YAKUZA: LIKE A DRAGON
Ichiban Kasuga proves he’s number one
After six games and 13 years, Yakuza protagonist Kazuma Kiryu bowed out of leading the series. Dropping the numbering in the West, this seventh game succeeds in freshening up the series, and it’s a testament to what it accomplishes that we don’t miss our previous favourite exgangster for even a beat of this crime drama.
Within the first hour we’re hooked on new hero Ichiban Kasuga. He’s brasher, more headstrong, and a massive Dragon Quest fan (just like our Mim) – which is why he’s always ready to exchange turn-based blows with wrongdoers (again, just like our Mim). But he’s got a heart of gold, putting protecting the community ahead of making money for the Arakawa family.
But Kasuga wouldn’t be a Yakuza protagonist without some jail time, right? Things take a bad turn for big Arakawa, Kasuga’s father figure of sorts, and he has to ask the young gang member to serve time for a murder he didn’t commit. Kasuga’s behind bars from 2001 to 2019. During that time a rival Yakuza group takes over his hometown, Kamurocho. On getting out of jail but before he can find answers, Kasuga’s shot by Arakawa himself and hauled off to the Yokohama district of Isezaki Ijincho, where he’s left for dead.
Like A Dragon is almost a character study of sorts, and the charismatic Kasuga is all about making friends, building a party of unlikely allies as his story progresses (and leading to some sweet moments as you level up your bond and view the Persona-like Drink Links at the local bar). The combat’s changed too; gone is the frantic button-mashing brawling of previous entries. True to the hero’s love of RPGs, every fight in the game is turn-based.
PARTY STARTER
Foes you meet on the street leap into battle, transforming in Kasuga’s perspective into humorous, monster-like parodies, like the Imp Patient, Thuggler, or Technomancer (and yes there’s a Pokémon-styled Sujidex that challenges you to find them all). The series’ transition from real-time combat to turn-based isn’t perfect (Persona it ain’t), but it’s much smoother than you might expect.
Everything has a modern, magical-mundane twist. Your homeless former-nurse pal Nanba can throw beans to call pigeons to swarm enemies, and you can down sake to restore MP at the cost of becoming “shit-faced”. Visiting the job centre allows your party to switch jobs (members becoming the party-buffing Musician, for example, or the whip-cracking Night Queen) to learn new skills, some of which can be used for any job once learned.
It’s a fairly straightforward combat system. Characters move around in a realistic
“KASUGA IS ALL ABOUT MAKING FRIENDS, BUILDING A PARTY OF UNLIKELY ALLIES.”
space, and if you attack next to objects like bikes Kasuga will use them as weapons (knock an enemy into oncoming traffic for a surprise). Hitting e as you take a blow mitigates some damage with a block, and certain skills get beefed up if you mash r or hit w at the right time. Unavoidably, though, it’s an RPG, and without diligent levelling up or gear speccing you’ll hit a few roadblocks, which can be annoying when you want to get to the next bit of the story (and there’s some frustrating yen-gating, though thankfully there are easy ways to earn cash fast).
PARTY PACKED
Between sub-stories and dungeons you can return to, there’s a wealth of ways to improve your party. Sub-stories are as funny as ever, and whether it’s helping a naked man covered only in suds find clothes, enabling Mr Masochist to feel pain again, or using extra-hot kimchi to help get people moving, you’ll want to see them all. It’s handy too, as they sometimes reward you with gear-crafting items, weapons, or even powerful Summons you can call into battle via Poundmates (the gang are initially as confused by the name of the service as you are).
Like A Dragon somehow manages to step out from the shadow of its predecessors, though as later parts of the game end up tying into classic Yakuza lore we found ourselves preferring the humbler, more self-contained aspects from the first two-thirds. But as far as new beginnings go? Ichiban is number one.
VERDICT
Translating the series’ brawling to turn-based fights with modern twists, this walks the line between laugh-out-loud comedy and gripping crime drama with ease. More Kasuga, please. Oscar Taylor-Kent