It’s a long title, but this is also a long franchise. With the Like a Dragon series heading in a new direction, we see the Gaiden games coming back to piece together some of the missing pieces. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name picks up the story of the previous protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, which is certainly worth playing for fans, even if everything apart from this newer story feels a little rehahsed. Make no mistake, this is certainly fun to play and mechanically sound but feels directed more so at fans who are already invested in this story.
In Another Life
That being said, let’s start with a quick rundown for any newcomers. There will be some spoilers ahead, so you have been warned. Feel free to skip to the next paragraph to continue. Kazuma Kiryu fakes his death at the end of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life to protect his loved ones. We meet up with him once again, now known as “Joryu” and working as an undercover agent for the Daidoji crime family, as a massive move in the underworld threatens the streets of Japan.
For what it’s worth, I genuinely loved this story. While its cutscenes are a little over-dramatic at times, Japanese voice actor Takaya Kuroda’s portrayal of Kiryu is certainly a highlight. The story is admittedly as wacky as you would expect in parts and Kiryu’s new disguise is purely laughable, but it’s also surprisingly poignant. Kiryu ultimately grapples with the choices and mistakes of his past, as his new identity forces him to watch his previous life from afar.
Familiar Territory
You’ll spend most of your time roaming the streets of Sotenbori, which feels dense and vibrant, yet familiar to anyone who has played a Yakuza game before. There are plenty of activities to take part in and plenty of people to speak to, the likes of which can take you on some strange side quests. You’ll also spend a lot of time dealing with the Akame Network, providing you with most of your side missions, which are also incredibly relevant and equally emotional as the main narrative, as they too deal with Kiryu’s past. From there, you’ll also be able to unlock new abilities and Akame points to buy new gear, making everything feel rewarding and purposeful.
While the newer Like a Dragon games have transitioned into turn-based combat, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name retains the old-school beat ’em combat you know and love. Even though the newer Like a Dragon games are fantastic in their own right, I prefer this style, as it’s a little more engaging when it comes to moment-to-moment gameplay. Light and heavy attacks return, and the general feel and flow of combat also remain pretty much the same.
That being said, Kiryu’s saved a few tricks up his sleeve. His new spy persona allows him to take advantage of new gadgets, primarily in the form of a laser-like lasso, which can wrap up enemies and throw them about environments. There are even exploding cigarettes, controllable drones and rocket shoes to skate about and smash through enemies. All of the gadgets are fun to use, but because they take place within the confines of the same structure as previous Yakuza games, they too feel a little limited. You’ll run into various gangs and enemies through the city streets, with each combat encounter locking you into a smaller arena. There’s nothing particularly wrong with this, but it simply dampens those newer additions as a result.
There’s a What in There?
Players will also get the chance to visit The Castle, a cargo ship essentially hiding a massive casino and hotel within its walls. I love how it weaves this into the narrative’s spy antics, but when it comes to gameplay, it’s all pretty much the same. You will get the chance to gamble, play billiards and take part in some hilarious live-action dating minigames, but there’s no real edge driving any of the mechanics in new directions. It would have been nice to have to sneak around and rely on these newer gadgets, but it’s clear that Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is set on you smashing the faces of your enemies into the ground.
There’s also an awesome underground Coliseum, which Kiryu can join to work his way up the ranks for some rewards. You’ll get the chance to take on waves of new and tougher enemies, with the ‘Hell Team Rumble’ making way for some of the most chaotic combat sequences I’ve experienced in the franchise thus far. While they’re not so hard to the point that they’re frustrating, their chaotic nature encourages you to call upon everything you’ve learned for the best results. It’s honestly the best thing to try out within The Castle.
On the Horizon
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name looks as good as the franchise ever has, thanks to the next-gen hardware. Character models look clean and general textures and lighting effects are detailed. It even runs smoothly at an even 60fps, which is impressive given the amount of stuff that’s going on at any given time within the streets of Sotenbori.
While the 12-hour story feels short and sweet for the most part, completing it unlocks a two-part playable demo for the upcoming Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which blew my mind. It’s only 45 minutes worth of gameplay but allows you to take part in a few side activities while exploring sunny Hawaii. This gameplay has already been shown off at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, which you can check out online.
Final Thoughts
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name gets a bunch of things right. It’s fun to play and the story is wonderfully engaging, but it just doesn’t feel focused on providing fans with anything relatively new when it comes to gameplay. While there are new locations to explore, so much of the general structure and flow feel like they’ve been borrowed from previous games in the franchise. Newcomers will be able to jump on board thanks to its punchier runtime, but it ultimately feels directed at fans who wish to find out what happened to the once-legendary underworld figure.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Engaging narrative; Satisfying gameplay; Plenty to see and do; The Castle’s Coliseum mode is a highlight
Lowlights: Short runtime; General structure and flow feel too familiar at times
Developer: SEGA, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: SEGA, SEGA of America
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a code provided by the publisher.
