Yakuza: Like A Dragon

Ichiban Kasuga’s rise from discarded yakuza foot soldier to unlikely neighborhood hero gives this crime drama a warmer, stranger personality than most open-world RPGs. After serving eighteen years for a crime he does not commit, Ichiban returns to a Tokyo underworld that has forgotten him and follows the trail to Yokohama’s dense, neon-lit Isezaki Ijincho district. The story balances betrayal, gang politics, and hard-earned friendships with broad comedy, absurd side activities, and an infectious belief that even society’s outsiders can become heroes. Its tone shifts confidently from heartfelt character drama to complete nonsense without losing sight of its people.

Unlike earlier entries’ real-time street brawls, combat runs on a turn-based RPG system filtered through Ichiban’s exaggerated imagination. Positioning still matters: characters use nearby bicycles, traffic cones, signs, and other environmental objects as improvised weapons, while enemies and allies can be knocked into hazards or struck by passing traffic. A party of four recruits jobs such as Hero, Bodyguard, Musician, Host, or Idol, with each role supplying distinct skills, weapons, and progression paths; optional DLC jobs add further builds. Between major chapters, Yokohama offers substories, classic SEGA arcade machines, kart racing, karaoke, crafting, and the surprisingly deep Ichiban Holdings business-management minigame.

What makes Yakuza: Like a Dragon work is Ichiban himself: he is sincere, impulsive, and openly inspired by old-school RPG heroes, making his underdog quest unusually easy to root for. The city feels more compact and hand-built than the sprawling maps of many crime games, rewarding players who stop for side quests rather than rushing the central mystery. Fans of Dragon Quest-style party RPGs, Persona’s social detours, or previous Yakuza games will find a generous, character-driven adventure here, while newcomers can jump in without prior series knowledge.