Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Reviews
Like a Dragon Gaiden’s combat hits with flash and fury and its story is sharp, but its setting and side activities feel a bit on the stale side.
It may be short, but it still packs a punch. Like a Dragon: Gaiden does little new, but its story is fascinating and heartbreaking in equal measure.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name feels like another swan song for Kiryu, and it’s one I’m tired of hearing.
A much smaller Like A Dragon game, that offers everything fans love about the series, but one that doesn't quite justify its own existence.
By the time credits roll, Gaiden neatly establishes Kiryu's role in the next mainline game, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and since that game's out in a few months, the brief taste gave me plenty to be excited for. I wish the story were more interested in exploring who Kiryu is now that he's forced into this double life, but as a thin bridge between games, Gaiden is a neat one.
RGG Studio's latest action-brawler is a captivating and emotional look at Kiryu's life that offers a 'greatest hits' of the series' gameplay.
As an extended epilogue for Kazuma Kiryu, The Man Who Erased His Name is well worth the time. While the game could be longer, it’s a strong send-off for a character that has made Yakuza the thrilling, dramatic series it has been for nearly two decades. As the franchise transitions to Ichiban Kazuga as the main protagonist, I will still fondly remember him, with or without his name.
Like a Dragon Gaiden has games, laughs, tears, and brawls where characters dramatically reveal their resplendent back tattoos. It does what a new Like a Dragon entry needs to do, and tees up some big emotional moments for its longtime series lead along the way. If you want a deep story with twists and turns, this may not be all you hope for. But if you run off the beaten path to get a model AiAi out of the UFO Catcher, this should more than tide you over to Infinite Wealth.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is not simply a short story to contextualize the presence and appearance of Kazuma Kiryu in the chronology and history of Ichiban Kasuga. In the same way that Yakuza 0 ended up representing a magnificent 'separate' installment, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name also manages to maintain itself by pulling nostalgia and some other curious novelty.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Considered inside the long trajectory of the Yakuza franchise, this is a secondary chapter, as you can see in the digital format, the lenght or the mechanics, but it works really well as a bridge between the game from 2020 and the game that will be released in 2024. Few games can compite with this one in terms of script, characters, minigames...
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Having now completed every side mission, substory, and objective in a little over 25 hours, I can only hope Ryu Ga Gotoku learns from this game and works on more bite-sized spin-offs fleshing out the rest of this universe roster of loveable weirdos, gallant heroes, and snarling villains.
From a spin-off such as Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, we can't expect any innovation, and in fact, while enjoyable and always entertaining thanks to its varied combat-system, the game does not add much to the Yakuza series.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name may be a side story in RGG Studio’s long-running Yakuza franchise, but it’s also one of the biggest steps forward in quality and thoughtful design that the series has seen in years.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The man who erased his name serves as chapter 0.5, a title that brings back the figure of Kazuma Kiryu and serves as a connection between Yakuza 6: Song of Life and the next great adventure with Kasuga Ichiban in Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Despite missed potential in terms of its main story, Like a Dragon Gaiden makes up for it with incredible combat and fantastic side content. Hopefully RGG Studio continues to expand on the beat-em-up style instead of going all-in on turn-based combat, because Gaiden offers one of the most fun gameplay experiences of the franchise.
Like A Dragon Gaiden has one of the better stories of the series, acting as a love letter to Kiryu that fans are going to fall in love with.
Like a Dragon Gaiden might be a short ride but it stands tall among its larger brethren. Bond-like combat refinements, a tight plot, and fun mini-games build on the same old Yakuza heart.
A shorter stop-gap that fills us in on Kiryu's agent activities after his "death", Gaiden's story might be a repetitive shuttle to endless scuffles, but the draw of its minigames is undeniable.
Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name marks the beginning of the end for Kazuma Kiryu, but, if its quality is anything to go by, the Like a Dragon series has a long and bright future ahead.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a great interlude before Infinite Wealth comes out next year, with its throwback to the franchise's classic real time beat 'em up combat in the shoes of Kiryu. The narrative does take a step back, and the new characters aren't as memorable, but there's plenty of bizarre and addicting side activities to partake in on the streets of Sotonbori or at the Castle.