Yakuza: Like a Dragon
2020
Audio: Japanese, English · Subtitles: Spanish, Russian, English, Japanese, Korean, German, Portuguese, Chinese, French, Italian
- role-playing (rpg)
- adventure
- action
- open world
- single player
The story
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a role-playing game developed and published by Sega. Released in 2020, it is the eighth main entry in the Yakuza series. The game introduces a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, and departs from the traditional action combat system, instead featuring turn-based combat with a party of characters. Set in the city of Yokohama, the game follows Kasuga's quest for revenge and his journey through Japan's criminal underworld.
What it’s like
Warm neon and rain-slick side streets of Yokohama's Isezaki-Chōjamachi district, rendered in saturated night colour that flickers between tacky signage, glowing izakaya lanterns and the grey daylight of a city that never quite settles. The camera drops into cinematic cutscenes with tight closeups and hand-staged framing, while the exploration moves at a loose, wandering pace through markets, karaoke bars and arcades. Its sound is a bouncy mix of city ambience, cheeky synth-funk and full-throated J-pop and enka, with the rhythmic pulse of turn-based battles giving each attack a cartoonish punch. The vibe is raucous but tender, a comedy of earnest misfits with a sincere undertow of loyalty and grief. Violence is frequent but stylised: brawls, bat swings and grotesque boss gags, played for laughs rather than dread, with some crude humour and mild sexual innuendo in side stories. It suits long evenings with a cold drink, comfort replays, or a relaxed session where ten minutes of mischief is as satisfying as an hour of story. It is for players who love character-driven Japanese crime drama, sidequest detours, and a turn-based battle system that rewards patience.
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