NEED TO KNOW
WHAT IS IT? A Yakuza side-story, set during the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon
EXPECT TO PAY £45
DEVELOPER
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
PUBLISHER Sega
REVIEWED ON AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, 32GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080Ti
MULTIPLAYER No
LINK hshorturl.at/lnC03
The Like a Dragon series – Yakuza, as it was previously known – has always been economical with its reuse of assets and features. Even major new releases recycle old locations and minigames alongside whatever new features they also add. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, though, is not a ‘major’ release. It’s a side story – one that bridges the gap in protagonist Kiryu’s story between Yakuza 6 and the upcoming Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
As a result, it’s shorter and less ambitious than a main series entry. There’s very little here that feels new. classics, from mahjong to karaoke to the return of pocket circuit racing. There is one new location, The Castle – an absurd offshore getaway for rich hedonistic assholes. In practice, though, it’s just a hub for the battle arena and a returning handful of gambling minigames.
