Recently, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio made a significant heel-turn with its titular beat ‘em up franchise to something far different. Rather than continue with Kazuma Kiryu’s story in Kamurocho, theYakuzaseries will be starting anew with Ichiban Kasuga, boasting a gameplay experience closer toPersonathanYakuza.Yakuza: Like a Dragonnot only kicks off the new protagonist’s story, but also ushers in a completely new JRPG framework that significantly changes how the series is played. Both critics and fans alike received this seismic change surprisingly well, and it seems the development studio intends to continue iterating on this foundation for futureYakuzaentries.
According to a report from Famitsu, the Japanese voice actor for Ichiban Kasuga was told byYakuzacreator Toshihiro Nagoshi that he’s got some serious job security. Similar to how Kazuma Kiryu was the protagonist for nearly everyYakuzagame before it, apparentlyYakuza: Like a Dragonis only the beginning for Ichiban Kasuga. Supposedly, Kasuga is meant to be the next headlining protagonist for the franchise throughout the next decade. This could also mean thatYakuza: Like a Dragonis the start of a long line ofYakuzaturn-based JRPGs as well. However, the question remains whether or notLike a Dragon’s JRPG format has the same staying power.
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How Things Have Changed For Yakuza
Going back and playingthe classicYakuzagames, especially after finishingYakuza: Like a Dragon, emphasizes how different things have become.Yakuzagames were strictly beat ‘em up games, with some elements of JRPG progression, but mostly focused on brawling enemies with combos and stance changes.Yakuza: Like a Dragonflips that notion on its head, favoring turn-based attacks with differentYakuza-flavored JRPG jobs/classes. Fights aren’t a hectic throwing of fists, despite the kind of violent energy Ichiban often brings into his performance. Combat encounters are always turn-based, filled with plenty of JRPG flair like magic, weaknesses, and strategy.
Progression is handled similarly as well, compared to previousYakuzagames which had tiered unlocks for new abilities in different fighting styles.Yakuza: Like a Dragonfocuses on character progression within each character’s job(s), varying between offense, buffing/debuffing, support and healing builds. Of course, that’s without even mentioning the fact that players have to micro-manage progression forseven different characters, rather than the lone Kiryu. As a JRPG,Yakuza: Like a Dragonis still surprisingly excellent, even if it’s a little rough around the edges. If theYakuza-JRPG foundation is going to stick around for a decade,Like a Dragonis a strong start.
The Staying Power of a Yakuza JRPG Approach
To this day, it’s still fascinating thatYakuza: Like a Dragontook such a drastic leap into a completely new genre. After how successful the entirety of Kazuma Kiryu’s legacy has been forYakuza, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio was still willing to up the ante with something else. Not only isLike a Dragona true-to-form JRPG, but the game makes nearly every effort to celebrate its inspirations, to the point where Ichiban Kasuga is an actualDragon Questfan in-game. If that’s not an indication that theYakuzaseries intends to triple down on the JRPG genre,perhapsYakuza: Like a Dragon’s recent sales successeswill prove that JRPGs are emblematic ofYakuza’s immediate future.
Perhaps the nextYakuzagame, which is reportedly already in development, will emphasize the staying power ofYakuza’s new JRPG era. So far, fan response has been surprisingly positive in the face of such a drastic genre change, even if Sega still considers the franchise to be more “niche.” One thing that’s worth pointing out is that Sega has been seeing significant worldwide success withPersona, another significantly more popular JRPG series. Many fans have even madecomparisons betweenPersona 5andYakuza: Like a Dragon, altogether emphasizing how these two franchises have offered some of the best JRPGs in recent history.
For new or existingYakuzafans that haven’t triedLike a Dragon, it’s certainly worth the shot. There’s plenty ofYakuzaDNA in the latest game, but for Ryu Ga Gotoku’s traditional JRPG debut, the game is surprisingly excellent. As for the staying power ofYakuza’s new JRPG direction, time will certainly tell in the long run. However, in the short-term,Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s efforts show another promising decade ofYakuzamay be on the way.
Yakuza: Like a Dragonis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
