Like a Dragon got a lot of news in the RGG Showcase this September. This includes new games, a remake, and a Steam port.
Like a Dragon Fans Will Get Two New Games and a Remake in the Upcoming Years
Fans of the ever-popular Yakuza series of games have a lot to look forward to, thanks to RGG’s showcase Livestream yesterday. Just some of the announcements yesterday included two entirely new games, a remake of a beloved (and Japanese-only) title, as well as some Steam ports.
There’s a lot to unpack here, so we should just jump right in, to the world of Like a Dragon! In no particular order, here are the highlights.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
First up we have Like a Dragon Gaiden: the Man Who Erased His Name. Mouthful of a title notwithstanding, the game will focus on Kiryu’s side adventures in 2018. No gameplay was shown specifically, but the announcement trailer did show what recurring character Kiryu is up to.
Apparently, he has joined a temple, though the monastery is just a front for the Daidoji faction. The head monk, while reminding Kiryu of some meditation best practices, struck Kiryu’s left shoulder with a bamboo stick, indicating that the crime family has a job for him. True enough, Kiryu’s help is needed once more. He will need to escort a “certain individual”.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: the Man Who Erased His Name will be shorter than most Yakuza games. Kiryu will also have a different fighting style. The main intention of this entry will be to bridge the gaps between Yakuza 6 and 8. It is also meant to have players unfamiliar with Kiryu warm up to him in preparation for the upcoming title.
The title will be released sometime in 2023.
Like a Dragon 8
Like a Dragon 8 will be the official title of the game instead of Yakuza 8. The series will be dropping the “Yakuza” moniker, at least for now. However, the announcement trailer is more of a hype piece, as it showed little to no story or gameplay.
The footage did showcase the pair of Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga from Yakuza: Like a Dragon. As the two walks down the ever-busy streets of Kamurocho, they agree that they “don’t have a choice” and that it’s “hero time”.
It’s also worth pointing out that Kiryu now has a wildly different hairstyle, in a stylish grey. Something really life-changing must have happened in Like a Dragon Gaiden, aside from erasing his name.
The 8th mainline game will be turn-based, much like Yakuza 7. Players will swap between Kiryu and Kasuga at regular intervals. It hasn’t been announced yet if they can do it anytime (like in Grand Theft Auto V) or if changing characters is done only at preset story bits.
Like a Dragon 8 is still very early in development, so not many other details have been shared by RGG. The team is striving to make this the largest Like a Dragon game in history. It is currently planned to release sometime in 2024
Like a Dragon: Ishin!
Another surprise announcement made at the showcase was Like a Dragon: Ishin! This is a remake of the original (titled Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!) PlayStation 3 and 4 game back in 2014. It will be built upon the Unreal Engine 4 this time, instead of the Yakuza game engine.
For those who weren’t able to get their hands on the original, Ishin takes place in Kyo, Japan in the year 1867. It follows the story of a particular Sakamoto Ryoma, a skilled and deadly swordsman
Ryoma follows the fiercest warriors of Japan, all while under a false name. Throughout his journey for revenge, he inadvertently changes the fate of the entire nation.
This hack-and-slash beat-em-up game is just as action-packed and over the top as always. Blood spurts from katana slashes are quite abundant and on full display in the game’s announcement trailer. Impractical (yet highly entertaining) moves are all given quite the showcase, including things like spinning while shooting enemies around the main character. Ryoma can even slash a foe, propel him into the air, then use the enemy’s body as a jumping-off point to strike down even more foes.
One cutscene, in particular, shows off Ryoma actually cutting a bullet in half as it rushes towards him. He is able to expertly deflect the projectile and cut down his unlucky assailant.
This should be quite the heart-pumping spinoff that the Like a Dragon series is known for. It is currently planned to release in February 2023.
Walk Like a Dragon
All the new and upcoming titles will be released on Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. It’s surprising to see that Ryu Ga Gotoku isn’t moving on just yet from previous-gen consoles, even for titles that are releasing in 2024.
It was also announced that RGG’s spinoff series, Judgement, will be released on Steam (it was released right after the showcase, September 14th). This is the first time that Judgement and Lost Judgement have arrived on PC, as they were both previously console exclusives. Both titles (and the included DLC) are available for $98 as a complete package, or from $29.99 to $59.99 if bought piecemeal.
For more news, check outTriangle Strategy Heads to PC in OctoberandOctopath Traveler II Is a Follow-Up Sequel that Surprises Everyone.
