Disclaimer: There's no Spoiler tag on this, and while I'll refrain from spoiling story details for Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, I will be discussing spoilers for Yakuza 6 and 7, and would recommend avoiding this review if you haven't played through those games
I wasn't sure what I was getting into here. I'd avoided pretty much every piece of coverage after the initial teaser trailer. I was expecting something of a Ground Zeroes. A little Yakuza to present a few new story threads and warm us up for 8. I was also very willing to skip it entirely. I didn't like the idea.
I felt Yakuza 6 left Kazuma Kiryu with a perfect out, and he'd more than earned it. He'd been through more than his share of hardship. It was enough to make The Dragon want to retire, man. We saw him as a new grandparent, making friends at his new local, joining in with the baseball team, and finding happiness in his peaceful new life. He was going to be alright, and it was a lovely way to say goodbye to a character we've all grown so fond of. I knew he'd be back eventually, but I had hoped they'd work a little for it. Like when shit got really real, and more than our new protagonists could handle, he'd emerge from the shadows to bring back justice. Kazuma Kiryu was the nuclear option. When he appeared in 7, I wasn't thrilled with it, but as a means of passing the torch to Ichiban Kasuga, and tie us back to the old side-characters, I accepted it. And I've seen a lot of fans take issue with 7's gameplay, but the game did terrifically well both commercially and critically, and Kasuga wasn't a Raiden. Most people actually seemed happy with him. I had faith that they wouldn't run back to Uncle Kaz to do another game.
It's a shock that Gaiden justifies this seemingly cynical decision. It was naive to suggest Kazuma Kiryu could live a life in peace and obscurity. The people who were securing his identity and the safety of Sunshine Orphanage would want him to do something for them. Like beat up a bunch of guys. To the yakuza, he's as recognisable as Elvis Presley, and even fewer of his fans believe he's dead. It's very in-character with Kazuma's sense of honour and ludicrous, straight-laced forthrightness, that he wouldn't do more to hide his face than wear a pair of sunglasses. He didn't even change his shaving pattern. Gaiden risks disrespecting the fans who bought the Song of Life After Hours Edition who wanted to toast the man's departure with a dram from an officially licensed glass, but there's a genuine reason to keep his story going. We didn't really know him well enough.
Gaiden is a shorter Yakuza game. That still puts it around 20+ hours, and it hasn't lost any of its interest in side-content. There's five whole late-nineties Sega arcade games to play, for a start. Gaiden mainly takes place in Yakuza 2'sDotonbori Sotenbori, it's one of the series' smaller maps, though it's becoming increasingly comparable to Kamurocho-levels of familiarity. It's long worn off its novelty, but it's a decent location to structure a more modest entry around. Side-missions are dished out by new character, Akame, and has you carrying out favours all across town. It gives them a bit more structure and narrative justification than nebulous experience point systems, and I welcome the change. Akame's a lot of fun, and I don't think she's leaving the series anytime soon.
Another surprise - I think Gaiden has the best fights. Maybe it's the shorter length of the game to thank, but it's nice to have an entry where Kazuma doesn't start the game feeling far crapper than he did at the end of the prior one. And now he's got a bunch of spy bullshit to play with. It's inherently silly, and there's a couple of big laughs when he pulls out the Spider-Man shit during otherwise serious fight sequences, but it's a lot of fun to play around with.
I think the relief of playing a somewhat breezier entry (particularly after the overstuffed Ishin) has a lot of fans giving the game maybe a little too much credit. I am pretty tired of the Osaka map, and I was hoping to spend more of the game in any of the series' other locations. Yakuza really benefits from tighter pacing, though. I'm quite used to playing a thrilling Act 1, and then spending a full week trying to get to the exciting stuff again. I dropped out of Judgment before the hypothetical "fun bit" started. I'm, again, avoiding all the pre-release 8 coverage, but I have heard it's intended to be the biggest game in the series, and that's making me quite weary.
Anyway. He's back, and they've convinced me that's the right decision. If you're new to the series, perhaps annoyed that I keep calling it "Yakuza", I don't think you really need this one. It's a side-story for the Kazuma Kiryu fans, but also one that pays off on some recent plot threads that 7 merely glossed over. If you started these games multiple console generations ago, and you're still willing to continue, this could be the thing that brings back the passion. It is more than a prologue for 8. Sega are kind of taking the piss with all the money they're getting out of us, though.
I wasn't sure what I was getting into here. I'd avoided pretty much every piece of coverage after the initial teaser trailer. I was expecting something of a Ground Zeroes. A little Yakuza to present a few new story threads and warm us up for 8. I was also very willing to skip it entirely. I didn't like the idea.
I felt Yakuza 6 left Kazuma Kiryu with a perfect out, and he'd more than earned it. He'd been through more than his share of hardship. It was enough to make The Dragon want to retire, man. We saw him as a new grandparent, making friends at his new local, joining in with the baseball team, and finding happiness in his peaceful new life. He was going to be alright, and it was a lovely way to say goodbye to a character we've all grown so fond of. I knew he'd be back eventually, but I had hoped they'd work a little for it. Like when shit got really real, and more than our new protagonists could handle, he'd emerge from the shadows to bring back justice. Kazuma Kiryu was the nuclear option. When he appeared in 7, I wasn't thrilled with it, but as a means of passing the torch to Ichiban Kasuga, and tie us back to the old side-characters, I accepted it. And I've seen a lot of fans take issue with 7's gameplay, but the game did terrifically well both commercially and critically, and Kasuga wasn't a Raiden. Most people actually seemed happy with him. I had faith that they wouldn't run back to Uncle Kaz to do another game.
It's a shock that Gaiden justifies this seemingly cynical decision. It was naive to suggest Kazuma Kiryu could live a life in peace and obscurity. The people who were securing his identity and the safety of Sunshine Orphanage would want him to do something for them. Like beat up a bunch of guys. To the yakuza, he's as recognisable as Elvis Presley, and even fewer of his fans believe he's dead. It's very in-character with Kazuma's sense of honour and ludicrous, straight-laced forthrightness, that he wouldn't do more to hide his face than wear a pair of sunglasses. He didn't even change his shaving pattern. Gaiden risks disrespecting the fans who bought the Song of Life After Hours Edition who wanted to toast the man's departure with a dram from an officially licensed glass, but there's a genuine reason to keep his story going. We didn't really know him well enough.
Gaiden is a shorter Yakuza game. That still puts it around 20+ hours, and it hasn't lost any of its interest in side-content. There's five whole late-nineties Sega arcade games to play, for a start. Gaiden mainly takes place in Yakuza 2's
Another surprise - I think Gaiden has the best fights. Maybe it's the shorter length of the game to thank, but it's nice to have an entry where Kazuma doesn't start the game feeling far crapper than he did at the end of the prior one. And now he's got a bunch of spy bullshit to play with. It's inherently silly, and there's a couple of big laughs when he pulls out the Spider-Man shit during otherwise serious fight sequences, but it's a lot of fun to play around with.
I think the relief of playing a somewhat breezier entry (particularly after the overstuffed Ishin) has a lot of fans giving the game maybe a little too much credit. I am pretty tired of the Osaka map, and I was hoping to spend more of the game in any of the series' other locations. Yakuza really benefits from tighter pacing, though. I'm quite used to playing a thrilling Act 1, and then spending a full week trying to get to the exciting stuff again. I dropped out of Judgment before the hypothetical "fun bit" started. I'm, again, avoiding all the pre-release 8 coverage, but I have heard it's intended to be the biggest game in the series, and that's making me quite weary.
Anyway. He's back, and they've convinced me that's the right decision. If you're new to the series, perhaps annoyed that I keep calling it "Yakuza", I don't think you really need this one. It's a side-story for the Kazuma Kiryu fans, but also one that pays off on some recent plot threads that 7 merely glossed over. If you started these games multiple console generations ago, and you're still willing to continue, this could be the thing that brings back the passion. It is more than a prologue for 8. Sega are kind of taking the piss with all the money they're getting out of us, though.
Yuggy
3 months ago