Like a Dragon Gaiden is exactly how it was advertised as: it’s a short romp with Kiryu as a secret agent that serves to explain what he’s been up to in-between Yakuzas 6 and 7 as well as expand on the role that he ultimately plays during the events of Yakuza 7. The game isn’t anything particularly groundbreaking for the franchise, but it was explicitly never trying to be. I wouldn’t really blame you if you questioned whether or not this game needed to exist. That being said, it is currently selling for $10 cheaper than the average price of a new game (or $20 cheaper now I guess, considering the upcoming Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is priced at $70), and most importantly: it’s pretty fun. Unless you’re an extremely dedicated fan of the franchise like I’ve become this past year, I don’t think that it’s necessarily an essential purchase. It is still a good time though, and if the trailers/promotional material for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth are to be believed, then this may be the final time we’ll be playing as Kiryu in the fashion of the traditional beat-’em-up Yakuza games (for real this time).
For the most part, Gaiden doesn’t really tell a particularly intricate or emotional story. The plot is really straightforward: it sets the stage for the role that Kiryu plays in Yakuza 7 and not much else honestly. In fact, the game is padded out with a number of sections that don’t really do much to advance the main plot. There are some potential hints towards the future of the series, but it’s not clear whether or not these hints are specifically for Infinite Wealth. I’d be shocked if they weren’t, though. The game does conclude with one of the most well-executed, gut punching scenes in the entire series that genuinely made me tear up. It really rewards long time and dedicated fans. Personally speaking, this ending alone made the game worth the $50 purchase for me. It actually made me bump my original rating from a 3.5/5 to a 4/5.
After ditching the multiple styles for Kiryu in Yakuza 6 and Kiwami 2, Gaiden brings them back with the new Yakuza and Agent styles. The Yakuza style has Kiryu essentially play the way he does in 6 and Kiwami 2, with some minor adjustments that make him feel a lot better to control. They brought Extreme Heat Mode back and I’m so, so thankful that the camera no longer zooms in on Kiryu when it’s activated. That was a huge gripe for me in those two games and made me not want to use it altogether. The Agent style is brand new. Its primary focus is on crowd control, and it utilizes a number of fun spy gadgets to stun and distract enemies in order to give yourself some breathing room. It’s a little weird and hard to get used to at first, as to activate the gadgets, you need to hold down the corresponding button until it’s charged. If you get hit by an enemy, it cancels the charge. This means that you have to make breathing room in order to make breathing room… which doesn’t sound quite right, and doesn’t really seem what they were going for. The jet boots that you get partway through the campaign takes far less time to charge than your other spy gadgets, and they’re essential for clearing out groups of enemies so that you can safely plant your explosive cigarettes or summon your drones. There’s also a new counter move exclusively for bosses that Kiryu can do, where quickstepping during a special attack bosses can perform allows you to parry them and retaliate with an extremely satisfying drop kick. You can also upgrade it to perform an additional grapple attack following the drop kick. It’s not hard to pull it off at all, and it feels damn good when you do.
As usual, there’s a plethora of side content to do in Gaiden. While I focused primarily on clearing the main campaign, the few substories I engaged with were pretty solid, especially the ones where some surprise guests appeared. The Castle, which is a key location that you constantly travel back and forth from, holds this game’s Coliseum, and it’s the most fun iteration of it in any Yakuza game. I actually really want to go back to it and play through it some more now that I’ve finished Gaiden. The Team Battles in particular are a lot of fun, and I’m not going to lie, it makes me happy that I pre-ordered it so that I can fight alongside Majima, Saejima and Daigo. Playing as those characters however, is a different story. Majima and Saejima in particular feel pretty boneless in comparison to how they were in previous Yakuza games. I’m over the moon to be able to play as Saejima again, he’s one of my favorite characters in the series. However, he feels very hollow to play as, and it's quite disappointing. If you missed out getting these characters by not preordering, you’re really not missing much.
Like a Dragon Gaiden is definitely a game for the fans. In some ways, it does feel like a game whose sole existence is to squeeze money out of people that are hyped for Infinite Wealth. However, it offers a lot to enjoy, and still provides a decent experience all-around. I can’t stress enough how great that ending is. I’m really looking forward to going back to it and playing through some more of the side content. I think that if you’re a huge fan of the series, then you won’t be disappointed with this, but if you’re more of a passive enjoyer, you’re not going to get a whole lot out of it. I do still recommend at least looking up the cutscenes on YouTube though. I will say that I will likely look back on this game a lot less fondly if the trailers for Infinite Wealth turn out to be a red herring. If this game and Infinite Wealth really do end up being the final times we’ll be playing as Kiryu like the Infinite Wealth trailers strongly suggest, then I think that Gaiden is an excellent way to prepare fans for what I hope is a tremendous and fitting send off to one of the greatest protagonists in video games. Otherwise, this game will likely wind up just being a small footnote in the franchise’s legacy.
For the most part, Gaiden doesn’t really tell a particularly intricate or emotional story. The plot is really straightforward: it sets the stage for the role that Kiryu plays in Yakuza 7 and not much else honestly. In fact, the game is padded out with a number of sections that don’t really do much to advance the main plot. There are some potential hints towards the future of the series, but it’s not clear whether or not these hints are specifically for Infinite Wealth. I’d be shocked if they weren’t, though. The game does conclude with one of the most well-executed, gut punching scenes in the entire series that genuinely made me tear up. It really rewards long time and dedicated fans. Personally speaking, this ending alone made the game worth the $50 purchase for me. It actually made me bump my original rating from a 3.5/5 to a 4/5.
After ditching the multiple styles for Kiryu in Yakuza 6 and Kiwami 2, Gaiden brings them back with the new Yakuza and Agent styles. The Yakuza style has Kiryu essentially play the way he does in 6 and Kiwami 2, with some minor adjustments that make him feel a lot better to control. They brought Extreme Heat Mode back and I’m so, so thankful that the camera no longer zooms in on Kiryu when it’s activated. That was a huge gripe for me in those two games and made me not want to use it altogether. The Agent style is brand new. Its primary focus is on crowd control, and it utilizes a number of fun spy gadgets to stun and distract enemies in order to give yourself some breathing room. It’s a little weird and hard to get used to at first, as to activate the gadgets, you need to hold down the corresponding button until it’s charged. If you get hit by an enemy, it cancels the charge. This means that you have to make breathing room in order to make breathing room… which doesn’t sound quite right, and doesn’t really seem what they were going for. The jet boots that you get partway through the campaign takes far less time to charge than your other spy gadgets, and they’re essential for clearing out groups of enemies so that you can safely plant your explosive cigarettes or summon your drones. There’s also a new counter move exclusively for bosses that Kiryu can do, where quickstepping during a special attack bosses can perform allows you to parry them and retaliate with an extremely satisfying drop kick. You can also upgrade it to perform an additional grapple attack following the drop kick. It’s not hard to pull it off at all, and it feels damn good when you do.
As usual, there’s a plethora of side content to do in Gaiden. While I focused primarily on clearing the main campaign, the few substories I engaged with were pretty solid, especially the ones where some surprise guests appeared. The Castle, which is a key location that you constantly travel back and forth from, holds this game’s Coliseum, and it’s the most fun iteration of it in any Yakuza game. I actually really want to go back to it and play through it some more now that I’ve finished Gaiden. The Team Battles in particular are a lot of fun, and I’m not going to lie, it makes me happy that I pre-ordered it so that I can fight alongside Majima, Saejima and Daigo. Playing as those characters however, is a different story. Majima and Saejima in particular feel pretty boneless in comparison to how they were in previous Yakuza games. I’m over the moon to be able to play as Saejima again, he’s one of my favorite characters in the series. However, he feels very hollow to play as, and it's quite disappointing. If you missed out getting these characters by not preordering, you’re really not missing much.
Like a Dragon Gaiden is definitely a game for the fans. In some ways, it does feel like a game whose sole existence is to squeeze money out of people that are hyped for Infinite Wealth. However, it offers a lot to enjoy, and still provides a decent experience all-around. I can’t stress enough how great that ending is. I’m really looking forward to going back to it and playing through some more of the side content. I think that if you’re a huge fan of the series, then you won’t be disappointed with this, but if you’re more of a passive enjoyer, you’re not going to get a whole lot out of it. I do still recommend at least looking up the cutscenes on YouTube though. I will say that I will likely look back on this game a lot less fondly if the trailers for Infinite Wealth turn out to be a red herring. If this game and Infinite Wealth really do end up being the final times we’ll be playing as Kiryu like the Infinite Wealth trailers strongly suggest, then I think that Gaiden is an excellent way to prepare fans for what I hope is a tremendous and fitting send off to one of the greatest protagonists in video games. Otherwise, this game will likely wind up just being a small footnote in the franchise’s legacy.