I was skeptical going into Like a Dragon - how would I feel about a series suddenly switching up its lead character on the 7th entry?
The first 5 or so hours also didn’t have me convinced - the Yakuza series always leant into the more “silly” side of things but had its lead be stoic and serious to balance things out. Like a Dragon takes the lead and also makes him a person who also sits more on the “unserious” side of things.
This is however, as I got more into it, actually enjoyable. It lends itself to the new turn-based combat instead of the beat-em-up type from the previous entries by making it a character trait. Ichiban sees the world and his “fighting” like his favourite video game - Dragon Quest, helping to allow for those quirky and weird enemies to fit into the world.
Ichiban does also have that emotional depth to balance out the character so it’s not all just crazy 24/7 (the ending may have gotten a tear out of me).
Not only did they swap out the lead and the combat but Ryu Ga Gotoku also switched out the main locale from series mainstay of Kamurocho to Isezaki Ijincho (Also featured in Lost Judgment), which is a decent size larger than Kamurocho.
Yet again, the story is just as good as the previous titles and really the main drawing factor for myself to play through these games, bringing in the fun and dramatic elements to truly create this video game “soap opera”.
The game also is littered, as expected, with hours upon hours of side activities and quests - from being a “Part-Time Hero” where you go around town saving people from trouble or providing them with items they’ve requested, to go-karting around the streets. Oh, and of course, sega arcades to play classic sega games.
Despite my initial scepticism of the drastic change of the series it’s certainly welcomed and needed to keep it fresh and engaging.
The first 5 or so hours also didn’t have me convinced - the Yakuza series always leant into the more “silly” side of things but had its lead be stoic and serious to balance things out. Like a Dragon takes the lead and also makes him a person who also sits more on the “unserious” side of things.
This is however, as I got more into it, actually enjoyable. It lends itself to the new turn-based combat instead of the beat-em-up type from the previous entries by making it a character trait. Ichiban sees the world and his “fighting” like his favourite video game - Dragon Quest, helping to allow for those quirky and weird enemies to fit into the world.
Ichiban does also have that emotional depth to balance out the character so it’s not all just crazy 24/7 (the ending may have gotten a tear out of me).
Not only did they swap out the lead and the combat but Ryu Ga Gotoku also switched out the main locale from series mainstay of Kamurocho to Isezaki Ijincho (Also featured in Lost Judgment), which is a decent size larger than Kamurocho.
Yet again, the story is just as good as the previous titles and really the main drawing factor for myself to play through these games, bringing in the fun and dramatic elements to truly create this video game “soap opera”.
The game also is littered, as expected, with hours upon hours of side activities and quests - from being a “Part-Time Hero” where you go around town saving people from trouble or providing them with items they’ve requested, to go-karting around the streets. Oh, and of course, sega arcades to play classic sega games.
Despite my initial scepticism of the drastic change of the series it’s certainly welcomed and needed to keep it fresh and engaging.