Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
PS4/PC/Xbox Release Date: January 16th, 2020 (Japan, PS4 only), November 10th, 2020 (Worldwide), Feburary 25th, 2021 (Asia, PC)
PS5 Release Date: March 2nd, 2021 (Worldwide)
The latest game in the Yakuza series was released in 2020 for the PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and is the first chapter in Ichiban Kasuga’s story.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon introduces a brand new cast of characters and a completely new combat system. The protagonist this time around is Ichiban Kasuga, a member of the Arakawa Family who grew up playing RPGs like Dragon Quest. Due to this, the game’s combat has been changed to be reminiscent of a turn-based RPG. Players control Ichiban and his allies and can use specific attacks on whatever enemy they choose. Along with regular attacks and special moves, Each character has an attack that deals a lot of damage to any enemies nearby, similar to the previous games’ Heat Actions. These attacks are presented as cutscenes and can usually defeat enemies upon completion if they’ve taken enough damage. A system called “Poundmates” allows the player to summon different characters they meet throughout the game to perform a devastating attack on enemies.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is the first game in the series to be released for ninth-generation consoles, and it was a launch title for the Xbox Series X in the west. This is also the first game since the original PlayStation 2 release of Yakuza to feature an English dub, though Japanese voices with subtitles are still available as an option to the player.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon sold over 300,000 copies in the first 4 days it released, making it a commercial success. The game was also nominated for Best RPG at The Game Awards 2020, but ended up losing to Final Fantasy VII Remake.
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