Felt a little disillusioned with the series after really enjoying 0, but not enjoying any of the other games afterward, mostly because of the combat. Like a Dragon is the first time I’ve really enjoyed a Yakuza game again to actually want to complete the majority of side content, largely because the combat - while perhaps a little bit weirdly balanced (Head Trauma my beloved) - is so much more fun to me. Kasuga’s also a fantastic protagonist and absolutely worthy of his status as the series’ new protagonist, especially since he’s a Dragon Quest fan, which is unfathomably based. This makes me really excited for Like a Dragon’s future.

The Dragon Engine is SO good. This is one of the most gorgeous looking games I’ve ever seen and every facet of it is rich with detail, but god I wish it was used on a better game. Combat’s Kiwami 2 but worse and I really don’t like how few opportunities for Heat actions you get, and honestly there are a lot of problems with the story, particularly with misogyny and xenophobia. I liked the (mostly) smaller scale of the story, but this entry makes me feel a little disenchanted with the series, which sucks considering this is supposed to be Kiryu’s big send-off.