Like a Dragon Gaiden Review - Like an OVA Teaser for Future Content

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a Yakuza side project for the fans that have stuck with Kazuma Kiryu's story; it’s a game that greatly encapsulates the series’ positive qualities, but delivering this requires the Ryu Ga Gotoku team to embrace the series’ weakest qualities.

Like a Dragon Gaiden is a spin-off title not meant to bring new people in, but to set the stage for the bigger picture by putting everything in place for the upcoming mainline title, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. It’s a true end of an era as Kiryu’s latest adventure will delight fans, especially during the game’s final act, as the emotional beats hit me, and will hit even harder if you’re one of the elect who’s played every Yakuza game from Yakuza 0 up to Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

It’s a short story by Yakuza standards but with all the same twists and turns. Characters are memorable, and the fight scenes are designed to entertain, but despite all their efforts, it’s nowhere close if you compare this to other stories that involve Kiryu. It felt more like a large OVA mini-series from your favorite anime that was meant to provide more context. We see familiar faces that show up for fan service and new ones that aren’t fully fleshed out but are interesting enough that I do hope we see more of them in the future. When I rolled credits on the main story (it took me 15 hours to finish) I was pumped and ready for Infinite Wealth, the next mainline entry set to release next year. Some may find Gaiden short, but the length is just right considering this is meant to fill in the gaps in the series’ overall story. 

Gaiden’s narrative was done well enough that it’s easy enough to recommend for new players to consider as it’s a nice appetizer to witness first-hand why Kiryu Kazama is one of the most beloved protagonists in video game history. Its story will either get you excited for what’s to come or push you to play the previous titles in the series.

Brawling with past demons

With the spotlight fixed on Kiryu once again, Like a Dragon Gaiden reverts to Yakuza’s original concept - an action game with brawler combat pitting Kiryu against multiple enemies at once. Kiryu still delivers over-the-top finishers with two stances that deliver Kiryu’s true fighting style and one that makes him rely on gadgets. The agent is the name of the new style, and it feels unusual seeing Kiryu moving around with a spider-like wire, sending drones to distract enemies, and throwing explosive cigarettes to unsuspecting foes. It’s wacky, but it doesn’t greatly change the formula of its combat, as it’s simply a new style that’s designed to help players deal with hordes of enemies. 

When I say hordes, I’m not talking about just 5 people, as there are so many encounters where you’ll see 20 people on the screen just looking straight at you. The combat mostly feels like crowd control, as it’s not about combos, but always making sure you’re not overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies. This is made challenging because of the combat system showing its age - knockdown from being hit from behind or slow targeting to face the enemy of your choice was frustrating. After a few hours, Gaiden’s combat made me realize that I’m happy that Ryu Ga Gotoku is stepping away from this formula, as it has never really changed since previous titles. It’s understandable that to many, Yakuza’s combat isn’t a vital element to their investment, but the lack of polish is more apparent in Gaiden, as it makes Ryu Ga Gotoku’s shift to turned-based RPG combat more appealing. The only plus side is the larger-than-life boss battles, as combat only truly shines in those one-on-one encounters with entertaining choreography.

Outside of its combat and story, Like a Dragon Gaiden is still packed with all the right features you’d expect from a Yakuza game. There are some great side stories to partake in, and fun distractions like a Tamiya mini-game, golf, karaoke, gambling, arcades, and a Cabaret dating simulator featuring real women. But at the end of the day, we’ve seen all of this before. They are all fun, but nothing unique stands out as those on offer now feel like standard additions because that’s what the fans expect. It’s a long list of side activities compiled to meet the status quo of expectations and nothing more.

A safe and familiar package to set up the future

All of the activities are associated with a feature called the Akame system, a network that asks you to aid Akame in growing the information network by doing odd jobs around town. Be it your ranking up in the game’s arena or beating a child in a rival match in a Tamiya-like race, all of it equates to Kiryu improving the network, which in turn gives you the option to unlock new abilities and equipment. The worst kind of side activity is the fetch quests, which involve people asking for food or a picture of a specific object in the city. These mundane activities are scattered everywhere and are meant to be quick and easy activities to progress in the system.

The real strengths in Like a Dragon Gaiden remain in the game’s story and the fights that are associated with the heavy story beats. The voice acting is of high quality, so it’s still hard for me to see this game portrayed any other way (no English dub as of this writing). The animation is decent and serviceable for immersion’s sake, but there’s no comparison against triple-A games where storytelling is also their strong suit, as there’s still a sense of stiffness in the character animation.

The game is mostly set in a relatively small location in Setonbori that feels around the same size as Kyo from Like a Dragon: Ishin! It does have a secondary location called the Castle, which is an even smaller area filled with neon lights, gambling activities, and a combat arena at the center of it all. In both areas, Gaiden does the bare minimum of portraying a bustling city, as it’s populated with so many NPCs robotically moving on a set path, with others doing their own thing in the background. The locals only pop during the nighttime, as Setonborti and Castle look their best during these times.

Like a Dragon Gaiden feels more like the appetizer to something greater, a taste of what’s to come as Ryu Ga Gotoku shifts the series heavily to a new direction as they blend old and new in Inifinte Wealth. This isn’t their best work, as combat feels bland and we’ve seen these side activities before, but this is a nice distraction for hardcore fans and a more touching and satisfying sendoff to Kazuma Kiryu as the leading man. With the reasonable price point at launch, it’s still a highly recommended title for new and returning players as it’s a modern taste of the series’ past.

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Verdict: 3/5 (Great)

*We’ve recently changed our review score format from a 10-score rating to a 5-score rating. You can check out the definition of the new review score system on our About Us page.

PROS

• Ryu Go Gotoku is still the master of dramatic video game storytelling

• Fun mini-games despite it having nothing new 

• Features a great cast of characters

CONS

• Combat feels dated, and can be frustrating when overwhelmed

• Fodder quests are mundane

What I’ve Played 

• Finished the main story in the 14th hour

• Did all side activities and minigames at least once

• Did almost half of the game’s side stories after finishing the main story

*This review is based on a PS5 code provided by the publisher

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