YAKUZA: LIKE A DRAGON

Fans will be in seventh heaven as Ichiban takes on Kiryu’s mantle

The series dials up its JRPG side with party members and turn-based battles.

There’s a reason this seventh main entry in the Yakuza series has dropped the number from the title of its Western release: the previous game closed leading man Kazuma Kiryu’s story. Yakuza: Like A Dragon is a fresh start in just about every way possible. A brand-new tale, a fresh main character, and a completely different gameplay system. But despite the changes, it’s Like A Yakuza at heart. Mirroring Kiryu’s origin story, Ichiban Kasuga, a low-ranking Tojo Clan member, takes the fall for a murder at the request of his boss and father figure Masumi Arakawa. Behind bars for 18 years, on release from prison he expects to be taken back with open arms for his sacrifice. But a lot has changed. The Omi Alliance has taken over the Tojo Clan’s territory, and he’s been all but forgotten. Confronting those he holds responsible, he ends up being shot and dumped in Yokohama’s Isezaki Ijin ‘soapland’ (bathhouse) district, only surviving thanks to the intervention of a homeless former doctor, Namba.

NAMBA ONE FAN

Which is why Namba is one of the first party members to join Ichiban on his quest. Yes, you read that right. Yakuza now has party members, along with stats and turn-based battles. Yakuza’s status as an RPG can no longer be contended. Ichiban’s own

“YAKUZA NOW HAS PARTY MEMBERS, STATS, AND TURNBASED BATTLES.”

love of RPGs (“it’ll be a happy ending, just like in Dragon Quest”, he muses in one scene) translates directly into how he sees his own adventure.

Real life and fantasy blur frequently. As you encounter enemies on the streets, their outfits will even change to appear more menacing (one gang suits up in Mad-Max-like spiky gear). Action in Yakuza has always been exaggerated a little but remained mostly grounded. Here, thanks to the blurring of lines, party members can pull off some truly ridiculous moves, for example summoning flocks of pigeons to help out.

As well as the umbrella-wielding Namba we’ve seen Saeko Mukouda, a high-ranking Isezaki Ijin hostess, and ex-police detective Kouichi Adachi, who lays down his own brand of justice with his fists. Each has their own sets of moves, which can be altered by taking on and levelling up new jobs. This is a class-based system that riffs on the Final Fantasy terminology by taking ‘jobs’ literally. Not only can Ichiban change from his Hero default to the likes of Bouncer, Dancer, or Host, the other party members can swap theirs too. It’s a combat system you’re really able to sink your teeth into. Summons even make an appearance, Ichiban spending money to call them up on his phone. Earlier characters from the rest of the series will make appearances to aid him in battle. But those party members aren’t just there for the fights; they also play important roles in the story.

FEEL THE TURN

If you’re worried that Yakuza will lose something in going turn-based, don’t be. The Live Command RPG Battle system isn’t just tacked on, it’s a way to incorporate RPG fights directly into the development studio’s proprietary Dragon Engine. Characters still run around in real-time, and the city is moving and alive while you’re in combat. If you’re close to objects like bicycles, you can pick them up and crush them over an enemy’s head, just like always. If you’re near fast traffic, whacking an enemy into the road will see them hit by a car.

Mostly the battle system just gives you space to decide on the actions you’ll take in the fight while the characters try to keep their distance. But if you try to run past enemies to ones lurking at the back, there’s a chance they’ll interrupt you by hitting you as you pass. The sort of physics you’d expect in previous Yakuza fights is present here. In short, it’s mainly the way the inputs are decided and the types of moves you have access to that are different. The way the camera moves smoothly between characters as they take their turns promises a fighting system that won’t get in the way and will provide plenty of goofy fun and brutal fights.

In fact, that combination of humour and action is the one element of Yakuza: Like A Dragon that seems the most in-step with what we’re used to. In that respect, it’s just as you’d expect, with truly emotional moments (Ichiban being betrayed by his Yakuza family is heartbreaking) mixed in with laughout-loud ones. A wealth of diversions is on offer: a driving range; darts; pachinko; a minigame where you have to stave off falling asleep in a cinema; and even kart racing through the streets. New gameplay, new characters, new story – but the old Yakuza we came to love is most definitely still there.

“PARTY MEMBERS AREN’T JUST THERE FOR THE FIGHTS; THEY ALSO PLAY IMPORTANT ROLES IN THE STORY.”

The Live Command RPG Battle system is turnbased, but the city stays active and interactive.

Right That said, he’s at least ended up somewhere pretty – Yokohama is a bustling, vibrant city, with excellent views across Tokyo Bay.

Left Waking up in a dustbin in Isezaki Ijin, Yokohama, isn’t the thanks Ichiban expected for taking the fall and suffering 18 years in jail.

Above Fights are now turn-based, but no less brutal and over-the-top than before. Heat attacks are still plentiful. Above It wouldn’t be Yakuza without silly minigames. This time we get full-on kart racing – power-ups and drifting included.

Above Ichiban’s party members include a former doctor, a hostess, and an ex-detective – all with unique skills (such as the ability to summon pigeons).