Like a Dragon Gaiden is a spin-off of the mainline Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. Taking place alongside the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Gaiden brings back the old-school beat 'em up combat style and follows the series original protagonist Kazuma Kiryu after the events of Yakuza 6 when he disappeared from the world and signed a pact with the secret organization the "Daidoji faction". Now under the codename "Joryu" Kiryu operates as one of the Daidoji's secret agents from the shadows until a mysterious figure who seems to know Kiryu's past draws him out of hiding and into a whole new conflict.

Gaiden is the shortest Yakuza game taking me merely 30 hours (As according to the in-game time counter) to not only beat the game, but to 100% it and get the platinum trophy as well. However due to being so short it's also one of the most focused and tightly paced Yakuza games in the whole series featuring some of the best moments in the whole series including the best final boss and best antagonist as well with some great twists too.

Gaiden is also the best Kiryu has ever felt to play in the entire series running on the Dragon Engine and giving him 2 styles similar to Yagami in Judgment and feeling very fast, fluid and stylish. On top of his standard Yakuza style which incorporates many different moves from all Kiryu's past styles in previous games and serves as the heavy style to be used on one-on-one fights and bosses, Kiryu now has the Agent style which allows him to fight with advanced techniques he learned from the Daidoji based on martial arts from all over the world alongside various spy-like gadgets like a grappling gun, exploding cigarettes and even jet powered shoes the agent style is tons of fun and acts as the crowd control style Kiryu uses when up against waves of enemies.

Gaiden also brings back a fan favorite system from Yakuza 0 allowing you to purchase skills with money, but it combines that with a similar SP system that the Judgment games have as well. You earn SP by completing challenges and side missions for Sotenbori's jack-of-all-trades Akame. There's also gear and stat increases similar to Like a Dragon. In a way Gaiden acts as a jack-of-all-trades itself and combines parts of systems from all past Yakuza games. I also have to mention that I enjoy how most sub-stories have something to do with Kiryu's past.

While Gaiden may be the shortest Yakuza game it still has just as many side activities and mini-games to do like the classics such as pool, darts, karaoke, gambling, Majong, Shogi and even the return of the fan favorite...Pocket Circuit! There's also a colosseum where you can partake in both one-on-one battles and clan battles where you can fight with a group of NPC characters you recruit and the colosseum even lets you play as other characters besides Kiryu as well.

Overall Gaiden is a short, but fantastic companion piece to Yakuza 7 giving Kiryu even more development and a new side to his character as he works as a secret agent with no name while fleshing out his side of the events that happened in Yakuza 7. There are plenty of memorable sub-stories, side activities and good fan service moments for those who have experienced Kiryu's journey from the beginning and the combat is the best the mainline Yakuza series has ever felt. The antagonist and final boss, their motivations and the themes have so much depth to think about and I would easily count them among the series absolute best as well and even if we never get another Yakuza game in the classic beat 'em up style I can think of no more fitting way for it to go out than Gaiden's incredible finale.

"Once you're at rock bottom, the only way forward is up. But the bottom doesn't have to be all dark and gloomy. If you can stand and look up, you'll see the light of hope up there." - Kasuga Ichiban

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play a Persona game with a cast of characters that are all middle-aged misfits and losers who are led by a 42 year-old homeless gamer with undiagnosed schizophrenia and the personality of Luffy from One Piece? Well boy do I have a game for you...

Featuring a whole new cast of characters, a new setting, a new protagonist and even a new battle system replacing the iconic beat-em up gameplay of old for turn-based J-RPG tactics, Like a Dragon truly feels like a fresh new beginning for the Yakuza series, but at the same time a natural evolution of the series formula as well because let's be honest, past Yakuza games were just J-RPGs with beat 'em up combat.

Like a Dragon follows the tale of Kasuga Ichiban, an ex-yakuza who hits rock bottom after a tragic betrayal. Homeless and struggling to survive, Ichiban goes on a personal quest to become the hero he always dreamt he could be and uncover the truth about his betrayal. Ichiban's story is a deep and personal adventure full of incredibly strong emotional moments and easily one of the best stories the Yakuza series has to offer in general.

I really appreciate how the early game does its best to make you feel powerless and homeless to the point of even finding 500 yen under a vending machine feels like a big event that should be celebrated and that gives such a massive sense of progression in the later game when you have millions of yen and the best gear possible. Also something I adore about Like a Dragon's story and something that sets it apart from other RPGs is how it makes even the most mundane things like just getting a job feel exciting and adventurous essentially turning real life itself into an adventure which is very fitting for a character like Ichiban.

Speaking of Ichiban a lot of people will be wondering how he stands up to Kiryu and all I can say is that after being the main protagonist of the series for 7 games Kazuma Kiryu leaves some big shoes to fill and Ichiban doesn't fill them, but that's ok because Kiryu and Ichiban are two completely different characters and the game itself does it's best to get this point across. Ichiban doesn't need to fill Kiryu's shoes or take up his legacy because Ichiban is Ichiban and here's what Ichiban is, a homeless 42 year-old delusional chuunibyou who thinks life is like a video game and has the personality of a teenage anime protagonist. He's hotheaded, overly optimistic to a fault, somewhat naive and would do anything for his friends but all these traits are exactly WHY he's so endearing and what makes him such an easy protagonist to root for, the world would be a better place if we were all a little bit more like Ichiban. Also Kazuhiro Nakaya's absolutely incredible voice acting performance really helps bring Ichiban to life as a character as well.

Yakuza games of the past primarily focused on Kiryu's life and his struggles and while Yakuza 7 does the same for Ichiban it's also an RPG with a full cast of characters that follow Ichiban from beginning to end and the game does everything in its power to flesh out Ichiban's fellow party members and companions just as well as him making the sense of camaraderie they all share feel that much more real and believable. Ichiban can build up bonds with his party members simply by teaming up with them on the battlefield or by spending downtime with them at the party's hideout the Survive Bar. Some of Ichiban's party members include a fellow homeless man, an ex-detective turned alcoholic driving instructor and a barmaid. Every party member has a Persona-like social link storyline called a "Drink Link" that you can experience. These in-depth stories help give tons of depth and flesh out Ichiban's party members a lot, but even doing smaller activities like walking around town or going to eat at a restaurant will trigger party conversations and interactions that remind me of the skits from the Tales Of series and even simple things like characters talking about their favorite foods or favorite movies together really give them tons of personality and make them feel more real and relatable.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this review Like a Dragon is unlike any other Yakuza game before it being entirely turn-based and speaking as someone who has been playing J-RPGs for 20+ years of my life I think Like a Dragon has one of the most engaging and enjoyable turn-based combat systems I've ever experienced and one of the reasons why I say that is due to how dynamic the combat is thanks to the world around you constantly moving and your characters being able to use their surroundings as weapons in combat from picking up a bike they cross paths with as they go to attack an enemy to knocking an enemy into the road and letting traffic do the rest, there's no shortage of ways to handle combat situations. I also have to mention that the game is turn-based simply because that's the way Ichiban views the world when he gets into a fight due to his obsession with Dragon Quest and I think that's just another incredibly endearing aspect of his character and for a series known for its ludonarrative dissonance that's an incredibly clever way to explain the game mechanics and make them harmonize with the world of the game itself.

Naturally it's no surprise that Like a Dragon features an old school job system akin to classic Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest itself since that's Ichiban's favorite game, but what makes the job system of this game stand out is how over-the-top and silly it is. Most normal RPGs would have mages and warriors, but in Like a Dragon we get classes like "Homeless Guy" who can throw beans at enemies to summon pigeons to attack or Chef's who throw silverware or Host's who spray champagne among many other classes. The attack animations are just so over-the-top and silly that they give the game so much charm, but I think where this is most evident is in the Final Fantasy-like summons called "Poundmates" where Ichiban uses his cellphone to order some back up and the summons include a crawfish that can poison your enemies, a soup kitchen worker who can replenish your mana or a giant Yakuza dressed like a baby who's cry defeans your enemies among many others, getting a new summon was always a treat just to witness the wacky hijinks that would happen when activating it.

Yakuza games are known for their mini-games and side activities and Like a Dragon is no exception to this rule. Like a Dragon has series staples like karaoke (Featuring a few new songs which are great btw), Sega arcade games like Virtua Fighter, golf bingo and batting cages, but also new things like a Mario Kart styled racing game, a Pac-Man-like can collecting game and a massive business management simulator that is long enough and has enough depth to it that it could be its own standalone game. Another defining aspect of the Yakuza series has always been the sub-stories and like most games in the series Like a Dragon also features over 50 sub-stories (which act as the side-quests of the game) that help flesh out the world and its inhabitants even more and give extra depth to Ichiban as a character by going through these various stories and helping the people of the city around him.

Speaking of the world-building there's tons of references to past Yakuza games both in sub-stories and just in the main game too, plenty of returning characters as well and that's the one downside to the game because it's hard to recommend to people without them having played the past games as well, but that just comes with the territory of any long-running, interconnected series unfortunately.

From its Persona-like social links to it's Dragon Quest job system, Final Fantasy styled summons and Tales Of character interactions Like a Dragon is a J-RPG that's about J-RPGs. It's a beautiful love letter to my favorite genre of games wrapped up in an inspiring and emotional tale about a man who always chooses to look at the bright side of life no matter how dark things may seem. It has a charming and well written cast of memorable characters, deep and immersive world-building, tons of side content to get lost in for hours and one of the most fun, over-the-top and engaging turn based combat systems I've ever had the joy of experiencing. Simply put, Like a Dragon is nothing short of a genre defining and life changing masterpiece that will stick with me for the rest of my life and if you love J-RPGs as much as me you'd be a fool to miss out on this game.

Dropped the game almost a year ago after finishing the Belobog arc. Picked it back up for the 1 year anniversary celebration and almost immediately pulled Acheron and her 5 star Light Cone and now the game feels fun and worth playing again. I see the big numbers Slashed Dream does and it instantly gives me a dopamine rush.

Also both The Xianzhou Luofu storyline and the Penacony storyline were a LOT more interesting than the Belobog one because one felt more distinctly rooted in Chinese mythology and the other was this surreal dreamscape sci-fi murder mystery and they both were much more unique compared to the opening Belobog story which was a pretty standard sci-fi civil war story I've seen many times before (I still liked the actual characters though)

There's tons of new content and game modes to explore coming back almost a year later as well, I'd say they've improved the game a lot. I do still wish the combat wasn't so simple, but even with how simple it is, I've been addicted enough to spend another 60+ hours on this game since I picked it back up, so I guess that should say something. It also helps that HSR might be one of the most generous gachas that I've ever played giving F2P users the chance to earn thousands of Stellar Jade (The currency you use for the gacha pulls) so you could easily save up 100s of pulls even as a F2P user.

At the end of the day I'm glad I picked Star Rail back up and have been enjoying my time with it a lot and will probably continue to play it on and off because now I'm pretty invested in the world and characters and I look forward to seeing the continuing adventures of the Astral Express crew.