Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Yakuza: Like a Dragon's cast of misfits makes the wild RPG combat, absurd humor, and dramatic storytelling soar.

Honestly, there’s very little to dislike about Yakuza: Like a Dragon. While the gameplay is a drastic departure from what fans have grown to love, the change is one that is done excellently well that it fits right in with the series. At the end of the day, Like A Dragon is still very much a true Yakuza game, narrative driven with fun, addicting gameplay that is easy to pick-up by anyone. A fresh, bold new start for the franchise that still holds true to it’s roots. I for one am looking forward to see the future of the franchise. Hopefully it continues down the road of being a turned-based titl...

Even with these minor annoyances -- not least those carried over from previous games in the series -- what brief frustrations that do surface are quickly and easily eclipsed by everything else going on in Like a Dragon. Or more appropriately, by the sheer scale of deviation and conviction that this year's entry shows in proving that this genre of gameplay -- this more classically RPG-centric approach -- is an unquestionably excellent fit for the series. It might not be the most unique or transformative approach to turn-based combat, but what Ryu Ga Gotoku may lack in unique vision, they more t...

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With seven mainline iterations, five spin-offs, and two remakes, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio had a mammoth task on hand in order to ensure that the Yakuza games continued to appeal to its core fanbase. As Yakuza 6: The Song of Life signaled the end of the much-loved protagonist of the series, Kazuma Kiryu, fanatics were left wondering how the franchise could continue. In an audacious and high-risk move, the developers not only introduced a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, but they also moved away from the beloved combo-based combat to a traditional turn-based system. However, will these changes impro...

Yakuza: Like a Dragon has a couple of weak spots, but it overall proves to be a fantastic reinvention of the series. Yakuza fans and RPG fans alike shouldn't hesitate to check this one out.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon refreshes the action with a turn-based JRPG that retains its charming identity, but it falls into some pitfalls that are emblematic of the genre.

Ultimately, despite all the changes that have been made, Yakuza: Like a Dragon feels very much like a Yakuza game. The combat may now be turn-based, and the scenery might be different, but this is still a game full of drama, thrilling battles, and a huge amount of side content, all smothered with an ample amount of humour. And I never thought I’d say this, but I didn’t miss Kazuma Kiryu one jot while playing it; Ichiban Kasuga is simply a more likeable fellow with more depth. So, if you like the Yakuza series, consider Yakuza: Like a Dragon a must-have.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a bold shift in direction, one that succeeds more than it stumbles in the pursuit of its new design.

Yakuza doubles down on the series' RPG elements.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s colourful turn-based combat, engaging lead characters, and detail-rich setting make for a refreshingly different and mostly thrilling instalment in the long-running Japanese crime series. However, pathfinding annoyances and a number of escalating difficulty spikes in its closing chapters made completing its story feel like much more of a repetitive slog than any of the previous games. While I applaud the developers for daring to transform its established brawling into more tactically complex team-based battles, the grueling progression system it brings along with it mea...

After an exhausting run of seven main games, some spinoffs and the sandwiched-but-excellent Judgment, the Yakuza series entered a new era in 2020 with the release of Like a Dragon, which is trying to be something completely new, only it’s also not.