Few RPGs have ever made me laugh and tear up in equal measure, but Yakuza: Like a Dragon pulled it off.I recently finished Yakuza: Like a Dragon and wasn’t surprised to see it land among my favorite games of all time. I had heard it get a lot of praise as being an interesting story with a unexpected amount of heart, so I wasn’t entirely surprised to have enjoyed it so much.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon follows Ichiban Kasuga, a low-ranking yakuza member who takes the fall for a crime he didn’t commit. After serving 18 years in prison, he’s betrayed by his former boss and left for dead in Yokohama. Determined to uncover the truth and rebuild his life, Ichiban gathers a band of misfits and fights to expose corruption while chasing his dream of becoming a hero. What surprised me most was how earnest Ichiban is—he’s a goofy, big-hearted mess of a character, and that’s exactly what makes him so lovable. Most of the side quests and the main story largely consists of Ichiban trying to help people.
The game is a turn-based RPG, which was a shift for the Yakuza series. I haven’t played any of the previous games, so I can’t comment on the how it compares to the beat-em-up games that preceded it, but I found the turn-based combat to be pretty enjoyable. It’s relatively basic RPG fare with the usual buffs/de-buffs, special skills, and upgradable weapons. The job system, which lets characters switch between quirky roles like chef or breakdancer, adds personality—even if I mostly stuck to defaults.
The overall story could be broadly described as a redemption arc that sees Ichiban left-for-dead in a homeless camp and sees him uncover the mystery around how he ended up there. It intersects with his life story and he learns a lot about who he is and where he came from. It feels a bit like a soap opera with lots of twists and turns, but for the most part, it’s engaging and I was invested in it.
The biggest drawback for me was the difficulty spikes—they dragged the pacing down and forced me into hours of grinding I didn’t enjoy. In Chapter 12, the game basically prompts you to start grinding levels via the 30-story Sotenbori Battle Arena. You get some good gear, but it feels like padding. There are other similar dungeons — Yokohama Underground and Kamurocho Underground — that exist primarily for grinding. They are dull and felt very tedious. Near the end of the game, I basically had to spend several hours grinding to level up my character for the rather difficult final section. I generally don’t mind grinding when it’s something I decide to do, but this felt mandatory.
Grinding aside, Yakuza: Like a Dragon reminded me why I love games that balance heart with humor. If Infinite Wealth builds on this foundation, I can’t wait to see where Ichiban’s journey goes next.
