“Yakuza: Like a Dragon” is the tenth game in a very long running series that is intended to separate itself from the massive Yakuza franchise. While the next game chronologically, it has nothing to do with any of the previous titles. 

“Yakuza: Like a Dragon” is a turn-based roleplaying game that prides itself on being a very bizarre crime thriller. That is to say, the plot takes itself incredibly seriously, but it’s acted out by characters that are dressed like pop idols, fortune tellers and break dancers. 

In lieu of the previous protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, players are instead thrusted into the shoes of Ichiban Kasuga, a name that, when translated, means “Number One.” Kasuga exits his 18-year stint in prison to try and reconnect with his old gang, only to find the world has moved on without him. One of the themes of the game is growing old. A surprising nuance is given to this too, as most of the characters are above the age of 40 and constantly struggle with the fact that they lack the privileges they had when they were younger. It makes the wackiness of their actions feel more like a desperate attempt to capture the smallest bits of hope they have left in a system that wants them to just grow up already. 

This theme specifically affects Kasuga, as he lost his 20s and 30s to prison, he never truly got to live a normal life. Which leaves him feeling out of place. Modern technology confuses him and the internet seems like real magic. 

That said, prison didn’t seem to break his spirit, to the point where he feels like a 19-year-old forced into the world of a mid-life crisis.

He carries an energy of positivity and joyfulness that at the very least grabs one’s attention. His teammates also have a decent range of personality to them. There’s a homeless man, a grizzled ex-cop, a barmaid, a Korean hitman, a Chinese gangster and a front desk secretary. 

That said, the writing is very messy. The goals of the characters seem to be undefined at best, often changing how they’ll react depending on where the story needs them to go next. A female cast member comes off as cool, sassy and collected, before crying in front of strangers over the misfortune of a very minor character. At worst, the story seems to have too many balls in the air but never focuses on the right one. It’s a notable trope in the Yakuza series, but it feels worse here, when the mystery that has been building for the past five hours is suddenly replaced with tracking down a random hostess. 

There are moments where the characters and their performances can elicit something, but to get there it might be best to try and not look into things too hard, especially in the numerous side quests, where motivation comes from almost nowhere. It is best to do these side missions anyway, because the enemies will grow in level with or without you, and death means starting over from the player’s last save.

Combat is now a tactical affair, where the player and their party take turns to deal damage. There is a surprising amount of depth, such as debuffs, elemental weaknesses and the ability to summon really powerful characters to help out. It can feel a bit more tedious when it comes to random encounters, as the player can’t simply jump kick everyone and be done with it. This combat system does excel in the boss fights department, which carry a dramatic mix of careful planning and action spectacle that rarely gets boring. 

One of the best parts of “Yakuza” is how the game treats the players’ party of characters. They come off as a group of friends, rather than adventurers. They eat together at restaurants, get drunk, say things they shouldn’t, and have different tastes in entertainment. All of this comes together to create this very homey sense of having a night out on the town with your pals. 

Yokohama does lack a certain of charm to it. The wdistricts feel very similar, filling itself with plain looking business offices.

One of the downsides is that “Yakuza: Like a Dragon” also has a very lame soundtrack. The heavy metal and rock beats lack a certain energy to them, especially when players can expect to listen to certain tracks for a very long time. There is an exception in the karaoke mini-game where the voice actors of each character will sing along to original music. Most of these tracks compliment the characters that sing them and might be worth a listen on their own. As for the rest of the background tunes though, stay away.

“Yakuza: Like a Dragon’’ has some amazing moments and a brazen 60-hour length to it. It is bogged down by some boring exploration and bad pacing, but for those with a little bit more tolerance than normal, they might find a lot of really interesting scenes that stick with them. The changes it makes to the core formula should never stick out or ruin the experience for a long time fan. “Yakuza: Like a Dragon’’ will find a home with any role playing game fan and Yakuza fanatics alike.

Image via IGN via YouTube