TheYakuzafranchise spans seven mainline games, a handful of spin-offs, and the soft-reboot series,Like a Dragon, which itself spans two mainline games and now a spin-off in the form ofLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. That’s not even mentioning theJudgmentseries, which is made by the same developers, set within the same universe, but is its own separate entity. It’s all a little confusing, especially for an outsider looking in, and that’s becoming a bit of a problem.
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiitook people by surprisewhen it was initially announced, not least because of its bizarre pirate-themed gameplay, but also because no one was really anticipating aLike a Dragonspin-off. For diehard fans, the news of a newLike a Dragongame was likely a positive surprise, but for those who are still desperately trying to find the best way into this ever-growing labyrinthian franchise, it only added salt to the wound. Interestingly, this shouldn’t have been the case, and yetLike a Dragonseems to be making the same mistake theYakuzagames did.
Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii Makes The Series Even More Unapproachable
A Returning Character & Bizarre Setting Make It Hard For Newcomers To Jump Onboard
TheYakuzafranchise, with its seven entries - including one with a zero in its title - became quite an unapproachable task for newcomers. While it is not strictly necessary to play every game in the series, at least from a narrative point of view, even picking up and playing the most integral ones can take hundreds of hours. So,it made sense that developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio decided to essentially soft-reboot the series, creating a new set of characters, setting, and combat style forYakuza: Like a Dragon.
Other than a handful of references and reappearing characters in minor roles,Yakuza: Like a Dragonfelt like the perfect entrypoint for newcomers, giving them the idealYakuzaexperience without all the baggage. However, this was all upended by the following games,Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His NameandLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, both of whichserved as sequels to theYakuzafranchise. These both required prior knowledge of pretty much all theYakuzagames in order to be able to properly enjoy them.
Now,fans are being treated to the bizarrely namedLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, yet anotherLike a Dragongame that requires homework.Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiifeatures returning charactersfrom theYakuzagames, namely Goro Majima, and the same setting from the previousLike a Dragongame. To properly enjoy it, prospective players will absolutely need to play at leastYakuza 0, as this will at least help them understand the obsession behind its protagonist,
This Is The Wrong Direction If Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Want New Fans
The Franchise Is Beginning To Suffer From The Marvel Problem
While the wild concept behindPirate Yakuza in Hawaiideserves its own breakdown, it isn’t really the core reason why new fans might be put off. If anything, it could serve as a way of drawing in a new cohort of players, especially those who prefer pirate-themed adventures. Rather,the main reason whyLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiiis likely to alienate newcomers is because of this prior connection to the original games.
TheYakuzaseries has always had an issue with onboarding new players, whether it’s thanks to its complex lore and history or just sheer number of entries. In many ways, it resembles the ever-complex interconnected web of the Marvel multiverse, both in comic and movie form, which continues to be an unapproachable mess. That’s whyYakuza: Like a Dragonfelt so special, and whythis cavalcade of new releases feels like a regression in many ways, a dogmatic dedication to holding on to the characters created back in 2005.
This cavalcade of new releases feels like a regression in many ways, a dogmatic dedication to holding on to the characters created back in 2005.
If Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio wanted to introduce a new audience to its games - which it evidently does with theYakuzaTV series - thenit should drop the complicated sequels and naming conventions and stick to making a completely new and disconnected series, much like it did withJudgment. The fact that the precedent is there is ultimately what’s so frustrating. It proved that it could make something just as good as itsYakuzagames without needing to shove unnecessary Kiryu appearances.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review - “A Tremendously High Bar”
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth takes many of the best elements of the franchise’s past, expands on them, and adds more into sheer brilliance.
Perhaps more frustrating is the fact thatPirate Yakuza in Hawaiiis very good, as are, for the most part, all theYakuzagames. They’re all incredibly strong entries and some of the most unique games currently available, so the fact that newcomers can feel put off by them is all the more upsetting.If new players could have come on board withYakuza: Like a Dragonand stayed on board, that would have been great, but the fact that its sequel required them to go and play eight other games to properly appreciate it is pretty ludicrous.
Does Like A Dragon Even Need To Appeal To Newcomers?
It Has Its Own Dedicated Fanbase
Of course,all of this begs the question whetherLike a Dragoneven needs to appeal to newcomers, much in the same way that the recent slate of Marvel projects barely appeals to anyone who hasn’t been on board since the early days. The answer to that is a little complex as, clearly, from a strictly financial point of view, the series has been doing incredibly well. The fact that a spin-off game as bizarre asPirate Yakuza in Hawaiigot greenlit and is genuinely releasing goes to show that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is clearly doing something right.
However, there are still those who really want to get into theYakuzagames but don’t have a lifetime to dedicate to beating the first seven, let alone the most recent batch of titles. There is an obvious solution to combat this, and that’s for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio to make more games likeJudgment. While it absolutely shouldn’t reboot the franchise completely,it should use its spin-offs as an opportunity to offer newcomers an easy way in, which could, in turn, convince them to dedicate all that time to playing the original series.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Final Boss & Ending Explained (In Detail)
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth culminates in a shocking conclusion with plenty of big reveals, classic Yakuza tie-ins, and sequel set-ups.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiicould have worked - from the perspective of ushering in new fans - if it had cast a new character as its lead and not brought back Goro Majima. While he’s a fan-favorite character, the love for him stems from his many appearances in the originalYakuzagames, withYakuza 0basically existing to flesh out his character further, which makes him inaccessible to those without a prior fondness for him. TheYakuzafranchise may not necessarily need new fans, but there are new fans that desperately need it, they just don’t know how yet.
