Yakuza: Like a Dragon Reviews
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is the Yakuza many have come to know and love. An engrossing story, even if it does veer into the quirky and downright bizarre all the time, keeps players invested in Ichiban's quest to become a hero. The turn-based battles make the game even more accessible than earlier entries, with a few real-time aspects such as dodging and damage multipliers thrown in for good measure. Some odd monetization makes getting the complete version of the game pricier than usual, but it seems some next-gen games are priced higher these days as the norm. Still, you're not missing anything essential if you opt to buy the base version of this game. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a seriously fun time and a great soft reboot of a beloved franchise.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a great chapter in the Yakuza saga, and Ichiban is a good heir to Kiryu. Perhaps the change of gameplay to JRPG will put back some veterans of the saga, but Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has tried to develop dynamic combats not leave a break for the player. Being a reboot of the series, it's a good entry point for new players, too.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Crazy RPG with a loving game world and trashy charm, in which the graphics no longer look fresh.
Review in German | Read full review
Ichiban Kasuga is a worthy successor to the legacy Kiryu created, and his journey makes the story just as enthralling as any entry in the series. I entered this experience with an anxiousness never experienced before. What ensued was one of the best JRPGs from this console generation and one of the best Yakuza games of all-time. I implore fans, or anyone curious about the series, to play this game as soon as possible. Yakuza: Like A Dragon is truly is number one.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a brave and brilliant next step for the Yakuza franchise.
If Yakuza is to truly grow, we need to be the one to call it in.
There is room for improvements, but Like a Dragon is a worthy addition for this fantastic series and a great start for our new hero Ichiban.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is an incredibly ambitious approach to an already established series. Deviating from the beat ’em up genre was a bold risk SEGA were willing to take, especially heading into the next generation.
From a studio that's never really ventured into the genre of traditional JRPGs, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is an impressive inaugural effort. It's not perfect by any means, as the turn-based combat still has some growing pains in its current iteration. Coupled with repetitive dungeon design and an unfair endgame grinding requirement, these downsides cast an unfortunate sting on an otherwise very solid JRPG.
Change can be scary, but Yakuza: Like a Dragon proves it’s usually for the best. Though it has a few flaws, it’s still a standout title in the series and a strong indicator that the franchise has more than a few great stories to tell. It’s an experience that shouldn’t be missed, and that fans new and old will want to check out as soon as possible.
The latest installment in the Yakuza franchise takes the series in a brave new direction. And while it takes a moment to get used to the new characters, setting, and battle mechanics, you'll soon find yourself sinking into a fully-realized world that's charming, heartfelt, and an outright blast to play - even if you're not a Dragon Quest fan.
Offering a unique brand of tongue-in-cheek escapism that should induce a laugh roughly every five minutes, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a perfect lockdown game. The one unintentionally amusing element is the voice acting, which you can thankfully eliminate by opting to keep the original Japanese dialogue with subtitles. Sega’s Yakuza games have always seemed like a well-kept secret, but they’ve recently been enjoying much more appreciation abroad. If you like the idea of a very Japanese, gangster-themed, interactive comedy soap opera, you’ll absolutely adore it.
Even with these minor annoyances - not least those carried over from previous games in the series - what brief frustrations that do surface are quickly and easily eclipsed by everything else going on in Like a Dragon. Or more appropriately, by the sheer scale of deviation and conviction that this year's entry shows in proving that this genre of gameplay - this more classically RPG-centric approach - is an unquestionably excellent fit for the series.
It takes a while to really get going, but once things finally kick into gear, Yakuza: Like a Dragon blossoms into one of the most unique and engrossing RPGs on PS4. At its core, this is still the Yakuza that we know and love, with shocking story beats and fantastic characters, but in embracing the structure of an old school RPG, it successfully branches the series off in a whole new direction. Equal parts refreshing and familiar, it's a crazy and creative game that knows how to have fun, as Ichiban Kasuga proves himself a worthy successor to the one and only uncle Kaz.
Taking even the most passing of glances at any of the pre-release trailers and seeing real-world jobs like chef or bouncer or pop idol or musician re-imagined as RPG character classes, or witnessing crustaceans swarming enemies in what looked like mage abilities (aka spells), you could very easily chalk it up to the Yakuza team indulging in their absurdist tendencies.
Yakuza Like A Dragon isn't a sequel so to speak, it serves as a revival for the entire franchise, this entry miraculously changed the essence of the gameplay while retaining the ambiance and originality of the franchise, it is a good move to attract new fans at the same time keeping the original fans satisfied.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Forget about Kiryu. There’s a new Dragon in town! “Yakuza: Like a Dragon” proves that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has still a lot to offer. Fresh mechanics, interesting characters, new town and Mario…I mean – Dragon Kart.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a new frontier for the Yakuza series, and the life and crimes of the series feels right at home in this new setting. Ichiban is an instant addition to the pantheon of Yakuza legends, his party an endearing band of ruffians, with the combat doing just enough to make everything familiar feel new again. Where Yakuza goes from here is anyone's guess, but mechanical friction aside, this is a step in a fun and compelling new direction.
Even with these minor annoyances - not least those carried over from previous games in the series - what brief frustrations that do surface are quickly and easily eclipsed by everything else going on in Like a Dragon. Or more appropriately, by the sheer scale of deviation and conviction that this year's entry shows in proving that this genre of gameplay - this more classically RPG-centric approach - is an unquestionably excellent fit for the series.
Kiryu who? I'm all about that Kasuga life now. Yakuza: Like a Dragon took no time at all to become one of my favourite Yakuza games to date.