How Yazuka: Like a Dragon Breaks Away From Tradition, Available Today on Xbox Series X|S

The latest instalment in the Yakuza franchise has dropped today on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. It’s got a new over the top RPG format, but Yakuza: Like a Dragon has a few surprises hidden up its well-tailored sleeves. The new story will have you wanting to be a Japanese gangster-with-a-heart all over again.

In the previous Yakuza main series, you play as Kazuma Kiryu, a complex, honour-bound character who helps civilians and children, believes in justice and doesn’t mind using brute force to attain it. We’ve seen Kiryu rise through the ranks of the Tojo Clan, and his backstory comes to life across the series and especially in Yakuza 0, set in 1988 – 17 years prior to the debut Yakuza game and plot. Kiryu is in every main game up to the last Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and we think he’s earned a well-deserved break.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon departs from Kiryu’s story and deals with that of protagonist Ichiban Kasuga who has quite a different personality from stoic Kiryu! He is optimistic (often to a fault), sometimes naïve and absolutely full of energy so anyone well-versed in the typical feel of a Yakuza game should get ready for a big injection of F-U-N.

The main plot entails Kasuga searching for the truth after his clan mysteriously abandoned and betrayed him. Throughout the game you’ll meet a variety of characters – like a rogue cop and a hostess with her own mission – that join you on your quest. With their help you uncover the truth, defeat the baddies and release your inner dragon, naturally. The new location of Yokohama is your visually stunning, semi-realistic Japanese backdrop and you’ll find so many mini-games on your journey, it’s unreal; kart racing, batting cages, arcades and everyone’s favourite, karaoke. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a game with quite a few notable firsts including a dynamic RPG party system and an optional English voice dub featuring George Takei.

This Yakuza game is like no other and whether you’re completely new to the franchise or you’re an avid devotee, get ready to clear your calendar because Yakuza: Like a Dragon is going to keep you busy. 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

SEGA

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

RISE LIKE A DRAGON Ichiban Kasuga, a low-ranking grunt of a low-ranking yakuza family in Tokyo, faces an 18-year prison sentence after taking the fall for a crime he didn’t commit. Never losing faith, he loyally serves his time and returns to society to discover that no one was waiting for him on the outside, and his clan has been destroyed by the man he respected most. Confused and alone, he embarks on a mission to discover the truth behind his family’s betrayal and take his life back, becoming an unlikely hero for the city’s outcasts on his journey. LEVEL UP FROM UNDERDOG TO DRAGON IN DYNAMIC RPG COMBAT Experience dynamic RPG combat like none other. Switch between 19 unique Jobs ranging from Bodyguard to Musician, and use the battlefield as your weapon. Take up bats, umbrellas, bikes, street signs, and everything else at your disposal to crack some skulls! ENTER THE UNDERWORLD PLAYGROUND When you’re not busy bashing heads, relax by hitting up the local arcade for some classic SEGA games, compete with locals in a no holds barred go-kart race around Yokohama, complete 50 unique substories, or just take in the scenery of a modern-day Japanese city. There’s always something new around the corner. Russian and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles available in early 2021 via patch update.