I’ve been slowly playing through this one. I’m about 8-10 hours in. The yakuza games are known for mixing hard boiled, crime stories with absurd gameplay elements. This holds true for Like A Dragon. The story hits you hard with backstabs and betrayals, but the gameplay has you beating people with park benches, and um female pleasure devices.
It’s tongue is planted firmly in cheek and the designers must have had a blast coming up with some of the INSANE little side stories. I would never describe this game as is “boring” and my jaw is hitting the floor at least once a play session. Either by the story or a crazy gameplay element. Do yourself a favor and play this with the Japanese audio and English subtitles. It FEELS right.
The story wouldn’t be compelling without the lovable scumbag protagonist, Kasuga Ichiban. This dude is in the running for my favorite playable character of all time! He’s a loyal yakuza grunt who grew up obsessed with Dragon Quest. His love of the classic JPRG affects his worldview and attitude. He wants to be a “hero” and this leads to some of the games strangest decisions.
Previous Yakuza games featured bone crunching, button slapping, action fisticuffs. Like a Dragon follows that, but it’s all menu based, turn based combat. This is a full blown JRPG and the game playfully nods at this all the time. It’s half parody, but it’s also so damn good that you have to take it seriously.
Fans of JRPGs take note, this is a special one you won’t want to miss! Action fans can probably look into it as well, since the combat is still fast, brutal, and ridiculous. There is so much to do around the city, and the hours just slip away while playing.