Yakuza: Like a Dragon

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 583 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 460 out of 583
  2. Mixed: 47 out of 583
  3. Negative: 76 out of 583
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  1. chronogaming8
    Feb 14, 2021
    9
    I had my doubts about this Like a Dragon, but I loved it. The combat system lacks some depth but it is quite entertaining; and the story and especially the characters are really good. Kasuga Ichiban is an incredible main character!
  2. Mr_Beanyot
    Nov 21, 2020
    9
    I've only started playing for about 2 hours; but the 2 hours I've been playing has me fully immersed. I haven't played many yakuza games, but when I heard this one would be an turn based RPG, (my favorite game type) I knew I had to grab it. The combat is as basic RPG as you get, but the meat is definitely in the characters and story. I felt for the characters so far and felt happy, sad andI've only started playing for about 2 hours; but the 2 hours I've been playing has me fully immersed. I haven't played many yakuza games, but when I heard this one would be an turn based RPG, (my favorite game type) I knew I had to grab it. The combat is as basic RPG as you get, but the meat is definitely in the characters and story. I felt for the characters so far and felt happy, sad and betrayed along with them. I am also very happy that this Yakuza game has an english dub as sometimes I miss things reading subtitles; a personal gripe for yakuza games, but it never made them bad games. I'm just a guy who likes dub over sub. Regardless of your preference, the English voice acting is top notch, and any fan of the jojo dub will recognize a few voices. I might change my score for better or worse as I continue to play the game but as of this moment this is one ofthe better RPG games I played in a long time… Expand
  3. hassanchop79
    Sep 20, 2021
    9
    What a great game!
    Just get it and play it. It's that simple. Awesome characters and story and great new combat system.
  4. marvsfontanilla
    Mar 31, 2021
    9
    Story: 10
    Graphics: 9
    Sound: 9
    Gameplay: 9
    Game Time: 60 Hours (Main Story + Extra)
  5. Phil998
    Dec 5, 2020
    9
    I've never played a Yakuza game before this, but this is absolutely fantastic.
  6. Valecious
    Nov 17, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Story - one of the best yakuza games when it comes to story. I loved that politics were more a bigger part of the story than it was in previous games. I hope the upcoming games will not abandon economical/social/political aspects as well. Characters were really interesting, however, there were some "meh" plot beats towards the end of the game that I think could have been avoided in order to improve the overall story. 9/10

    Gameplay - it was done well and I enjoyed it, however, "beat 'em up" genre is what Yakuza series should stick to. It's not that turn-based gameplay wasn't good, it just don't belong in this game (in my opinion). 8/10

    Sub-stories and mini games - some of them were very deep and interesting. Loved finance-related mini game and hope to see something similar in the future games (maybe stock market?) 9/10

    New City: As we, old-timers, know cities in Yakuza games are characters on their own. It was obvious that Sotenbori and Kamurocho wasn't the main focus of the series, but it was nice that they were included (makes you feel nostalgic). Yokohama was noticeably bigger than any previous city, it had a nice vibe,yet, felt a little bit too empty. Maybe it's because I'm used to smaller cities of the previous games that are packed with various stuff. 8/10

    Overall, I give this game 9/10. It could have been among the best ones (Yakuza 0,2), but new combat system wasn't suitable enough to bring me that experience (-1 for combat system)    … Expand
  7. Tavastian
    Jan 24, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Very good old school JRPG with a modern twist. Feels like this game took all the best from old school jrpgs like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Persona etc and blended them together to create this masterful experience.… Expand
  8. Bumpy-peel
    Nov 12, 2020
    9
    Really enjoying this latest addition to the Yakuza franchise the change from beat em up style combat to a turn based jrpg style is handled very well the new hero ichiban kasuga feels very familiar like kiryu honour and friendship comes before all I've really enjoyed looking under vending machines looking for change I was sad to see don Quixote go e :( but
    That hasn't stopped me enjoying the game
  9. edu_110
    Apr 20, 2021
    9
    Muy buen juego ,entretenido y bastante largo ,último es bueno y malo , ya que para mí fue largo de mas ,con tantas cosas que puedes hacer bien puedes llevar 30 horas de juego y apenas ir en el 4to capitulo.
  10. Boehls123
    Jun 5, 2021
    9
    Fun game, the turn based actually works pretty well, also love the characters and their bond they have along with good story
  11. Enlocke
    Nov 13, 2020
    9
    Really good Yakuza, the transition to turn based battle is really well done and the story is really heartfelt. Ichiban is not Kiryu and that's fine, he's different but also more endearing for me, he's a goofball with a lot of humour with a really tragic story. The other characters of the group are pretty good and most of them interact with Ichiban's life in some way. Really can't recommendReally good Yakuza, the transition to turn based battle is really well done and the story is really heartfelt. Ichiban is not Kiryu and that's fine, he's different but also more endearing for me, he's a goofball with a lot of humour with a really tragic story. The other characters of the group are pretty good and most of them interact with Ichiban's life in some way. Really can't recommend enough. For a first jab at turn based and a whole new cast, RGGs has really done a tremendous job and I for one can't wait to see them build upon what they've done here like they did with Yakuza 1 and Kiryu's story back then.… Expand
  12. sinsimmer
    Nov 15, 2020
    9
    i'm a big fan of Yakuza series and this is the new experience for me. My thought on Yakuza 7 beside introducing new characters, also has a bigger map which takes new place that i love to exploring more. RPG style in this game reminds me about Persona 5 and Dragon Quest as well. i really enjoyed throughout the storyline in this game along with the side story mission.
    for the combat is also    i'm a big fan of Yakuza series and this is the new experience for me. My thought on Yakuza 7 beside introducing new characters, also has a bigger map which takes new place that i love to exploring more. RPG style in this game reminds me about Persona 5 and Dragon Quest as well. i really enjoyed throughout the storyline in this game along with the side story mission.
    for the combat is also so impressive which turn based system.

    if you a fan hardcore of Yakuza don't ever skip this one. i consider this game as the best game RPG in this year following Persona 5 Royal.    … Expand
  13. EasternWytch
    Nov 16, 2020
    9
    I would love to rate this a full 10.The problem is the new turn based fighting system is just plain awful and frustrating.This game was never meant to have JRPG elements.Being able to choose between both original style and new would be fair.I do love that Judgement and this game have English voice over.Overall a great game with Japanese humor.
  14. CBowline
    Dec 8, 2020
    9
    It’s a dialogue heavy game, but bear with it. This game is extremely fun and giving. I had a big smile on my face most of the time, except from when the dialogue got a little too long. But that doesn’t really take away from the game. Walking around the streets in Japan never felt more fun. The new turn-based rpg fighting system is also fun, and lots of skills and weapons. Great feel-goodIt’s a dialogue heavy game, but bear with it. This game is extremely fun and giving. I had a big smile on my face most of the time, except from when the dialogue got a little too long. But that doesn’t really take away from the game. Walking around the streets in Japan never felt more fun. The new turn-based rpg fighting system is also fun, and lots of skills and weapons. Great feel-good game with mini-games in game that will have you spending lots of time with them. Story is really well written, and really funny at times. I love this game! 9/10… Expand
  15. sotetelme
    Dec 9, 2020
    9
    I finished my first playthrough and got the platinum last night. Honestly it's been such a great journey. I absolutely adored the new cast and found the main story engaging, even if I enjoyed Y0 or Judgment's stories slightly more.
    Yakuza games are always packed with lots of content and Like a Dragon continues that tradition. Most substories are memorable and help you become immersed in    I finished my first playthrough and got the platinum last night. Honestly it's been such a great journey. I absolutely adored the new cast and found the main story engaging, even if I enjoyed Y0 or Judgment's stories slightly more.
    Yakuza games are always packed with lots of content and Like a Dragon continues that tradition. Most substories are memorable and help you become immersed in the city of Yokohama. So do the dozen or so minigames, most of which are really fun and there are some that haven't been in previous titles. Seriously, the amount of content and fun activities this game (and Yakuza in general) has is ridiculous compared to most AAA titles nowadays.
    The game's soundtrack definitely deserves a mention as well. There are some standout boss themes and I enjoyed the different tracks that play under substories too. Karaoke makes a return after being absent from Judgment and it's also great fun. Rocking out to Machine Gun Kiss is a must once in a while.
    The only thing I felt was lacking is the combat. I had no problem with it being turn based since I'm a Persona guy but it was clunky and could definitely use some polish if there's ever a sequel with this mechanic. It didn't feel that grindy, except for doing a certain trophy that's needed for platinum. I feel this could be fixed with a function which speeds up or even completely skips attack animations. But then again, completing the main story does not require excessive grind.

    To conclude, this was the first game I ever preordered and I think I got everything I wanted from it and then some. Thoroughly enjoyed the journey.    … Expand
  16. Sunnyursa
    Dec 14, 2020
    9
    The game was a joy through and through, the protagonist ichiban is well developed character that sticks with his morals and is totally different from kiryu. The music when fighting gives you such energy that you forget your controller and rave.
  17. DaJuSa
    Jan 16, 2021
    9
    Esta opinión es totalmente subjetiva

    Es el primer Yakuza que juego, así que no tenia ninguna referencia anterior, y me ha encantado. Los personajes, la trama, la ciudad y sus actividades y misiones secundarias bien diseñadas, casi todo en este juego me ha parecido buenísimo. No le pongo un 10, por dos razones derivadas del combate, aunque me ha parecido muy divertido también, tengo    Esta opinión es totalmente subjetiva

    Es el primer Yakuza que juego, así que no tenia ninguna referencia anterior, y me ha encantado. Los personajes, la trama, la ciudad y sus actividades y misiones secundarias bien diseñadas, casi todo en este juego me ha parecido buenísimo.

    No le pongo un 10, por dos razones derivadas del combate, aunque me ha parecido muy divertido también, tengo que decir.

    - Al combate le falta profundidad. En términos generales se acaba basando en hacer el movimiento que mas daño hace, y pocas veces se aprovechan bien los estados alterados. Además me ha dado la sensación en ocasiones, de que los bosses estaban programados para hacer X movimiento cuando su salud llegaba a algún porcentaje, y si llegaba y le seguías atacando, esos ataques no le quitaban barra de vida hasta que hacia el movimiento predefinido (esto ultimo es una suposición, pero si es verdad, es un fallo grande)
    - Los trabajos: El juego no te invita a jugar con los trabajos de los personajes, y creo que pecan de falta de profundidad como el combate. Quizá menos trabajos mas diferenciados, habría sido lo ideal.

    Pero en resumen, me ha parecido un juegazo, y espero que con mas experiencia en el combate, el siguiente juego sea un 10.    … Expand
  18. HongTae-TH
    Jan 25, 2021
    9
    a bit too grindy but if you love a turn-base RPG combat, I think it isn't too bad.
    Fantastic Story, likeable new characters
    Even if I'm new to a yakuza game series, turned out it's great.
    Make me want to play other yakuza games.
  19. ScarTzi
    Mar 16, 2021
    9
    For those who doesn't like turn based games probably are not gonna like it however, for those like me who like a long game with good lore it's worth give a shot. The game has pretty good substories and develops the side characters pretty well... I cried at the end xD
  20. PlatinumReviews
    Mar 7, 2022
    9
    Yakuza Like a Dragon is an amazing game to say the least. A JRPG set in a real world setting, Real world elements like taxi's being used for fast travel being just one of the super unique ideas put in this game. With a truly unique story, Highly likeable characters and epic combat what could be wrong with this game. Well for starters with this turning into a turned based JRPG while keepingYakuza Like a Dragon is an amazing game to say the least. A JRPG set in a real world setting, Real world elements like taxi's being used for fast travel being just one of the super unique ideas put in this game. With a truly unique story, Highly likeable characters and epic combat what could be wrong with this game. Well for starters with this turning into a turned based JRPG while keeping true to some Yakuza elements characters can sometimes get stuck on environments when fighting which can cause you to miss attacks. the game does have some bugs as well but overall Like a Dragon is a game I would highly recommend to any JRPG fan.… Expand
  21. Fyxhcl
    Jan 3, 2023
    9
    Great game. It was the first Yakuza game for me, but I'm a JRPGs fan so I knew I should give this a try. I wasn't disappointed at all.

    Graphics are good. Yeah maybe not the absolute best for newer generation of console, but whatever: the setting is realistic and really well done, you'll really feel like you're exploring a japanese city and I believe there aren't two building that are    Great game. It was the first Yakuza game for me, but I'm a JRPGs fan so I knew I should give this a try. I wasn't disappointed at all.

    Graphics are good. Yeah maybe not the absolute best for newer generation of console, but whatever: the setting is realistic and really well done, you'll really feel like you're exploring a japanese city and I believe there aren't two building that are the same, exploring and looking at the details is amazing and fun. Characters animation are good too. The game is really stilysh and full of funny stuff.

    The combat looks super cool and it's pretty quick, although it is very simple and after some time it gets a bit repetitive. Especially the characters customization is not the best, with a lot of useless skills, or skills that are too similar between them. Jobs are interesting but it's difficult and grindy to unlock them all, so I stuck with the best ones for each character and only leveled those.

    The plot is very good. Maybe a bit over the top, but is full of twists and it really drags you towards all the game, because you'll want to know why certain things happened, the ending and the resolution of everything is satisfying. The characters are interesting, maybe not too deep but they are ok and a good company.

    Sub quests are nothing special and not too difficult, mostly you'll need to fetch something or kill some enemy, but what make you want to do them are the silly little stories that they have behind, that are always interesting and fun. The game is full of mini games, and while I didn't play all of them, they're not necessary at all to finish the game, so you can choose to play those that you prefer. Grinding them all to get 100% would be a boring activity but I didn't feel the need to do that.

    I was a bit disappointed by the two additional areas that open up later in the game, they don't add much to the gameplay and are simple containers for a few shops or other minigames (similar to those in the main area) so I was excited to explore them, but didn't find them very interesting in the end.

    Overall, I consider this one of the best JRPGs that I played lately, it has some flaws but does well so much more things, the setting is very original for a JRPG so that's some fresh air for fans of the genre. If you like the genre just get this game and you won't be disappointed.    … Expand
  22. t_bone
    Dec 20, 2021
    9
    This game was great, both as a stand-alone and as a game in the Yakuza series. I love the Yakuza series and was really worried about a game without Kiryu. I also loved Yakuza's unique brand of fighting, so I was pretty worried that the switch to a new main character and a new fighting system at the same time. But it was awesome! I'm not a JRPG guy but I still really enjoyed the combat,This game was great, both as a stand-alone and as a game in the Yakuza series. I love the Yakuza series and was really worried about a game without Kiryu. I also loved Yakuza's unique brand of fighting, so I was pretty worried that the switch to a new main character and a new fighting system at the same time. But it was awesome! I'm not a JRPG guy but I still really enjoyed the combat, party-building dynamics, and fighting animation. I was also happy to see the minigames not only stayed the same, but also had some new ones added (RIP bowling, though, it was awesome). Overall, the game felt both comfortable and wholly new at the same time!

    The story was really, really fantastic. Probably the best in the whole Yakuza franchise, and definitely one of my favorite out of all the non-Yakuza RPGs I've played. It introduces a bunch of new twists and avoids some of the cliches that dominated the stories of Yakuza 2/3/4.

    The only downside is that the game definitely gets a little grind-y at times and has some unnecessary mechanics that don't add much, but do complicate things. There's too many unavoidable, easily winnable street encounters at the end/midgame. And the jobs, forge, and gear mechanics were more annoying than anything, but they basically sort themselves out by the endgame. But these are minor setbacks. The combat is fun, the story is good, there's a lot to do, and the world feels alive. You should get this game!    … Expand
  23. Milo2904
    Feb 16, 2023
    9
    I did enjoy previous Yakuza games, but this one is my favorite. Loved the new combat system!
  24. JossuaVera
    Sep 28, 2022
    9
    Es increíble, de los mejores protagonistas de la historia del videojuego. Es magnífico probar un juego tan bueno y que a la vez sea un homenaje hacia las bases del JRPG y de la cultura japonesa.
  25. Lynrev
    Nov 18, 2022
    9
    The atmosphere, the scenario , the CHARACTERS are all a 10/10 in this game . the side quests are the best like it's a f****** banger . the only things that keep it away from a 10/10 in my heart are the combat system that feels good most of the time but sometimes it's just weird (in not a good way) and the difficulty curve that is just bad like its linear most of the game but 2-3 times itThe atmosphere, the scenario , the CHARACTERS are all a 10/10 in this game . the side quests are the best like it's a f****** banger . the only things that keep it away from a 10/10 in my heart are the combat system that feels good most of the time but sometimes it's just weird (in not a good way) and the difficulty curve that is just bad like its linear most of the game but 2-3 times it just goes bruh ???
    Still it's a very good game ,i recommend it from the bottom of my heart    … Expand
  26. bub156
    Feb 9, 2022
    9
    This was my first Yakuza game and I basically went in blind. The first few chapters of the game really blew my mind and set up lots of intrigue and really made me root for the main protagonist. The characters are fleshed out and likeable, and the game really made me feel like I was in a lived in world, in comparison to some other open world games I've played where the open world feltThis was my first Yakuza game and I basically went in blind. The first few chapters of the game really blew my mind and set up lots of intrigue and really made me root for the main protagonist. The characters are fleshed out and likeable, and the game really made me feel like I was in a lived in world, in comparison to some other open world games I've played where the open world felt pointless. I think the inclusion of tons and tons of completely optional mini games, character dialogue, and real world restaurants and shops really led to this feeling. There's tons of content that you might not notice if you're trying to get through the story as fast as possible (although none of it is actually "missable" content) which encourages the player to take their time and really get sucked into the world of Yokohama. The english voice acting is actually pretty fantastic in my opinion, which is rare in JRPGs. Towards the later half of the game I found the plot to be getting a little convoluted when it came to the political intrigue with all of the various crime families and it became difficult to keep track of who was who. Fortunately this is all relatively neatly tied up towards the end with an ending that felt satisfying and conclusive.

    The JRPG combat mechanics were enjoyable at first, with hits having a satisfying weight to them and ridiculous over the top cutscenes that made me want to try out every possible ability. However difficulty wise the game was a bit too easy for me to the point where I found myself just auto attacking 99% of the time. This is a huge gaping contrast to the optional end game boss which more or less requires your characters to be fully maxed out which ended up being way too much of a ridiculous challenge for me to want to attempt. All in all though, this didn't detract enough to pull me out of the engaging open world and captivating story.    … Expand
  27. Masterofcard198
    Feb 20, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Excelente por donde se lo mire , la historia es muy buena , y el modo de lucha espectacular.… Expand
  28. Jollyolfun
    Nov 18, 2022
    9
    Perhaps my favorite JRPG of all time. Notable because of its geography and timing based turned based combat. The story is also wonderful.
  29. nfs7379
    Aug 30, 2022
    9
    9/10........................................................................................
  30. MoGee
    Apr 23, 2022
    9
    第三个白金游戏！
    这次变革我觉得挺成功的，除了职业系统与技能不够成熟外，算是找回了曾经第一次玩如龙0的感觉。
  31. PacoBN23
    Sep 18, 2022
    9
    Gran juego que destaca principalmente por su gran historia, la cual logra engancharte desde la primera hora y no pierde fuerza en ningún momento, destacando los giros argumentales que te dejan descolocado y asombrado.
    En cuanto al gameplay, el cambio al género de JRPG clásico le ha sentado perfectamente a la saga Yakuza, creando un juego con grandisima cantidad de detalles. Si bien es    Gran juego que destaca principalmente por su gran historia, la cual logra engancharte desde la primera hora y no pierde fuerza en ningún momento, destacando los giros argumentales que te dejan descolocado y asombrado.
    En cuanto al gameplay, el cambio al género de JRPG clásico le ha sentado perfectamente a la saga Yakuza, creando un juego con grandisima cantidad de detalles. Si bien es cierto que es el primer juego de este género que juego, creo que ha logrado engancharme y ha hecho que valore probar otros títulos. No obstante, no terminan de convencerme algunos aspectos claves de este tipo de juegos, como pueden ser los enemigos esponja de vidas y los numerosos objetos que cambian mínimamente las estadísticas de los personajes.    … Expand
  32. Chillaoi
    Jan 13, 2023
    9
    Review só pra lembrar a nota que dei pro jogo:
    Gostei da implementação da jogabilidade por turno, personagens interessantes e como sempre na série yakuza um humor ótimo.
  33. porseh
    May 28, 2023
    9
    Pensaba de verdad quencon el combate con turnos iba a perder la esencia pero me equivoque plenamente...lo a mejorado con creces...adictivo hasta decir basta
  34. kenpachinegi
    Apr 12, 2023
    9
    akuza: Like A Dragon is a wonderful addition to the franchise. It hits the mark with a likeable new protagonist and an engaging new combat system without losing what makes Yakuza great.If you like Yakuza, then you'll like Like A Dragon. It is everything that makes the series great and is one of the freshest entries since Yakuza 0.
  35. OswaldTaylor64
    Jun 21, 2023
    9
    I wish all the Yakuza (Like a dragon) games were like this! Love the turn-based combat, and of course love the story.
  36. pelona39
    Jul 6, 2023
    9
    Many of my friends recommended me to play this game, so I did... and yeah this is great, no regret!

    I am not playing the other Yakuza game before, this game is new story and new character of Yakuza. Story Not a fantasy genre, but Kasuga Ichiban as main character have vision that he is in the video game world RPG like Dragon Quest. Story talk about Yakuza, gangs and even politics in    Many of my friends recommended me to play this game, so I did... and yeah this is great, no regret!

    I am not playing the other Yakuza game before, this game is new story and new character of Yakuza.

    Story
    Not a fantasy genre, but Kasuga Ichiban as main character have vision that he is in the video game world RPG like Dragon Quest. Story talk about Yakuza, gangs and even politics in Japan. Kasuga is an ex-Yakuza and loyal to his master, Kasuga will do anything for his master... someday, his master wants Kasuga to commit to Jail for covering Yakuza's name because one of member murdered someone. Kasuga do what his master want, he is going to jail for 18 years, after 18 years Kasuga released and he saw that everything changed including Yakuza itself sinced Kasuga in Jail. No one recognize Kasuga as Yakuza anymore, even his master. So Kasuga decided to survive and finding out what happened, and Kasuga have a new friend Namba helping Kasuga in new adventure.

    Side quest story also really good, funny and enjoying, not repetitive side quest like JRPG in general, side quest of this game really memorable.

    Sound/music
    Not that bad to be honest. But yeah not memorable.

    Gameplay
    I never play Yakuza game before, so this is turn-based combat and surprisingly not boring, it's so alive, there are so many funny attack or command animations that sometimes made me laugh. Open world exploration, not too big but still good.

    Graphic
    just ok...

    Overall
    Well done, the game made me laugh every time, I am really enjoy this game!    … Expand
  37. JackGoldWind
    Sep 1, 2023
    9
    Persona 5 meet Yakuza Series, English dub fell so meh a real Yakuza play the game in Japanese audio
  38. Kai82
    May 11, 2023
    8
    A new chapter in the Yakuza franchise. It has a new main character, switched the battle system to turn based combat and is more RPG than all other entries. I really enjoyed this game but have to admit it has a few rough edges. However it kept the strengths of the franchise and feels familiar. The story is about Ichiban Kasuga who was born in the Soapland in Kamurocho and never knew hisA new chapter in the Yakuza franchise. It has a new main character, switched the battle system to turn based combat and is more RPG than all other entries. I really enjoyed this game but have to admit it has a few rough edges. However it kept the strengths of the franchise and feels familiar. The story is about Ichiban Kasuga who was born in the Soapland in Kamurocho and never knew his parents. He joined the Arakawa Yakuza family after their patriarch saved him. Years later he goes to prison to save his patriarch from a serious fall out. When he returns his world turned upside down and he wants answers which draws him into a far bigger scheme than he would imagine (Wont spoil anything here). The story is entertaining and emotional. Like most Yakuza game it can sometimes get a bit ridiculous but works for me. The thing I was worried about was the change to turn based combat. However this works well and they made me enjoy this. The part time hero and Sujidex are O.K. for me. In total the side activities are excellent. Now to the rough edges with a slight spoiler warning. 2 locations in the game feel empty as there are no side quests except a dungeon. Some enemies feel a bit too much like damage sponges, level ups give not that much stat increases and only in the late game you can switch jobs without strong regrets. Your job levels give far better stat increases than your character levels (Better equipment outclass these also). If you have double digit levels in a job you don't want to start at level 1 with much lower stats. Only from a late chapter you have access to (special) enemies that give huge amounts of experience to decrease grinding. Overall the game won me over and I anticipate the next entry in the franchise. The characters, gameplay and overall experience is worth an 8/10 and recommendation for Yakuza fans.… Expand
  39. mikepatyaev
    Sep 14, 2022
    8
    RISE LIKE A DRAGON. Become Ichiban Kasuga, a low-ranking yakuza grunt left on the brink of death by the man he trusted most. Take up your legendary bat and get ready to crack some underworld skulls in dynamic RPG combat set against the backdrop of modern-day Japan.
  40. NoelKreiss132
    Dec 13, 2020
    8
    Breath of fresh air honestly . Don’t listen to these people who say the turn based system is bad . It’s really fun and honestly made the dragon engine much more fun to play than the system used in Kiwami 2 and 6.
  41. exeo
    May 13, 2021
    8
    Divertido, cachondo, bonito, dramático... podría ser perfecto, pero no acaba de conseguirlo. Quizás faltan variables en el combate que te hagan sentir que ganas por mérito propio, o más personajes de equipo...
  42. Hunter_Clauss
    Nov 18, 2020
    8
    Much better than I expected, story is fantastic, likeable new characters, new fighting style isn't bad, great start for the next generation of yakuza games, game runs perfectly too, no glitches at all on my one s.
  43. ff9alex
    Apr 13, 2021
    8
    Amazing game, it's really funny but really serious when it has to, becoming an RPG turn based actually make the game way more interesting and I hope they co tinue this road in future games

    The cinematics are loooong but most of the times they paid off, some parts kind of become a soap opera but overall the story is great I don't give it a 9 cause it bothers me how much assets they    Amazing game, it's really funny but really serious when it has to, becoming an RPG turn based actually make the game way more interesting and I hope they co tinue this road in future games


    The cinematics are loooong but most of the times they paid off, some parts kind of become a soap opera but overall the story is great

    I don't give it a 9 cause it bothers me how much assets they reused from other of their games to notorious, also to many enemies on street sometimes it gets annoying    … Expand
  44. Awanka
    Feb 8, 2022
    8
    The gameplay is quite good. It integrates the turn-based combat of JRPGs, and job system of Final Fantasy 14/Dragon Quest 7, into an urban brawler setting, often with clever or funny results. You will encounter knights that use garbage can lids as shields and "mage" classes that hack phones. There are a ton of mini-games and collection quests outside of the normal combat to occupy yourThe gameplay is quite good. It integrates the turn-based combat of JRPGs, and job system of Final Fantasy 14/Dragon Quest 7, into an urban brawler setting, often with clever or funny results. You will encounter knights that use garbage can lids as shields and "mage" classes that hack phones. There are a ton of mini-games and collection quests outside of the normal combat to occupy your time such as Dragon-Kart racing, Company management, and can collecting.

    Once you get the hang of things the game becomes immersive, like being a gangster in some parallel dimension version of Yokohama. It's oddly wholesome and distinctly Japanese. It reminded me of Persona 5 in the way there is too much to do and not enough time.

    The core story about honor and redemption is pretty good, but expands into a melodramatic mess, and is way too wordy. Even for a JRPG there is so much endless bloviating and empty dialog that I started skipping it 2/3 in, which I almost never do.

    The final dungeon requires a LOT of grinding. Consider yourself warned.    … Expand
  45. nexus151196
    Oct 7, 2022
    8
    Дошёл до 7 главы и удалил. Понимаю, что игра хорошая, но устал. Очень много диалогов, хоть и люблю, но не смог терпеть и скипал. Боёвка тактическая,глубокая. Половина с режиссурой , половина просто каменные стояния. Сайды прикольные, по-японски трешовые. Графика класс, персонажи тоже. Игра хорошая, но не для всех. Игра всё равно не меньше, чем на 8 баллов.
    UPD : собрался, дошел до    Дошёл до 7 главы и удалил. Понимаю, что игра хорошая, но устал. Очень много диалогов, хоть и люблю, но не смог терпеть и скипал. Боёвка тактическая,глубокая. Половина с режиссурой , половина просто каменные стояния. Сайды прикольные, по-японски трешовые. Графика класс, персонажи тоже. Игра хорошая, но не для всех. Игра всё равно не меньше, чем на 8 баллов.
    UPD : собрался, дошел до финальной главы, слился на предпоследнем боссе, уж очень он жирный. У игры сильный скачок в сложности в конце..    … Expand
  46. GoatSimp69
    Dec 18, 2020
    8
    Not a bad attempt to change the type of game.

    But the turn-based combat part has a few flaws: 1. the environment is too little use of the way, too random. 2. can only see the next turn who instead of all. 3. can not look at the enemy codex during the battle.
  47. MAKASERO
    Dec 21, 2020
    8
    El problema es cuando se quedan trabados a veces con el terreno como objetos o construcciones..
  48. Severaltitan
    Jan 13, 2021
    8
    Increible , se han renovado y han cambiado el estilo, viendo como era su nuevo gameplay no quería jugarlo pero ha sido una compra genial y me.ha acabado enganchando
  49. Morcishoobler
    Jun 1, 2021
    8
    I have never played a Yakuza game before. I originally thought I would not like many of the key elements in the game. At first, the story seemed like a tedious way to bog down the game and the combat seemed boring and easy at first. However, the story progressed and the combat improved and I found myself falling in love with this game. It plus homage to classic games in the best wayI have never played a Yakuza game before. I originally thought I would not like many of the key elements in the game. At first, the story seemed like a tedious way to bog down the game and the combat seemed boring and easy at first. However, the story progressed and the combat improved and I found myself falling in love with this game. It plus homage to classic games in the best way possible, develops a story that trumps the traditional story telling of movies and tv, and is goofy enough to entertain an audience of all ages. Phenomenal.… Expand
  50. Finaltwist
    Sep 13, 2021
    8
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  51. Fayt215
    Dec 24, 2021
    8
    I have to give this game a 8 because I wasn't expecting it to be this good and entertaining especially when they completely brought it jrpg elemts to this game instead of its traditional yakuza brawl gameplay. Even with the jrpg elements thrown in it still catches the yakuza feels and moments of laughter and joy and the yakuza series still imo tell great stories with fun loving charactersI have to give this game a 8 because I wasn't expecting it to be this good and entertaining especially when they completely brought it jrpg elemts to this game instead of its traditional yakuza brawl gameplay. Even with the jrpg elements thrown in it still catches the yakuza feels and moments of laughter and joy and the yakuza series still imo tell great stories with fun loving characters and the fan service is pretty hood to might I say. Overall fantastic game if your a yakuza fan if your a jrpg fan you still might enjoy this game and for those who are completely new and want to try something new I would say give this game a chance it might just when you over with it's charm. One more thing props to the english voice actors for voicing this game it's cool that they included and english dub over but I would still recommend people play this game in Japanese as the voice acting and emotions are just far superior plus the english karaoke isn't very good imo lol although it is hilarious.… Expand
  52. GuiBio
    Dec 29, 2022
    8
    Tons of secundary stuff to do. could spend hours only playing darts/majong inside the game.
  53. Wrath_over
    May 5, 2023
    8
    The yakuza games are a mixed bag, enjoyable but hard to recommend for nonfans.

    The slowburn that i felt with most yakuza titles is also here ,exasperated by now being turn based. If you can brave through the slow start a true gem is here. Some people describe yakuza as a Japanese GTA. Though it doesn't have the largest open world out there, you get a condensed, yet faithful version of    The yakuza games are a mixed bag, enjoyable but hard to recommend for nonfans.

    The slowburn that i felt with most yakuza titles is also here ,exasperated by now being turn based.
    If you can brave through the slow start a true gem is here.
    Some people describe yakuza as a Japanese GTA. Though it doesn't have the largest open world out there, you get a condensed, yet faithful version of Japanese cities. ( I was once able to navigate, shinjuku and osaka thanks to, landmarks in the game), Jam-packed with side activities, quests, restaurants, minigames, and junk to collect. A game map the fraction the size of any Ubisoft title, but with 100 times the content and charm.

    Like a dragon swaps out the brawler gameplay of old for a persona like turn based system, explained by the main character, by his love of dragon quest. Initially i though it would get old just tapping the punch attack in the menu, but yakuza embraced the whacky, with a large number of JOBs, that at as character archetypes ( Idol healer, damage dealing hitman, or a status affecting hobo), your enemies ,also get cranked up to 11, you fight men in trash bags, and construction equipment.

    Like a dragon is a departure but also the best starting point , aside maybe from yakuza 0.
    If you can deal with a slog of a start, your in for a good time in a great franchise    … Expand
  54. Underpants158
    Feb 28, 2021
    7
    I will write this review based on the assumption you already know about the game. So... I loved the party members in the game. I loved building your relationship, chatting at the bar, learning their personal stories piece by piece. Kasuga is also a worthwhile character to move the franchise into the future and his story and the story of Yokohama was really intriguing. However the grindingI will write this review based on the assumption you already know about the game. So... I loved the party members in the game. I loved building your relationship, chatting at the bar, learning their personal stories piece by piece. Kasuga is also a worthwhile character to move the franchise into the future and his story and the story of Yokohama was really intriguing. However the grinding you need to do in this game is TOO much. I believe grinding to be a design flaw in these types of games and it pains me to see design flaws loving emulated. Despite all that I still think it is a good game. I just think this game could easily be a 9/10 if they balanced it and condensed it a little more. I really did like the combat system...for most of the time, until your go to moves basically became animations instead of timed interactions or strategic AoE placements. Also a minor defense of the AoE attacks. So, a common criticism is that all the characters are moving constantly all wily nily like so you can't be strategic with your placement of AoE. Yes... but if you wait and try to predict the movements of the enemies it can be very satisfying when you guess correctly and land a big AoE attack.… Expand
  55. scruffy_77
    Mar 26, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a long standing Yakuza fan who has played every title to completion I was slightly sceptical about the turn based fighting system. None the less I wasn't going to pass up this having previously completed every instalment. At first I thought it was refreshing, and don't get me wrong the story is in depth and Ichiban took place of Kiryu in a well implemented manner.

    However, whilst I was enjoying the game I reached chapter 12 where it became apparent I was so under levelled to continue the story when having to fight Goro Majima, it was literally impossible to proceed, the spike here in difficulty was un-parallel.
    It took around 3 hours of grinding in the battle arena to continue the story at this point which managed to get me through the following two chapters, just marginally being able to beat the Kiryu boss fight.
    Being in the last chapter I came up across the boss fight with Tendo, after spending a good two hours making my way there through the continuous battles he managed to one hit me and wipe half way through the fight, a second time this happened and I resulted to watching the ending scenes on YouTube because I no longer had the patience or time to grind my character to finish the story.

    This is my only gripe, the game, the story all very strong – but the spikes in difficulty blocking you from just following the story and playing at leisure ruined this title for me. I never thought I would score a Yakuza game less than 10, but on this occasion I cannot justify my experience as more than a 7.    … Expand
  56. TheMegaGodz
    May 10, 2021
    7
    I'm not a huge fan of the JRPG mechanics, but the story and characters were great and kept me invested and motivated to finish it. I don't think it's a bad game, but I definitely don't agree with those calling it the best in the series.
  57. Smoothhands
    Feb 6, 2021
    7
    I am a long time fan of the Yakuza franchise and i have played every game available in English. And i have loved every one of them. But this is a very mediocre Yakuza game. Which is still a good thing,

    The story is not the worst and not the best, What i love the most about the yakuza games is that with most of them i can't tell what is going on until right at the end when they reveal it    I am a long time fan of the Yakuza franchise and i have played every game available in English. And i have loved every one of them. But this is a very mediocre Yakuza game. Which is still a good thing,

    The story is not the worst and not the best, What i love the most about the yakuza games is that with most of them i can't tell what is going on until right at the end when they reveal it and when i replay them it makes perfect sense. But with this game and two others i saw it coming in the first stages. But it's still really good. The characters are brilliant. The main character Ichiban is a nice change of phase from the batman esk Kiryu. He responded in the same the same emotional way
    as i did to his friends and enemies. His friends are really fun as well but i feel i can't really go into them without giving away anything about the game.

    The mini games are pretty fun. They have allot of the old ones but the ones they add are such an improvement. Especially the corporation mini game. It replaces the cabaret clubs/hostess club/gang war and construction mini games that i reluctantly played for a bit of extra cash. While it shares the same elements and feels too grindy i really enjoyed it.

    The combat is fun at first but after 10 ours of random encounters it was completely ruined. It gets tedious, boring and annoying. While the old Yakuza combat was really fast (With the exception of bossfights). This game takes forever in dealing with riff raff takes because you have to wait for every character's animation. The moves are beautifully animated and the moves have allot of verity to them but when you reach higher levels i got really bored with watching the same animations time and time again. Something i never encountered in the old games probably because i did not have to watch one charcter take a minute to do one move.

    But this game is still a yakuza game and it captures the Yakuza spirit perfectly.

    It's hammy and cheesy, To bad the bread is way to stale otherwise it would make a perfect sandwich.

    PS. Fun fact, the main crime family is named Arakawa. One of the first things you beat up in yakuza zero is named Arakawa.    … Expand
  58. octopus0606
    Dec 9, 2020
    7
    story is not so good, i couldn't be absorbed in story. so i give this game 7 points.
  59. Magicmairou
    Nov 15, 2020
    7
    Otherwise a good game but in many of the fights it turns in to a long slog of having only one enemy with massive health pool but basically no offensive capabilities so you just keep hammering X button for 15 minutes. (I guess setting it to auto and making yourself a cup of coffee is the way to go in these boring fights.)
  60. Efendiminati
    Apr 29, 2021
    7
    with the great story and minigame and substories rgg studio just perfecting the formula, yes the combat system doesnt for me either but it doesnt change the fact that its a great game
  61. Wondux
    May 1, 2022
    7
    Pros:
    -I love the atmosphere of Yakuza games and this game has also succeeded in creating a dynamic street life. If you are a fan of Japanese culture, then this game - or the Yakuza series - is definitely for you. I liked discovering a new city as well as seeing older ones that I am familiar with such as Kamurocho.
    -I like how they added optional friendship levels and cutscenes with your    Pros:
    -I love the atmosphere of Yakuza games and this game has also succeeded in creating a dynamic street life. If you are a fan of Japanese culture, then this game - or the Yakuza series - is definitely for you. I liked discovering a new city as well as seeing older ones that I am familiar with such as Kamurocho.
    -I like how they added optional friendship levels and cutscenes with your party members. A great option if you want to know about and understand them better.
    -The new turn-based combat system was enjoyable for me. Still, the epic animations could sometimes undermine the tone of the story. Also, I didn't find it any difficult. When you are able to make money you basically have infinite health and cannot die. I think I died only once throughout the entire game. Still, the combat was very enjoyable and didn't bore me at any point.
    -The story was not as predictable as it was in its predecessors.
    -I like the new characters. I think that they are all likable and had their own stories which were tied up in the end pretty well.

    Cons
    -The story. I don't know how to feel about the story. It wasn't uninteresting but it was not focused. There were a ton of ideas but they are all thrown to you at such speed that you cannot be immersed in a specific theme or an emotion. In addition, the story usually does not fit the expected tone of a "Yakuza" game. I know that this is a Japanese game and it has some anime-like elements but when you are in a life or death situation and your party members have a 5-minute-long dialogue about the power of friendship in front of their enemies as they wait, it just doesn't do it for me. It would be very effective to give subtle hints about how emotional or soft the characters are on the inside as well as hiding it. When I look at the characters I cannot see much tension or seriousness. For example, Kiryu's character was well-written in those terms. He was a badass but also he cared for his friends, and people's lives, he liked children and liked helping people out. However, you could not understand those if you didn't get to know Kiryu very well. To me, Ichiban did not feel like a Yakuza protagonist. Maybe it's because this is the first game of his storyline but I don't think that he will have such character development. He is already in his forties and is mature. Still, I liked Ichiban a lot as a person; he is helpful, he cares for his friends, etc. Just not something I would expect from a Yakuza protagonist.
    -I hated the dungeons. They are repetitive and the level design was terrible. It was not interesting to look around within the sewers. It was the same textures and walls, only in different rooms and corridors. At one time in the dungeon, there were unbreakable walls blocking your way and I had no clue how to get past them. I searched it on the internet and found out that one of our characters should have a specific job to be able to break those walls. And what can you do? Get out of the dungeon by walking the entire way back, go to the job center, change your job, go back to the dungeon entrance, and clear the dungeon out one more time. When I learned about this I was totally done with the dungeon and never got in one ever again, given that it already was not so interesting.
    -Money-making mechanic. Similar to some other old Yakuza games, you are given the option to have a business. I actually love that mechanic and it's always fun to max it out. However, that business is the only way of making real money towards the endgame, where you may need millions and millions of Yens. Although it doesn't take too much time to make money from the business minigame when it's needed, it becomes very boring. The only thing you do is press a button to initiate the business simulator and it does things by itself. Every now and then there is a small minigame but it's also very repetitive and becomes boring. I would have liked it more if there were some minigames within the business minigame including fighting etc.

    Still, it is a well-polished game with a great atmosphere but 7/10 is the max I can give to this game. Definitely should try it out if you are a fan of Japanese culture or the Yakuza series. If you are new to the series and have no sympathy for the culture I don't think that you will be able to finish the game.    … Expand
  62. awar_7
    Dec 20, 2021
    7
    No soy seguidor de la franquicia Yakuza, me inicié con este título y la verdad es que lo disfruté mucho durante la primera mitad del juego. Tirando hacia su parte final se me llegó a hacer un poco pesado y lo acabé pidiendo la hora, aunque seguramente el problema era más mío que del propio juego. Minijuegos muy originales, como los exámenes, los karts o el recolector de chatarra, aunque miNo soy seguidor de la franquicia Yakuza, me inicié con este título y la verdad es que lo disfruté mucho durante la primera mitad del juego. Tirando hacia su parte final se me llegó a hacer un poco pesado y lo acabé pidiendo la hora, aunque seguramente el problema era más mío que del propio juego. Minijuegos muy originales, como los exámenes, los karts o el recolector de chatarra, aunque mi preferido fue el de empresario. Recomendable para quien le gusten los juegos de rol por turnos.… Expand
  63. kamenest
    Aug 9, 2022
    7
    Good game with great combat, but:
    *Too long cutscenes
    *No restart option for Dragon Kart
    *Story Millennium Tower don't have any save point
  64. BTSFANCLUB
    May 13, 2023
    7
    Game is OK.

    Story is way too much dialogue for me, and it feels like its just: story, battle, story, battle, story, etc. Not much variety Combat system is pretty fun, I enjoyed the other yakuza games combat as well but always had an issue w boss fights not being that fun. This game didnt have that, they all had a strategic counter. Allthough you def had to do some grinding to lvl up in    Game is OK.

    Story is way too much dialogue for me, and it feels like its just: story, battle, story, battle, story, etc. Not much variety

    Combat system is pretty fun, I enjoyed the other yakuza games combat as well but always had an issue w boss fights not being that fun. This game didnt have that, they all had a strategic counter.

    Allthough you def had to do some grinding to lvl up in other activities because the story doesnt give you enough xp to lvl up to the point that you are not underleveled to face the next chapter, this starts from chapter 7 all the way too 14. The final chapter was pretty easy.

    The substories are fun.

    The business minigame is ok, not as fun as the cabaret club but more fun than what Yakuza 0 ha but doesnt have interesting characters like the 5 kings.

    Dont play this game if you dont have the time for it.    … Expand
  65. CutNickel
    Jun 6, 2023
    7
    Yakuza: Like a Dragon toma a un nuevo cast de personajes para seguir lo que dicen es el GTA Japones. La historia tal cual es increible sin lugar a dudas hasta lo que son los ultimos capitulos donde siento que flaquea un poco el juego, lo cual sin lugar a dudas es triste ya que lo que hace a un juego genial es su final. El nuevo sistema de combate deja total libertad para todo tipo deYakuza: Like a Dragon toma a un nuevo cast de personajes para seguir lo que dicen es el GTA Japones. La historia tal cual es increible sin lugar a dudas hasta lo que son los ultimos capitulos donde siento que flaquea un poco el juego, lo cual sin lugar a dudas es triste ya que lo que hace a un juego genial es su final. El nuevo sistema de combate deja total libertad para todo tipo de locuras desde hacerle cortas con papel al enemigo o invocar una langosta para que te ayude en el combate lo cual es hilarante sin lugar a dudas. Lo unico malo que podria decir ademas de la historia y algunos bugs que me encontre es que es practicamente obligatorio farmear niveles y items para los ultimos combates donde lo pase sumamente mal. Aun asi es un juego que siempre recomendare cuando me pregunten por un RPG para la Ps4 o Ps5.… Expand
  66. feathercave
    Jun 27, 2023
    7
    Yakuza game that moved to Role Playing Game.

    good point - You are good at inserting movie scenes. - Decent music. -The main character has a positive personality. -Fellow characters are attractive and clearly higher than the previous yakuza series. - Yakuza Role Playing Game. Cons -The tempo is worse than before. -The world setting is somewhat unreasonable. - I'm tired because I    Yakuza game that moved to Role Playing Game.

    good point
    - You are good at inserting movie scenes.
    - Decent music.
    -The main character has a positive personality.
    -Fellow characters are attractive and clearly higher than the previous yakuza series.
    - Yakuza Role Playing Game.
    Cons
    -The tempo is worse than before.
    -The world setting is somewhat unreasonable.
    - I'm tired because I use a lot
    -Enemy hardness is abnormal in the second half.    … Expand
  67. Harthik69
    Aug 5, 2023
    7
    Good Game. Can give it a second try in future, I might like the gameplay and visuals
  68. GamingNinja
    Nov 19, 2020
    6
    Very slow, boring, graphics worse than the previous ones, massive dissapointment as a huge yakuza fan.
  69. Revolt176
    Dec 3, 2020
    6
    Love the story,BUT I hate that f grind wall in chapter 9,cannot proceed,wasted tons of hours trying to level up and it goes to slow. Combat system ruined all fun and positive experience I had at beginning of the game. I have all yakuza games (exception Japan exclusive) long time fan of those,but this just the worst and the only reason is combat system.
  70. SplitMind
    Feb 26, 2021
    6
    Like a Dragon was a great opportunity to shake up the Yakuza formula as the games have been similar for a very long time, however the game falls short for me, changing the wrong aspects of the game.

    The graphics of Yakuza didn't need changing and I'm glad they haven't. The nightlife in particular is as effervescent as ever and a pleasure to traverse. This is balance out by daytime    Like a Dragon was a great opportunity to shake up the Yakuza formula as the games have been similar for a very long time, however the game falls short for me, changing the wrong aspects of the game.

    The graphics of Yakuza didn't need changing and I'm glad they haven't. The nightlife in particular is as effervescent as ever and a pleasure to traverse. This is balance out by daytime skylines that are a bit more drab and grayscale.

    The story of Yakuza contains all the familiar hallmarks: wacky characters, dramatic betrayals and plot twists. My issue with the story is that Yakuza remains dialogue-heavy and packed to the brim with cut-scenes. This is something that I would like to have seen changed, as the gameplay has slowed down also, bringing the whole Yakuza experience to a bit of a turtle-craw. The substories are of course hilarious and fun, but also full of dialogue that tested my patience.

    The gameplay is where the game has completely changed. For me this was the wrong move to make. Combat has always been repetitive, however it has also been frenetic and furious. In Like a Dragon however, the combat is insanely slow and monotonous due to being turn-based. There are also issues of enemy placement and getting caught n the environment. I also found the job system very cumbersome and a nuisance, reminiscent of the sphere dresses from FFX-2. Very strange to see Like a Dragon taking its lead from game mechanics that were outdated long ago.

    One last thing that exasperated me above all; the difficulty spikes and subsequent grinding. Many people have noted Chapter 12 in particular, but for me it was before this where I was level 20 and a boss was level 25 and subsequently wiped the floor with me. In the hours leading up to this I had not encountered such an imbalance of power so was woefully under-prepared. Such an intense grind lay ahead that it just made me put the game down entirely, as grinding is much more tedious in Like a Dragon than in any typical RPG.

    Now that we have experienced a fundamental change in Yakuza, I think we now need further changes. This style does not work for me. Previously I could play the game with more freedom and at my own pace and style. Like a Dragon's random difficulty spikes (or single spike in my case) make me yearn for the older games, warts and all.    … Expand
  71. chlxowns68
    Oct 1, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is not good.
    As an rpg game, the completeness is not good.
    The appearance of Kiryu Kazuma was also hasty.    … Expand
  72. soooB
    Mar 19, 2021
    6
    New combat system works reasonably well, story is extremely tiresome and driven by extreme character idiocy making it very hard to watch through. Grinding isn't that bad for what's effectively a JRPG but the difficulty curve for the late game bosses is ridiculous given how easy the rest of the game is. I've played all the series and would probably prefer the other games if they had thisNew combat system works reasonably well, story is extremely tiresome and driven by extreme character idiocy making it very hard to watch through. Grinding isn't that bad for what's effectively a JRPG but the difficulty curve for the late game bosses is ridiculous given how easy the rest of the game is. I've played all the series and would probably prefer the other games if they had this turn based combat system now.… Expand
  73. Kauzik
    Nov 22, 2020
    6
    Yes its definitely a yakuza game, great story too. But can we not with turn based. If it was any other game I would have passed. It makes sense for southpark to do it but not yakuza. please not again
  74. zasaz13
    Nov 1, 2022
    6
    Good movie with some moments of play. Boring combat system, but with good history
  75. fabgo
    Sep 5, 2022
    6
    Fantastic story, filled with quirky humor and many life lessons. This is probably the most emotionally intelligent game I ever played.

    Unfortunately, to get through the story, you have to grind through thousands of boring encounters and repetitive fights. The turn-based combat is not very engaging, and most fights are without any challenge. The game is also very unbalanced, so you go from    Fantastic story, filled with quirky humor and many life lessons. This is probably the most emotionally intelligent game I ever played.

    Unfortunately, to get through the story, you have to grind through thousands of boring encounters and repetitive fights. The turn-based combat is not very engaging, and most fights are without any challenge. The game is also very unbalanced, so you go from easy-easy-easy-easy-easy to super-hard. And then you have to grind for hours to level up and get better gear just so you can get through that next fight that blocks story progress.

    There is a lot to do in the game. From side-quests and collectibles to many, many optional mini-games. I didn't really care for the mini-games very much, but they do add some depth and flavor to the game, and you can play the mini-games for hours if you so choose.

    The game auto-save feature is useless, so you have to save frequently yourself if you don't want to lose progress. Except many areas disable the save feature. And then, if you then forget to save when you get out of that area, you could lose a lot of progress. There is no load. So if you want to load a previous save, you have to quit and restart the game.

    Overall it's a pretty good game, but the flaws mentioned are frustrating, and prevent the game from being truly great. A missed opportunity from SEGA.    … Expand
  76. PasiMetaAho
    Feb 5, 2023
    6
    Turn based street fighting? Really????????????
    RGG really shat the bed with the gameplay even if the story is as always god tier!
  77. anemotaxis
    Nov 22, 2022
    6
    無理やり辻褄を合わせたようなストーリーに興ざめする。
    歪んでいるとはいえ主人公の人の好さは伝わったが、頭脳明晰のように語られるキャラクター全員がバカに見える。
    60点くらいのミニゲームの詰め合わせでボリュームを水増しするくらいなら、もっとメインの部分に力を入れてほしい。
  78. BigKidPlays
    Sep 9, 2023
    6
    The combination of difficulty, weird design choices and the game being too long killed this one for me. I HATE grinding in games, but I felt like I needed to grind in order to advance. I didn't like the dungeons, and the thought of having to grind these dungeons just made me drop the game. The business management sim also didn't interest me at all.
  79. Spacemonkey1964
    Aug 12, 2023
    6
    A decent enough JRPG but very long winded and dialogue heavy. The basic gameplay loop is repetitive; go someplace, meet someone, talk ( a lot ), have a fight. Repeat. There's lots of mini games to relieve the boredom like the dragon cart and business management and 50+ sub plots, some better than others. The turn based combat is a nice change of pace and allows for strategic planning.
  80. AcerolaOrion
    Oct 12, 2022
    5
    Why is there soooo much freaking combat and why is the combat sooo boring? There is sooooo much of it. Enemies will literally spawn 10 meters down the street from you AFTER YOU JUST KILLED A PREVIOUS GROUP OF ENEMIES ON THE SAME STREET!
    Maybe try the South Park RPG approach next time!
    The english VA is a major improvement to previous titles for a game that prides itself on its    Why is there soooo much freaking combat and why is the combat sooo boring? There is sooooo much of it. Enemies will literally spawn 10 meters down the street from you AFTER YOU JUST KILLED A PREVIOUS GROUP OF ENEMIES ON THE SAME STREET!
    Maybe try the South Park RPG approach next time!

    The english VA is a major improvement to previous titles for a game that prides itself on its storytelling (only to drown it in awful gameplay).    … Expand
  81. DrSiko
    Mar 6, 2021
    5
    This Yakuza game is a disappointment. I was open to new characters in the franchise since Kiryu became old and it's time for new blood. However, aside from Ichiban who's okay, the other characters are one-dimensional and have no likeable personality. I didn't care about any of them. The female character is very weak it ends up a punch bag rather than helpful in fights.

    The turn-based    This Yakuza game is a disappointment. I was open to new characters in the franchise since Kiryu became old and it's time for new blood. However, aside from Ichiban who's okay, the other characters are one-dimensional and have no likeable personality. I didn't care about any of them. The female character is very weak it ends up a punch bag rather than helpful in fights.

    The turn-based fighting system can be a change for the first few hours in the game, then it gets so boring I kept auto-combat on all the time (thanks for whoever programmed it) unless the characters screw up I take control again.

    What makes me give up is the grinding. Previous Yakuza games didn't need this cheap way to make the game "last longer" while you need to go through hundreds of fights to farm exp points and level up the characters. What I usually immerse in is the story. I don't want to spend 20+ hours to grind only to be able to defeat a boss. This is a bad practice I don't know how gamers today accept this. RPG? Sure, but it doesn't have to be this grindy. This is not Destiny or some MMO game.

    I even didn't like the story much and it felt weak. Reading that it has many unreasonable twists, it sounds it's not worth it investing into the story either.    … Expand
  82. Zakis1991
    Aug 8, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Перестал следить за сюжетом после 6 главы, но прошел. В игре много минусов, очень много бегать, если хочешь собирать команду на яд, кровотечение, огонь, и холод, то не получится, у боссов всех иммунитет ко всему этому, а еще эти эффекты не стакаются. Встретил гринд вол, не мог пройти дальше по сюжету, пока не прокачался,… Expand
  83. Juggajuggaoneli
    Apr 8, 2021
    5
    A Yakuza RPG but geared toward the younger audience and more Persona like. My main gripe is the endless cut scenes and rather inane story, The combat and overall grinding does very little to differentiate this from Persona and any other JRPG. It felt great for over half the game until I attempted to level up for Level 20 and above. The battles become relentless and even using Auto, itA Yakuza RPG but geared toward the younger audience and more Persona like. My main gripe is the endless cut scenes and rather inane story, The combat and overall grinding does very little to differentiate this from Persona and any other JRPG. It felt great for over half the game until I attempted to level up for Level 20 and above. The battles become relentless and even using Auto, it can be tiresome.… Expand
  84. Deralordo
    Jul 16, 2021
    5
    Richtig gutes Spiel gerade wenn man Yakuza Neueinsteiger ist. Die Geschichte ist super und das Kampfsystem, die Minigames genauso! Das einzige was ich bemängeln würde ist das nicht Japaner wahrscheinlich ziemliche Probst haben werden mit Minigames wie Mahjong und Go
  85. Gonoru
    Mar 7, 2021
    4
    Mediocre, there is no meaning for 90% of your missions and actions, story is dumb (even for a Yakuza game, which I usually love), I was bore almost 80% of the time
  86. Nobilis1984
    Mar 2, 2021
    4
    Very boring.
    I'm not a fan of the series, but at least I've tested all of its predecessors. I've always preferred GTA, but they were pretty good.
    The latest work is now more of an RPG and the fights are not that good anymore. The characters are too weak for me and the story is boring.
    Everything is better, dear developers.
  87. furyohfury
    Mar 28, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Plot wise, pretty standard yakuza game, but they decided to make it a goddamn persona with all the WE ARE FRIENDS AND WE HELP EACH OTHER **** And if it worked in persona,here it looks stupid most of the time. As for gameplay they added personality stats like in persona which can't even be upgraded if you complete local university, which is made for it. Fight system is fine actually but at the endgame i found myself in a **** situation. I completed most of the sidequests, sotenbori battle arena (which as i googled gives you many xp). Then i come to fights with majima/saejima, kiryu and tendo and I am somehow underleveled on ~10 levels. I dealt with first two fights (roughly) but then there is tendo. And i just **** dropped the game. I went through all the tower and its about 15 fights, and got to fight tendo. I fought him like a **** 30 minutes i guess (because of the level) and he oneshotted Ichiban (game over) and i couldnt even do something about it because he can do multiple turns at once. So its either i poke this **** for 30 minutes again and pray to all gods that he wont do it again, either i go back to checkpoint, make the build against oneshot and go through all tower AGAIN. NOPE thank you, **** that. Seems like devs didnt even play their game if they didnt see that total ****… Expand
  88. Olkadan
    Jan 5, 2021
    4
    I do not like these changes.
    I hope they will not stick with thi formula for the next game.
    Play zero instead.
  89. vvv123
    Aug 9, 2022
    4
    I've played 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, 3 and 6 and all were better. The stakes were higher, with something major happening within the first 30 mins to keep me invested. I'm about 4 1/2 hours into the game and find it boring, with long unnecessary cutscenes. While I do like turn-based combat, it doesn't suit the Yakuza series. The combat in previous games is what made the series unique to otherI've played 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, 3 and 6 and all were better. The stakes were higher, with something major happening within the first 30 mins to keep me invested. I'm about 4 1/2 hours into the game and find it boring, with long unnecessary cutscenes. While I do like turn-based combat, it doesn't suit the Yakuza series. The combat in previous games is what made the series unique to other games. The protagonist would need to be as interesting as Kiryu but it isn't the case, so I'm not invested in the game.… Expand
  90. DragonOfDoGYMa
    Nov 14, 2020
    4
    I am writing this review as a long time Yakuza fan, and this is going to be small, spoiler-free review.

    Story - The story started out pretty strong in the first few chapters, and Ichiban himself came across as a likable character. However, certain plot twists in the game really dragged it down up to a point where I consider it one of the worst entries in the series. The game doesn't do    I am writing this review as a long time Yakuza fan, and this is going to be small, spoiler-free review.

    Story - The story started out pretty strong in the first few chapters, and Ichiban himself came across as a likable character. However, certain plot twists in the game really dragged it down up to a point where I consider it one of the worst entries in the series. The game doesn't do a completely great job fleshing out the characters that are introduced (in terms of most of the party members). As a result of that, you don't form an emotional connection with most of your party members. At a certain point in the story, certain characters from the previous games come back, and despite it being cool to see them again, it felt like fan service and something which ultimately wasn't needed. The story ends good, and RGG can really go wherever they want next with Ichiban.

    Gameplay - Now this is the main topic of discussion. I personally didn't really enjoy the combat much in this game. When I first heard that the combat was going to be turn based, I was still willing to give it a shot since RGG generally haven't disappointed me in the past. However, upon playing this game I was very disappointed. It's clear to me that RGG's talents rely on action combat more than turn based (though to be fair, it is just one entry). Gone are the days of brutal, action boss fights, epic long battles and exhiliarting QTE sequences and now we have turn based fights. I have nothing against the genre, but to me it just didn't feel as engaging as the fights we had in the older games. Some of the bosses have an awesome dynamic intro, only to result in you and the boss staring at each other waiting to take a turn, it just simply doesn't flow as well as a Yakuza game.

    The combat did get better once summons and jobs were introduced as they introduced more variety, however some of the street fights became a chore in these turn based fights. What would have taken a minute max before, now can potentially turn into a 3 - 5 minute fight. I personally felt the encounter rate was the same as Yakuza 5 which had a terrible encounter rate, but at least fights in Yakuza 5 ended quickly. In this game I actively tried to avoid street fights from a certain point in the game.

    Another thing to touch on is the game can be quite grindy. At a certain point in the story, I had to grind for a dual boss fight, since I was originally underlevelled, I had to grind for several hours until I was able to finally defeat them. Certain instances in this game will require you to grind.

    Side Content - This is where the game truly shines. This games has one of the best side content and minigames in the series. (Makes sense since the director of the game is actually the man responsible for making the minigames in the previous entries!). Dragon Kart is actually a ton of fun to experience, Karaoke is fun as always and has some great new songs whilst also bringing back some old classics (the dubbed karaoke is good too!). The theatre minigame where you have to try to keep Ichiban awake is also hilarious, amongst the other minigames introduced. The substories are also great this time around and quite a bit are voiced too.

    Overall - In conclusion, I do think the story beats in this entry could have been better. Ichiban's a very likable protagonist and has a great backstory, but the story fell apart midway with some of the twists they introduced. Even though some of the other games may have had bad twists too, the gameplay and the characters were good enough to save the story, but I couldn't say that in the case of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. I believe that RGG should have made this game as a spin-off title so it could have been better received, because as a mainline entry the combat in this game did not feel like Yakuza game at all. The saving grace in this game is the side content. There's lots of fun minigames and distractions which you will really enjoy, and the substories are quality this time around. I believe, this is my first Yakuza game where I actually like the side content more than the main story / combat.    … Expand
  91. Acer99
    Dec 2, 2020
    4
    Love Yakuza games and this one would be no different, however, like many others have indicated, the turn based is only good if you really love turned based games. I have to admit that the fighting style in Yakuza games was getting stale and needed an overhaul but there were so many amazingly cool options available to them, rather than heading all the way to the other end of the spectrumLove Yakuza games and this one would be no different, however, like many others have indicated, the turn based is only good if you really love turned based games. I have to admit that the fighting style in Yakuza games was getting stale and needed an overhaul but there were so many amazingly cool options available to them, rather than heading all the way to the other end of the spectrum (turn based). Let's be honest here, this is no Baldur's Gate 3 turn based system - this is a pretty dull iteration.

    Liked the story, loved all the side games, graphics are great and much more, but for me, turn based was a poor decision. Again, to repeat my previous statement, the combat was stale in the Yakuza series, but this went too far away from what made Yakuza amazing - intense boss fights and incredible action. Now I get to a boss and we stand there looking at each other, I click a few buttons, he responds, and round and round we go (sigh). Would not buy further Yakuza games if this system stays. Good luck and if you decide to buy the game, I hope you enjoy it more than me!    … Expand
  92. NotGudo
    Dec 27, 2020
    4
    As a jrpg fan this games combat is terrible compared to masterpieces like Shin Megami Tensei 4 or Shin Megami Tensei 4 apocalypse which is quite odd since Atlus and RGG are both under SEGAs wings. The story and characters are pretty well written and likeable but music which is one of the weakest in the series and unholy amount of grind is a big turn of, to top it all off it also has expAs a jrpg fan this games combat is terrible compared to masterpieces like Shin Megami Tensei 4 or Shin Megami Tensei 4 apocalypse which is quite odd since Atlus and RGG are both under SEGAs wings. The story and characters are pretty well written and likeable but music which is one of the weakest in the series and unholy amount of grind is a big turn of, to top it all off it also has exp boosts that you can buy for real money. In the end no matter how likeable the cast is Yakuza 7 is is the weakest entry in the series.… Expand
  93. Seinto72
    Jun 14, 2021
    4
    couldn't play more than 5 minutes i was socouldn't play more than 5 minutes i was so bored,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,… Expand
  94. KazamaKiryu
    Dec 2, 2021
    4
    This game didn't seem that bad at first, this game was very dissapointing for a long time yakuza fan. I Love all of the RGG games but this one doesn't do it for me. I do love JRPG's too! Some of my favorite games are persona, fire emblem, shin megami tensei, and dragon quest. The yakuza formula doesn't mesh well as a jrpg however. I do like the parry system and I don't mind Kasuga beingThis game didn't seem that bad at first, this game was very dissapointing for a long time yakuza fan. I Love all of the RGG games but this one doesn't do it for me. I do love JRPG's too! Some of my favorite games are persona, fire emblem, shin megami tensei, and dragon quest. The yakuza formula doesn't mesh well as a jrpg however. I do like the parry system and I don't mind Kasuga being much weaker than former protagonists, the story is just very very mediocre. Boss fights start off kinda long (About 20 min for the first one I can recall) and in certain chapters it can take literal hours. The amount of time I spent grinding to fight the final boss was absurd and I almost just googled the final cutscene. Maybe it was input delay on my controller, but parries never felt very precise, it felt usually lucky. There is one chapter in the story where you need to find 3mil yen it is such a pain. I understand why they wanted players to do this, so they could explore Kamurocho, Yokohama and Sotenbori, and while yes I did actually enjoy the new area of Ijincho, it felt more forced than my personal prefrence of freedom and exploration. I usually prefer to explore open world or any level on my own terms. The graphics and voice acting is some of the best in an already strong series in those regards, but the flashly colors and superb voice acting doesn't make up for the underdeveloped characters and the tedious, boring gameplay.… Expand
  95. Mrboomboom
    Aug 14, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game initially sets off at a decent pace with a good story. Halfway through the game though extremely spongy enemies and tedious gameplay ruined everything I liked about it. The job system is cool, but who wants to level up eight jobs to 99 any game that barely lets you get past level 10.… Expand
  96. RichCollar
    Nov 13, 2020
    3
    I think this one's a bit disappointing, there are some really good moments in this game, but the whole thing feels muted because of the turn based aspect. I think sega has enough properties and licenses that are turn based such as persona and phantasy star. Making this series turn based wasn't a good idea, it might be better to switch around production staff or change how the action combatI think this one's a bit disappointing, there are some really good moments in this game, but the whole thing feels muted because of the turn based aspect. I think sega has enough properties and licenses that are turn based such as persona and phantasy star. Making this series turn based wasn't a good idea, it might be better to switch around production staff or change how the action combat works if the staff are getting bored of action games.… Expand
  97. h_ero
    Nov 13, 2020
    3
    Boring game with no actual innovation, actually feels they are going backwards. This game feels something that could have come out in 2006 and i don't mean any good 2006 game, i mean something meh.
  98. Jenola25
    Nov 22, 2020
    3
    The story is ok I have only played a little bit so my review is mostly based on combat so I might raise my vote higher if the story meets the caliber of the previous installments. But I gotta say I absolutely despise the combat . I always enjoyed the beat it up style. This new turn based combat just doesent seem to fit well with games like yakuza and I'm not sure I will continue buyingThe story is ok I have only played a little bit so my review is mostly based on combat so I might raise my vote higher if the story meets the caliber of the previous installments. But I gotta say I absolutely despise the combat . I always enjoyed the beat it up style. This new turn based combat just doesent seem to fit well with games like yakuza and I'm not sure I will continue buying the games if this is the path that they continue to want to take . So far my experience has seemed synthetic instead of the authentic feeling I felt when playing the previous installments… Expand
  99. Verserk_20
    Nov 11, 2020
    2
    Horrible combat system compared to the previous games in the series, extremely slow and way too grindy with a massive lack of depth, Story was going alright until chapter 12 where they just ruin the previous saga's characters just to make them summons for fanservice, The only upside of this game is the side content and good substories and that's it, the story and the battle system areHorrible combat system compared to the previous games in the series, extremely slow and way too grindy with a massive lack of depth, Story was going alright until chapter 12 where they just ruin the previous saga's characters just to make them summons for fanservice, The only upside of this game is the side content and good substories and that's it, the story and the battle system are horrible considering this is a main yakuza game ( Yes it is Yakuza 7 and not a spin-off ).

    This game is not that bad of a game, but its not a good yakuza game specially when you consider the fact that its a main title, Its just a persona wanna be, do yourself a favor and Play Judgment instead    … Expand
  100. Hex89
    Nov 12, 2020
    2
    Pretty outdated and boring, would recommend this game to anyone honestly. Meh.
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Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best PS4 Game of 2020
27
#27 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 54
  3. Negative: 0 out of 54
  1. CD-Action
    Jun 9, 2021
    85
    Like a Dragon is the eighth installment of Yakuza, but a new protagonist makes it a great opportunity to get acquainted with the franchise. Even though the new turn-based combat system may become tedious at some point and I was disappointed with the lack of thrilling boss battles, it’s one of the best games in the series. Ichiban Kasuga and his friends are a really awesome bunch and I very much enjoyed experiencing Yokohama through their eyes. [01/2021, p.70]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Apr 12, 2021
    100
    A great detour from the classic Japanese series, which shows that the Yakuza can work with turn-based battles and a ton of bizarre humor. [Issue#309]
  3. GameCritics
    Feb 27, 2021
    90
    Issues aside, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a masterpiece that might also be of historical note, since I’m hard-pressed to come up with another series that changed genres without losing what made it special in the first place. Players come to Yakuza games expecting fantastic storytelling, a bustling open world, and intense combat. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios have proven they can swap out one leg of that stool without sacrificing its strength, and that’s an accomplishment few can claim.
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