Like a Dragon Gaiden, The Man Who Erased His Name is the latest entry into the infamous Yakuza franchise. With the franchise now adopting the Western name fully, this latest title follows on from the tumultuous and turn-based tale of Ichiban in Yakuza: Like a Dragon and will be followed by the Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, releasing next year.
Unlike the previous instalment, there is no Ichiban involved here, instead we take the reigns of the franchise’s long-standing protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, and back to the real-time action the franchise was known for, compared to the turn-based RPG elements of Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
Related: Like a Dragon: Ishin Review – The Man with Two Names (PS5)
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is No Filler
Initially devised as a bridge between the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, it would be easy to accuse Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name of being nothing more than a cash-grab using already developed assets and a cobbled together story. I’m glad to say during my time playing the game it couldn’t have felt more the opposite, and if nothing else is a great indicator for what the franchise has in store for us going forward.
The preview itself wasn’t the most expansive, with it taking place entirely on a container ship dubbed ‘The Castle’. However, as drab as that may sound, it was absolutely glorious to look at, with the ship decked out to the nines, with a casino, a fighting coliseum and expensive looking shops to purchase the latest Japanese fashion.
I spent the majority of my time in the coliseum, trying out the multiple fighting modes the mini-game offers, one of which was to take on and beat one hundred enemies in a single sitting. This would sound daunting, if it were not for the game’s fantastic fighting system, and with new fighting styles included to mirror Kiryu’s alter-ego Joryu, it feels different to everything that has came before it.
Agent Joryu at Your Service
The two styles of combat available in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name are both equally useful, although definitely have their own strengths and weaknesses. The powerful punches and kicks that fans will recognise makes its comeback once more, with haymakers and leg sweeps being king here, but it’s also joined by a new ‘Agent’ style, that is more fast-paced and encompasses the use of gadgets. Four to be exact.
Between the multitude of enemies you’ll fight, each has their own weaknesses that need to be exploited, and it’s something that’ll force you to use and switch between the two styles seamlessly, going from strong brute to rapid ninja in a simple button press, and cutting a swathe of destruction through the seemingly unending amount of enemies.
If for some reason you’re not quite happy with simply beating your opponents into a pulp, you can use the aforementioned gadgets to give you an upper hand, from exploding cigarettes, combat drones, lasso wires – that allow you to twirl enemies round like a lasso, unsurprisingly – and explosive rocket shoes, they’re all very much with keeping in the theme of the game. Ultimately, I defy anyone not to smile after a few minutes using the two fighting styles in this game. It. Is. FUN.
Of course combat isn’t the entire Yakuza/Like a Dragon experience, with the customary side games returning, from darts, high-stakes poker, black jack and more, and thankfully Cabaret is also included, so there’s always something to do.
You can also dress Kiryu/Joryu in a variety of outfits, some outlandish, others minimalist, but the core feel of the franchise is very much there, with the seriousness of events being contradicted by the hilarity of the situations, and seeing some fan-favourite faces returning from previous instalments is another way to garner fan-favour.
It isn’t expected to be as long or as deep an experience of its predecessor or successor, being a bridge between the two, but what it promises to be is a faithful, interesting and much-needed experience, and a showcase of what the franchise can do with the next-gen hardware and engines at its disposal.
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