Even if I try to rush whats left of the game by then, I want to focus on enjoying it first and foremost without pressure, and so I will put it on hold until it goes on a sale again 🫡
This is easily my favorite Sega game and one of the best games to release in the past few years.
The story was a little slow at parts and required a lot of grinding in late game but the gameplay was fun, the story was serious yet funny in a charming way, it has a nice class system, nice mini games, and hits the emotions hard. It's truly a legendary adventure that is both similar to and different from everything it's based on.
I really loved all the references to other games. As someone who's favorite series is Dragon Quest it was very exciting to see it referenced a lot. Pokémon and other turn based RPGs got referenced in cool ways too. The references never felt out of place or wall breaking. It feels like they blend into this game's world well.
This is my first Yakuza game so I can't really judge it comparatively to the rest of the series but I know it was a beat em up before so this change is very drastic. I can definitely understand why some older fans would be upset. Personally this game style is perfect for me and I encourage anyone who likes turn based RPGs to try this. I really hope to see a direct sequel that not only continues but improved upon what this game established.
The story was a little slow at parts and required a lot of grinding in late game but the gameplay was fun, the story was serious yet funny in a charming way, it has a nice class system, nice mini games, and hits the emotions hard. It's truly a legendary adventure that is both similar to and different from everything it's based on.
I really loved all the references to other games. As someone who's favorite series is Dragon Quest it was very exciting to see it referenced a lot. Pokémon and other turn based RPGs got referenced in cool ways too. The references never felt out of place or wall breaking. It feels like they blend into this game's world well.
This is my first Yakuza game so I can't really judge it comparatively to the rest of the series but I know it was a beat em up before so this change is very drastic. I can definitely understand why some older fans would be upset. Personally this game style is perfect for me and I encourage anyone who likes turn based RPGs to try this. I really hope to see a direct sequel that not only continues but improved upon what this game established.
Amazing game, the combat is amazing, the story is amazing, the characters are amazing. Just amazing, not without its flaws but nothing that really ruins the game.
A tenacious and beseeching defense for childlike creativity and the necessity of cherishing wonder in growth. In typical RGG fashion, Like A Dragon attempts to favorably honor the yakuza as an institution, and this time around with a charming new face for fans to get reattached to. Perhaps this job is done too quickly with how strikingly likable Ichiban is, and proof of this is found when we understand his place in all of this. He is not even a decade younger than Kiryu, yet his exuberance and excursion from rock bottom redeems him from feeling aged. Like A Dragon questions the very essence of torch passing while also reminding us how wisdom in the yakuza (and most organizations) is experiential. Ichiban is anything but young in society but evokes a spirit that rejects denotations often associated with a quadragenarian. This is what makes Ichiban so unique and worth rooting for against his adversaries.
It also subverts the typical rise in narrative RPGs as Ichiban has no concern of being at the top to bask in his own glory. His growth from nadir results in newfound solace in the ordinary. Sure, there is a power-of-friendship aura looming around your party, but that’s what Ichiban’s course is all about, and you’d be hard-pressed in denying me of that value morally. Plus, if we are scaling power in this ultimately ludicrous series in terms of defying human strength, then you should be able to get by with realizing Ichiban can force a stalemate with the power giants of previous entries after bountiful training. Even then, the most irrational fight ends up being the most challenging and will not hold your hand if under-levelled. Your inability to simply coast by later fights without preparation is a stark difference from other Yakuza games and that’s a minor difficulty spike that I do commend RGG for implementing.
And yes, our ‘hero’ is an everyday hero. Optimistic, specific, and caring. Empathy worth matching with Kiryu. Bless you, fans of RGG games, where your empathic accuracy is attributed to every human character, except for Kume, who represents a contemporary kind of evil. An emotional and stirring climax comes across as a desperate plea from Ichiban himself at an all-time high for vulnerability of not just this game, but all Yakuza games before it.
It also subverts the typical rise in narrative RPGs as Ichiban has no concern of being at the top to bask in his own glory. His growth from nadir results in newfound solace in the ordinary. Sure, there is a power-of-friendship aura looming around your party, but that’s what Ichiban’s course is all about, and you’d be hard-pressed in denying me of that value morally. Plus, if we are scaling power in this ultimately ludicrous series in terms of defying human strength, then you should be able to get by with realizing Ichiban can force a stalemate with the power giants of previous entries after bountiful training. Even then, the most irrational fight ends up being the most challenging and will not hold your hand if under-levelled. Your inability to simply coast by later fights without preparation is a stark difference from other Yakuza games and that’s a minor difficulty spike that I do commend RGG for implementing.
And yes, our ‘hero’ is an everyday hero. Optimistic, specific, and caring. Empathy worth matching with Kiryu. Bless you, fans of RGG games, where your empathic accuracy is attributed to every human character, except for Kume, who represents a contemporary kind of evil. An emotional and stirring climax comes across as a desperate plea from Ichiban himself at an all-time high for vulnerability of not just this game, but all Yakuza games before it.
You can call in an orbital satellite laser strike on a homeless man in the street if you want.
One of the best "baton passes" ever made, it's incredible how RGG handled so well making a turn based RPG after 15 years focused on beat'em ups, emotional story as always, excellent balance between silly slapstick comedy and somber and tense moments. Damn hyped for LAD 8
I was really enjoying Yakuza till I played this, then I just lost all motivation to play any more of it and even lost motivation to play lost judgement after I'm sorry 😕