Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
MSRP $50.00
“Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name satisfyingly ties up many loose ends in Kiryu’s story, but it’s one of the franchise’s most tedious adventures.”
Pros
Kiryu will get a robust arc
Some very emotional scenes
Agent combating fashion is a blast
Entertaining sub-stories
Cons
Repetitive plot beats
Combat lacks innovation
Tedious Akame Network
Within the primary couple hours of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Kiryu and his associates are ambushed or cornered by aggressors whereas minding their very own enterprise a minimum of 3 times. I’m at all times completely happy to observe Kiryu beat up some creeps who picked the unsuitable battle, however because it occurred time and again, these moments started to put on skinny. There are solely so many instances you may play that scene earlier than shock turns to tedium, particularly contemplating what number of instances conflicts within the Like a Dragon collection begin the identical means.
This is emblematic of Like a Dragon Gaiden as an entire: It’s a facet story that replays the collection’ best hits to various levels of success. The primary goal of this sport is to function a shorter, action-focused interquel to 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It explains what Kiryu was doing through the occasions of that sport and serves as a sendoff to his private struggles earlier than what may very well be his remaining look in 2024’s Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Those who benefit from the extra action-focused Like a Dragon titles and are closely invested in Kiryu’s journey will discover loads of compelling narrative beats in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. But regardless of its quick size, the narrative construction and gameplay of Like a Dragon Gaiden can really feel fairly repetitive and performed out at instances.
Kiryu’s quest
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name lays out Kiryu’s primary wrestle in that prolonged title. Following the occasions of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, the collection’ protagonist has given up his id to guard an orphanage in Okinawa. He now works for a secret Japanese authorities group as an agent with the code title Joryu. His state of affairs will get far more sophisticated when some Yakuza uncover that Kiryu continues to be alive and wish to carry him again into the fold for a plan to dissolve the organized crime scene in Japan altogether.
You may acknowledge that final plot beat for those who performed Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and that’s as a result of a lot of this sport takes place concurrently with that journey. Kiryu’s journey provides extra perception into what needed to occur for that dissolution plan to undergo. If Yakuza: Like a Dragon had been to be tailored right into a season of tv, Like a Dragon Gaiden feels prefer it’d be that season’s B-plot.
Sega
While that is technically a facet story within the grander narrative of the Like a Dragon franchise, it ties up many free ends for Kiryu’s journey. Developer RGG Studio writes a few of the most compelling characters in video games, and that’s no totally different right here. Like a Dragon Gaiden explores what drives somebody to crime, how energy corrupts, and what somebody has to carry on to after making the last word sacrifice whereas nonetheless residing to inform the story.
In observe, Like a Dragon Gaiden appears like a band enjoying its best hits earlier than releasing a brand new album. It references many of the franchise’s most necessary narrative constructions, characters, and moments in some style. While that makes this sport glorious by way of fan service and character improvement, its plot does get repetitive consequently. It contains a glut of ambushes, stunning betrayals, or reveals meant to shock gamers. These are the sorts of twists that helped set up the Like a Dragon franchise as gaming’s best cleaning soap opera, so it’s not shocking that RGG Studio options them on this “best of”-style journey.
It’s a by-the-numbers conclusion to Kiryu’s journey moderately than a revelatory new chapter …
As somebody who’s performed many video games within the collection and is aware of how issues play out in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, these overused moments really feel stale at this level within the collection’ lengthy life. That may imply Like a Dragon Gaiden is healthier for newcomers, however its fan service focus means these gamers gained’t get as a lot out of these elements of the story. That places it in a bizarre spot. Gaiden has some incredible moments; one explicit scene close to the top almost left me in tears because it felt just like the second Kiryu’s lengthy, arduous journey was constructing towards. There’s simply numerous unoriginal setup to succeed in that time.
It’s a by-the-numbers conclusion to Kiryu’s journey moderately than a revelatory new chapter within the Like a Dragon saga. And whereas that’s how RGG positioned this launch by placing Gaiden (which suggests facet story) within the title, that doesn’t imply there wasn’t a chance to attempt some new concepts right here. That’s a disgrace, as Gaiden does characteristic a few of the best-written characters and scenes of the yr.
Like a Yakuza
Like a Dragon Gaiden is an motion sport, not an RPG just like the upcoming Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. It’s a combo-based brawler the place gamers can swap between types midbattle whereas continuously increase “Heat” used to carry out highly effective Heat Action assaults. If you’ve performed any Like a Dragon video games that Kiryu starred in, you’ll be aware of this gameplay fashion. Like a Dragon Gaiden doesn’t do something drastic to alter it up. In truth, it reuses most of its Heat Action animations and solely has two combating types.
Combat hasn’t modified or been improved upon a lot from earlier video games within the collection.
One is the Yakuza fashion, which primarily consists of slower, stronger assaults in opposition to one opponent. The different, which is extra enjoyable to mess around with, is Agent Style. Faster-paced and meant for use in opposition to giant teams of enemies, this combating fashion takes benefit of numerous James Bond-style devices that Kiryu can use to do issues like whip a number of enemies round or name in drones for offensive and defensive assist. Whenever I’d get right into a battle, my technique would nearly at all times be to skinny the herd and whittle down each enemy’s well being with Agent assaults earlier than moving into for the ending blow with Yakuza combos and Heat Actions.
It’s fulfilling, however not precisely new. While the Agent devices do create some contemporary moments, fight hasn’t modified or been improved upon a lot from earlier video games within the collection. It’s truly a bit extra restricted, with solely two types as an alternative of 4. Like a Dragon Gaiden doesn’t really feel like a grand sendoff to this previous gameplay fashion; it simply appears like yet one more iteration earlier than RGG Studio strikes on to turn-based RPGs completely.
Sega
While Sega has stated that Like a Dragon Gaiden is supposed to be a smaller sport, it nonetheless took me almost 12 hours to beat. That’s a bit shorter than different video games on this franchise, however nonetheless not a playtime to scoff at for a single-player journey. There continues to be lots to sink one’s enamel into right here, particularly for those who’re down to interact with all the facet content material like I’m.
Side hustles
As is the case with all Like a Dragon video games, Gaiden does a incredible job at creating what appears like a residing, respiratory Japanese metropolis with tons of issues to do in it. Most of the journey takes place in Sotenbori; in actual fact, this may be the one Like a Dragon sport to not characteristic Kamurocho in any respect. While the collection’ most iconic metropolis isn’t right here, I realized to fall in love with the traditionally less-explored Sotenbori. I used to be aware of nearly each nook and cranny of town by the top of the journey.
Sega
There are plenty of minigames to interact with. These vary from extra normal video games like Go and Blackjack to bizarre ones like a live-action Cabaret minigame the place Kiryu has to make the proper option to woo the cabaret woman he’s speaking to. Like a Dragon Gaiden additionally lets gamers journey to The Castle, an opulent, boat-based theme park for the wealthy that’s crammed with extra minigames just like the Coliseum.
With the Coliseum mode, gamers can do varied one-on-one problem fights or team-based brawls with Kiryu or characters recruited through the journey. This basically serves because the endgame for Like a Dragon Gaiden. While I’d had sufficient of its fight techniques by the sport’s conclusion, those that take pleasure in these brawls may lose numerous time getting by way of all these Coliseum fights and leveling up each potential particular person fighter.
Side tales are unpredictable and comedic …
The content material that at all times appeals to me probably the most in Like a Dragon video games is the bizarre and quirky sub-stories, although. Like a Dragon Gaiden options fairly just a few of them. One standout pokes enjoyable at ChatGPT as Kiryu tries to assist somebody who employs an AI chatbot to assist him woo a woman. As at all times, facet tales are unpredictable and comedic, balancing out the extra severe crime epic on the coronary heart of the collection.
What’s much less thrilling is how gamers truly stumble into these tales. In earlier video games, gamers may dynamically come throughout facet tales whereas exploring town, which emboldened the already incredible world design and made RGG’s cities enchanting locations that individuals like me would eagerly wish to return to with every new sport. In Like a Dragon Gaiden, nearly all sub-stories are activated by way of a irritating new characteristic: the Akame Network.
Akame is a significant participant within the story and a well-connected individual in Sotenbori’s underground and homeless scenes. The conceit in most of Like a Dragon Gaiden is that individuals have come to Akame with requests, and he or she’s having Kiryu fulfill them. As a reward, Kiryu will get cash and Akame factors, which might be spent on character capacity upgrades or gadgets in her store. That provides a shocking quantity of tedium to a previously elegant exploration formulation. To begin a narrative, gamers must run again to Akame’s hideout and settle for the mission, triggering a briefing. It’s simple to zone out when 10 sub-missions seem without delay and some lengthy minutes are spent going by way of setup. It’s a time-consuming course of, and that bleeds into different areas of the design, together with clunky stock administration.
Sega
Instead of making emergent moments, it feels extra like I’m checking gadgets off a to-do listing right here. Plenty of smaller encounters that may up the Akame Network’s rating are scattered all through Sotenbori as effectively, however these lack the depth or personalities of full sub-stories. Most of them are quick fetch quests that often boil right down to giving somebody an merchandise, taking an image of one thing, or doing a fast battle.
These might sound like small issues, however just like the fixed ambushes that threw me off initially, they converse to probably the most important difficulty with Like a Dragon Gaiden. While the story is a satisfying solo second for the collection’ most iconic character, there isn’t as a lot creativity right here because the collection often delivers. Those who’ve already performed by way of each Like a Dragon sport won’t thoughts, however these not as acquainted are possible higher off simply watching a narrative recap and ready for the prolonged RPG Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth to launch subsequent yr.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name was examined on Xbox Series X.
Editors’ Recommendations