*Very minor spoilers for Like a Dragon Gaiden
I always love the Like a Dragon (Yakuza) franchise because it gives you the opportunity to LARP as a chad that can resolve all problems through brute force alone. Whether that be Kiryu in Yakuza 0-->6
Or Ichiban in Yakuza 7/8
Also just a side note, is Ichiban an ogre or chad considering that he's 6ft and schizophrenic?
What I wanted to talk about was one of the newest entries in the Yakuza Series tentatively named...
Here we play as Joryu, a completely different protagonist to any of the series entries thus far.
First of all, I would say that the graphics are excellent and easily one of the best graphical upgrades in the franchise. The cities look lifelike and visually stunning, and the game primarily takes place in Sotenbori, a fictionalized version of Osaka's real red lights district (Dōtonbori, Japan). The vibrant graphics paired with the painstakingly detailed and realistic representation means that this is one of the most immersive Yakuza games to date.
Another thing to comment on is the gameplay. Playing as agent Joryu of the Daidoji secret service faction you have access to two major styles of combat - Agent style and Yakuza style. Agent style completely blows all other forms of combat out of the water. I mean it - this is the best that combat has ever been in the entire Yakuza series. In previous titles you were delegated to mainly using brutal fisticuffs combat, but the agent style employs a ton of cool gadgets and techniques that will leave you flabbergasted. It's super fun to play and is a huge upgrade from the previous brawler combat.
The story is pretty great, although short. It took me around 18 hours to complete the game entirely doing plenty of the side content. There are plenty of emotional beats. In fact, the ending was exceptional and made me very emotional. It'll make you cry too if you've been invested in the story of the past games. Speaking of which, this game is designed for people who have played Yakuza 0-->7, it's meant to be played before Yakuza 8 and contains spoilers for all previous games. Just throwing that out there. There are plenty of refreshing story elements alongside new and old faces alike. Some of the new characters in this game are very memorable and indeed, I feel that the character writing is particularly strong in this game (unlike Yakuza 3, for instance).
Overall this is an excellent addition to the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series and fleshes out the stories of Yakuza 3, 6 and 7, providing much needed re-contextualization for the series going forward. As a continuation of the legacy of the Dragon of Dojima, it also serves as a great segue into the newest entry Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Yakuza 8). I give it a strong 7.5/10.
I always love the Like a Dragon (Yakuza) franchise because it gives you the opportunity to LARP as a chad that can resolve all problems through brute force alone. Whether that be Kiryu in Yakuza 0-->6
Or Ichiban in Yakuza 7/8
Also just a side note, is Ichiban an ogre or chad considering that he's 6ft and schizophrenic?
What I wanted to talk about was one of the newest entries in the Yakuza Series tentatively named...
First of all, I would say that the graphics are excellent and easily one of the best graphical upgrades in the franchise. The cities look lifelike and visually stunning, and the game primarily takes place in Sotenbori, a fictionalized version of Osaka's real red lights district (Dōtonbori, Japan). The vibrant graphics paired with the painstakingly detailed and realistic representation means that this is one of the most immersive Yakuza games to date.
Another thing to comment on is the gameplay. Playing as agent Joryu of the Daidoji secret service faction you have access to two major styles of combat - Agent style and Yakuza style. Agent style completely blows all other forms of combat out of the water. I mean it - this is the best that combat has ever been in the entire Yakuza series. In previous titles you were delegated to mainly using brutal fisticuffs combat, but the agent style employs a ton of cool gadgets and techniques that will leave you flabbergasted. It's super fun to play and is a huge upgrade from the previous brawler combat.
The story is pretty great, although short. It took me around 18 hours to complete the game entirely doing plenty of the side content. There are plenty of emotional beats. In fact, the ending was exceptional and made me very emotional. It'll make you cry too if you've been invested in the story of the past games. Speaking of which, this game is designed for people who have played Yakuza 0-->7, it's meant to be played before Yakuza 8 and contains spoilers for all previous games. Just throwing that out there. There are plenty of refreshing story elements alongside new and old faces alike. Some of the new characters in this game are very memorable and indeed, I feel that the character writing is particularly strong in this game (unlike Yakuza 3, for instance).
Overall this is an excellent addition to the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series and fleshes out the stories of Yakuza 3, 6 and 7, providing much needed re-contextualization for the series going forward. As a continuation of the legacy of the Dragon of Dojima, it also serves as a great segue into the newest entry Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Yakuza 8). I give it a strong 7.5/10.
