Players who enjoyedFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthand are looking for a new game to sink their teeth into a new game can find exactly what they’re looking for in another RPG, though maybe not the one they’d expect. The obvious follow-up toFF7 Rebirthwould beFF7 Remake Part 3, but until that game materializes, fans will need other options to tide them over. The 2020s have seen many fantastic RPGs –Baldur’s Gate 3,Tales of Arise, andPersona 3 Reloadto name a few – butone that may have slipped under the radar of many fans wasYakuza: Like a Dragon.
Set in the Japanese city of Yokohama,Like a Dragonfollows the story of a low-ranking yakuza gangster named Ichiban Kasuga on a quest for redemption after being betrayed. Though the premise and setting may sound like a far cry fromFF7 Rebirth,there’s a lot of the same DNA to be found in both gamesdespite their seemingly vast differences. Much of what fans enjoyed inFF7 Rebirthis also to be found in spades inLike a Dragon.
Story, Gameplay, And Side Content All Tuned To Perfection
The overwhelmingly positivereviews forFF7 Rebirthall tend to heap glowing praise on the game for several points: its tight action-RPG combat system, its world that encourages players to explore and discover, and the excellent, character-rich writing of its story. All these aspects together helped elevateFF7 Rebirthinto a true triple-A JRPG experience, far beyond just being the middle installment of a remake trilogy.Like a Dragonechoes many of the same points of praisewith its design as well, though with a markedly different spin on everything.
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WhileFF7 Rebirth’s wealth of side contentearned a mixed response from many, it served a purpose in fleshing out the game’s world, andLike a Dragonoffers a similar feast of minigames, side quests, and classic Sega arcade titles to play that make the world feel more lived-in than it would otherwise.Each area is brimming with things to do and people to meet, each with a distinct personality and character all their own. TheYakuzagames have long been praised for their side content, andLike a Dragonis certainly no slouch when it comes to that.
While the series was calledYakuzainternationally,Like a Dragonhas always been the franchise’s title in Japan. After the release ofYakuza: Like a Dragon, all subsequent installments have used the main titleLike a Dragonin all regions. This article refers to the franchise asYakuzafor the sake of clarity.
FF7 Rebirthwas praised by many outlets for allowing its characters to embrace their sillier sides;that same earnest goofiness is part and parcel ofLike A Dragon. For example, despite his backstory sounding hard-boiled on the surface, Ichiban’s mind is so steeped in the tropes ofDragon Questthat he actually perceives every fight as an RPG battle. It’s a clever setup to facilitate the game’s choice of genre, but it’s done in a way that further serves the game’s core narrative without undercutting it.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon Is Even More Of A Classic RPG
An Affectionate Pastiche Of RPG Tropes In A Modern Setting
The release ofLike a Dragonsignified a massive change in direction for theYakuzaseries as it moved away from the action-focused beat ‘em up style that had defined the series since its inception in 2005. Using Ichiban’s obsession withDragon Questas a framing device,Like a Dragonreimagines the action as a proper RPG, with fist fights now taking place in a turn-based system with things like character classes and special attacks. It’s a stark departure from the previous entries, especially consideringLike a Dragonwas the eighth main installment in theYakuzaseries.
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Even with this radical reinvention,Like a Dragonstill retains much of the style of its predecessors. Characters move around dynamically between turns, special moves require timed button presses to execute, and proper positioning during a fight enables characters to pull off improvised attacks using environmental weapons.It’s a unique marriage of action and RPGthat doesn’t feel quite like anything else out there, makingLike a Dragona one-of-a-kind RPG.
WhileFF7 Rebirthdoesn’t use a turn-based system, it is still very much an RPG, andLike a Dragonwill likely feel familiar to anyone who’s spent time with theFF7 Remaketrilogy. It hearkens back lovingly to the olden days of RPGs (the same days that birthed the originalFinal Fantasy 7), but updates the classic systems with modern sensibilities to keep things feeling fresh. Though it may be the eighth mainlineYakuzagame, it’s the perfect entry point forFF7fans to fall in love with a brand-new series.
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Perhaps the best thing about theYakuzaseries is how wonderfully varied and diverse each game is. There’s always something to do, whether it’s beating up thugs on the street, visiting bars and nightclubs, gambling, singing karaoke, or just hanging out in the arcade. ForFF7 Rebirthfans who enjoyed seeing everything Midgar had to offer, exploring the neighborhoods in which theYakuzagames take place can offer a very similar form of enrichment.
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TheYakuzaseries also covers a very wide range of settings and stylesfor players to experience. While many of the games do stay rooted in an urban Tokyo setting, the spinoffLike a Dragon: Ishin!offers a samurai story in the Edo period; theexcellent sequelLike A Dragon: Infinite Wealthtakes Ichiban to the balmy shores of Honolulu, Hawaii, a setting sure to please those who enjoyed the atmosphere of Costa del Sol; the upcoming spinoff,Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, will also let players experience a swashbuckling adventure complete with naval combat if that’s what they desire.
The term “RPG” covers a lot of ground, especially when it’s blended with action the wayFF7 RebirthandYakuzahave both done. Whether they enjoyed the tweaking of character stats and equipment, the action-packed combat, the wide array of minigames, or just the simple joy of exploring a world and finding all the secrets it has to offer, players who enjoyed their time withFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthowe it to themselves to giveYakuza: Like a Dragona shot.
