5/5 ★ – Dreamweavr85's review of Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

Everyday Hero Since 2005, there have been thirteen games released from the Yakuza franchise. What started in the PS2-era has now made its way to the ninth generation of gaming with the release of Yakuza: Like A Dragon on the Xbox Series family of consoles. Though I have been gaming since the PS1-era, the Yakuza franchise somehow eluded me. On paper, it was a perfect fit: open world, action, and a focus on great stories. It is odd that the first Yakuza I find myself playing is the largest departure from the template of previous games. As turn-based JRPG, Like A Dragon was the type of game that used to scare me. However, the experience defied my expectations and opened the door to this wonderful series. On starting Yakuza: Like A Dragon, we are met with stunning visuals. Characters are rendered in 4K so detailed that we can often count their pores. This attention to detail is not limited to FMV sequences. The cities of Kamurocho, Yokohama, and Sotenbori are attended to with an expert level of care. We see their pebbles, puddles, and many pedestrians as well as we see them outside. At night, the cities really come alive as they are bordered and plastered with vibrant neon rays and reflections. Playing the PS4 version on PS5, I did not get to enjoy the 60 frames per second offered by the Xbox Series. Even with 30 FPS, I did not experience any noticeable drops in the frame rates. All too often, I was too busy feeling as if I were actually on the streets of Japan to notice frames. Seeing Japanese cities represented to nearly mimic their real-life counterparts does place us geographically, but the soundtrack of Like A Dragon charms us throughout our journey. Oftentimes, tasks coincide with a jazzy backing to give us a feeling of slipping through the streets oozing with style. When a new member joins the party, we can immediately sink back to being JRPG nerds after hearing a quick, victorious melody. The tunes and tones change as we move between neighborhoods, often reminding us that each district has its own distinct niche. One thing that has astonished me about Like A Dragon throughout my 50 hours with the game is its incredible stability. Though it is not attempting to avoid load screens, Like A Dragon renders a large open world that is filled with possibilities for the player. Remarkably, during that time, I have yet to notice a single visual bug, glitch, pop-in, or have a single crash. Of the games I have played since the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series, most have been riddled with crashes and bugs. In terms of performance, Like A Dragon is far and away the most stable of the major AAA games I have played. There is so much to love with this game, but this is a point I am not hearing enough compliments about. As I mentioned, prior to this game, I had never played any Yakuza title. However, the systems and deviations from the normal Yakuza story allowed this to be an easy entry point. The RPG elements are fairly straightforward and typical of JRPGs. There are items for healing, armor, jewelry for buffs, and weapons that can be crafted or upgraded. There are hit points and even magic points to be used, summons, and a standard class system. The turn-based combat gives us time to plan as well as soak in the quirky character models and actions. The menus are never cumbersome, though they can be overwhelming in the initial hours if this is one's first JRPG. Though all of these elements are present in the history of JRPGs, Yakuza: Like A Dragon riffs, honors, and satirizes them in ways that never feel cliché and hackneyed. Like a Dragon truly is making the old new again. Unlike the previous main entries, Like A Dragon leaves Kazuma Kiryu behind in favor of the unknown underling Ichiban Kasuga. In the opening hours, Ichiban sacrifices his own freedom by taking the blame for a murder he didn't commit. Ichiban's primary motivation in life is to rise in the ranks of the Yakuza and become a legendary member of the Tojo Clan. What results is a journey to fill the missing pieces of his life while he was imprisoned, forge bonds of friendship, and discover what it means to be a hero. Like A Dragon's story is long, sprawling, and, like the cities that form it, full of surprises around every corner. Much of the critical path is spent traveling from one main objective to the next, fighting any number of enemies that may be in the way. These journeys may end in lengthy narrative cutscenes or lead to several of the game's dungeons. Though the story is long and branching, it never seems to dip in its intensity, care, or intrigue. At each turn, I was captivated by what we were learning, how our party was growing together, and the effect Ichiban was having on his community. New enemies continued to appear, new skills were being learned on a regular basis, and game mechanics were still being refined deep into the game's main story. This is all welcome since occasionally there are some sharp difficulty spikes that require a few hours of grinding and leveling. Along with its main story, a Yakuza game wouldn't be a Yakuza game without its many side activities and quests. It would be easy to lose hundreds of hours in the game's business management sim, kart racer, or monster collection tracker. That's not even starting with the various mini-games - some of which are replicas of SEGA's actual games like Virtua Fighter 2. There's baseball, darts, gambling, karaoke, and so much more. Like A Dragon offers a collection of games, making it a true jack-of-all-trades. It can be the only game someone needs. Personality Like A Dragon is one of the few games that has had me literally laughing out loud. It has left me with a huge grin on my face more times than any game in recent memory. The creators and writers here have not only developed clever dialogue, but the city itself becomes a massive source of fun and humor. Like A Dragon is not a superhero game, it is not other-worldly or supernatural. In fact, what gives it its best charm is that it is incredibly grounded in the mundane, the every day, and the real. Ichiban is a lowly money collector, not a skilled martial artist. His weapons are often literally things he finds on the street: a stick of wood, a baseball bat, a box cutter. The class system is replaced with temp-job roles. Instead of the standard mages, rogues, and berserkers, we have a thumbtack throwing office clerk, a foul-breathed homeless guy, and a wine-showering table host. Ichiban can even summon in help from poisonous crawfish or boxing champions using his phone app Poundmates as he takes on enemies like oily sunbathers, venture capitalists, or even giant robot vacuums. The team at Ryu Ga Gotoku has cleverly made the normal, everyday elements of our lives a source of inspiring, hilarious heroism. Along the way, Ichiban, inspired himself by his obsession with Dragon Quest, assembles a ragtag party of normal folks trying to make a change. One element of the game is to build bonds of friendship with each party member, something each player will undoubtedly do regardless of game stats. Each character is deeply realized and formed with their own unique struggles, histories, and goals. They bolster one another, support one another, and we realize that the journey is not possible without our strong connections. Ichiban is also a great source of connection. We are drawn to his optimism, his hope, and his unyielding duty to do what's right. He sees himself as a hero in a world that doesn't acknowledge them. In some ways, he reads as naïve, but it is in that naivete that he sees true possibility. He is a template of what it means to be a hero without being gifted with special abilities or advantages. He shows us that we can do great things no matter the hand we're given. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a masterpiece of a game. It was a huge risk for the studio to break with tradition, but it is a decision mirrored by the game itself. Each of Like A Dragon's story beats and gameplay elements blend to create unified themes. Its many systems, side quests, mini-games, and lengthy grind make it an addictive, compelling, and charismatic experience that anyone can enjoy.