Yakuza: Like a Dragon

About Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Yakuza: Like a Dragon stands as the eighth main entry in the long-running series from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios. Released on January 16, 2020, this title shifts focus to Ichiban Kasuga, a low-ranking yakuza member who takes the fall for a crime he did not commit. After serving an eighteen-year sentence, Kasuga returns to a world where his family has crumbled and he has no one waiting for him. The game moves the action from Tokyo to Yokohama and swaps the traditional beat-em-up style for a fully realized turn-based RPG system. Players control Kasuga alongside a party of misfits while navigating the criminal underworld. It launched on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and later updated versions for next-gen consoles.

Gameplay

Combat feels like a classic Japanese RPG where you command a squad rather than swinging fists alone. You pick from four distinct jobs, each with its own skill tree and special attacks, to build your team around specific strategies. Battles happen on a grid where positioning matters, and you spend turns casting spells, launching physical strikes, or using items to survive tough fights. Between battles, you explore Yokohama's districts by walking around, taking side quests that often turn into absurd mini-games, or engaging in random street encounters. The control scheme is straightforward for an RPG, letting you focus on tactical decisions instead of reaction speed. You can also customize your party's loadouts to handle different enemy types and boss mechanics without needing split-second reflexes.

What Players Think

Critics loved the shift in direction, with OpenCritic giving it a 86 out of 100 score and 90.73% of reviewers recommending it. IGDB users rated it an 85.5 based on 177 reviews. TheGamer gave a perfect 100, stating that great JRPGs do not need fantastical gods to succeed. DualShockers called it one of their favorite entries in the series despite replacing the main character Kiryu. Community data shows 63 total achievements with an average unlock rate of just 34.6%. The rarest achievement is "The New Dragon" at only a 3.50% unlock rate, suggesting many players stop before finishing the story or miss specific conditions. Most users seem to enjoy the narrative deeply even if they do not complete every collectible.

PlayPile's Take

This game works best for RPG fans who want a long, humorous story with deep character moments. The price sits at $18.99 on Gamesplanet, which is its historical low and a solid deal for roughly 50 hours of content. You will struggle to get "The New Dragon" achievement since only one in thirty players have unlocked it so far. The turn-based system might feel slow if you expect constant action, but the job customization adds real depth. Do not play this expecting the classic brawling style of previous titles. It is a complete package that rewards patience and attention to its quirky side stories rather than competitive grinding.

Storyline

Ichiban Kasuga, a low-ranking grunt of a low-ranking yakuza family in Tokyo, faces an 18-year prison sentence after taking the fall for a crime he didn't commit. Never losing faith, he loyally serves his time and returns to society to discover that no one is waiting for him on the outside, and his clan has been destroyed by the man he respects most. Ichiban sets out to discover the truth behind his family's betrayal and take his life back, drawing a ragtag group of society’s outcasts to his side: Adachi, a rogue cop, Nanba, a homeless ex-nurse, and Saeko, a hostess on a mission. Together, they are drawn into a conflict brewing beneath the surface in Yokohama and must rise to become the heroes they never expected to be.