It is endlessly hilarious to me that this game started off as an April Fool's joke that evolved into one of the best Yakuza games in my opinion. It still retains the excellent and engaging story from the other games, while keeping the perfect amount of room for the goofy side content that everyone's come to know and love. The new cast is excellent, and the main characters are even fully voiced in English! The English dub is fantastic with great performances from Kaiji Tang, Greg Chun, and everyone else. They even got George Takei as the main antagonist!The only real criticism I have for this game is its gameplay, which has taken a bit too much inspiration from Dragon Quest. I believe that we, as a society, have moved past the need for an MP system dictating what ... MoreIt is endlessly hilarious to me that this game started off as an April Fool's joke that evolved into one of the best Yakuza games in my opinion. It still retains the excellent and engaging story from the other games, while keeping the perfect amount of room for the goofy side content that everyone's come to know and love. The new cast is excellent, and the main characters are even fully voiced in English! The English dub is fantastic with great performances from Kaiji Tang, Greg Chun, and everyone else. They even got George Takei as the main antagonist!The only real criticism I have for this game is its gameplay, which has taken a bit too much inspiration from Dragon Quest. I believe that we, as a society, have moved past the need for an MP system dictating what we can and cannot do in battle. That being said, it's still definitely more fun than a lot of turn based JRPGs in my opinion. Even though it is turn based in name, it still has a bit of a real time element to it since people are constantly moving. It is kind of hard to explain all the moving parts, but just know that there is a ton of goofy shenanigans you can have in a turn based game with a physics engine.If you're a fan of the series, then you should absolutely get this game. If you're not a fan of the series, then it's a great time to get into it.

Turn based fighting mechanics are very easy to grasp and make for a more relaxed experience while still retaining the action packed quality of the series. This game is a solid addition to the Yakuza franchise thanks to a very likable protagonist and party members. The zany humour is a major element and the openness adds variety thanks to side stories, minigames and activities. It makes for a perfect entry point for newcomers and veterans alike. Highly recommended!

Like a Dragon is the first entry for the "renewed" Yakuza franchise.For the first time Sega decided to leave behind the beat'em up mechanics to adopt a turn based fighting system commonly used in japanase role playing games.And it works.The narrative is similar to the old Yakuza entries, with the new character, Ichiban, being very different from the statuary Kazuma Kiryu. There's a good supporting cast, but sadly they are not on par with Majima and old Yakuza legends, but Sega can fix this in later entries pretty easily. Between several side-missions and mini-games, a couple of optional dungeons make the game lasts around 50 hours easily.If you like games like Dragon Quest and you never tried Yakuza, this is the suggested starting point.Give it a try!

Great for new and veteran players of Yakuza series

For starters, this game is technically "Yakuza 7" for people who are not familiar with the Yakuza series. I have played Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1, and Kiwami 2. Like a Dragon keeps the same serious tone of the Yakuza series while implementing more comedic relief than usual compared to previous titles. Like a Dragon implements a new fighting mechanic where it is strictly turn based compared to a classic beat em style of gameplay. Having played previous titles, in my opinion, a turn based fighting mechanic is a refreshing take. Some may be adamant that turn based fighting is outdated in modern gaming that actually led to some reviewing the game less favorably. However, the game does a good job of keeping things entertaining despite being turn based. One word of warning is ... MoreFor starters, this game is technically "Yakuza 7" for people who are not familiar with the Yakuza series. I have played Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1, and Kiwami 2. Like a Dragon keeps the same serious tone of the Yakuza series while implementing more comedic relief than usual compared to previous titles. Like a Dragon implements a new fighting mechanic where it is strictly turn based compared to a classic beat em style of gameplay. Having played previous titles, in my opinion, a turn based fighting mechanic is a refreshing take. Some may be adamant that turn based fighting is outdated in modern gaming that actually led to some reviewing the game less favorably. However, the game does a good job of keeping things entertaining despite being turn based. One word of warning is that the game follows classic J-RPG mechanics where "grinding" may be necessary to progress forward in the story without being overpowered by enemies. If you are a Trophy hunter, grinding will be something you will be doing often not just for leveling up but also crafting gear for your characters.All in all, the storyline is refreshing with some minor similarities to Kiryu's story in Yakuza 1 in the beginning. As for spoilers, since the game is Yakuza 7, there will be characters/events mentioned in the game that will be relevant to veteran players. Some characters introduced may be a spoiler for players who have not played any Yakuza games before this one. If you plan to play the whole saga, this may be something to think about before starting 7. If you are still in the fence or have never played a Yakuza game, I highly recommend Judgment (cheaper) to introduce you to what Yakuza has to offer. This game is a good starting point but just know the risk of some spoilers in game. You can expect at least 30 hours rushing this game only playing the main storyline with some activities/side stories!

Great game 9/10

The best Yakuza game so far. Has the engaging story with all the hallmark twist and turns of the Yakuza franchise and another cast of lovable characters for you to root for.The turn-based combat system is refreshingly good after enduring the clunky real-time combat in previous games. Experimenting with the various classes is a ton of fun and each class has unique skills and perks to add variety to the fighting.Graphics are much improved over previous games. The world of Yakuza never looked this good.I greatly enjoyed my time with Yakuza like a Dragon and highly recommend it. The only criticism I have is that it can get a little grindy towards the end game.

Great transition for the series!

After playing Yakuza 0-6 I wasn't sure if I would like the change in gameplay to an RPG, but I was amazed by this game. This is probably one of my favorite job systems I've used. Kasuga, being very expressive, is a great change of pace from Kiryu. There are plenty of side activities still and a very large map. The completion list was changed to a request system that show up later in the game.My only real complaints are that several features aren't available until a few chapters into the campaign: job changing, 'completion list', etc; and how the AI responds to obstacles during combat (they will attempt to take a straight line route to targets and do not navigate around obstructions). The AI will eventually recognize a character is stuck and reposition them, but it ... MoreAfter playing Yakuza 0-6 I wasn't sure if I would like the change in gameplay to an RPG, but I was amazed by this game. This is probably one of my favorite job systems I've used. Kasuga, being very expressive, is a great change of pace from Kiryu. There are plenty of side activities still and a very large map. The completion list was changed to a request system that show up later in the game.My only real complaints are that several features aren't available until a few chapters into the campaign: job changing, 'completion list', etc; and how the AI responds to obstacles during combat (they will attempt to take a straight line route to targets and do not navigate around obstructions). The AI will eventually recognize a character is stuck and reposition them, but it is mildly annoying.On the upside, the PS4 copy comes with a free PS5 upgrade; save data does not carry-over between versions.

Really good game

The first mainline Yakuza game without Kiryu and different combat. I was worried that this game would be disappointing because all the mainline games had amazing beat-’em-up combat. Fortunately, the RPG combat is fun and flashy and the new main character Ichiban is a welcome new protagonist to the series. A grip I have with this game is that after 11 the game makes you get 3 million yen which is only really possible through the business mini-game. Other than that the game is really fun.

Same ole yakuza, different mechanics.

I almost want to give it 3 stars. They keep releasing yakuza games. They are fun! However all they do is copy and paste the people, environment, whilst sprinkling in new faces, activities, etc. What totally killed the game for me was the new rpg fighting style. Years of different fighting styles, upgrading with skills and combos, you now are forced to take turns. You hit them once and hope it goes well, they hit you, and whoever is left standing obviously wins. This slowed down the game by far. I was 4-5 hours into the story. Loved the story, but when I got other teammates it dragged the fighting out longer, and I just got burned out. I was fighting like 10 guys and some times these battles takes 5 plus minutes. This adds up when you fight all the time, even in the ... MoreI almost want to give it 3 stars. They keep releasing yakuza games. They are fun! However all they do is copy and paste the people, environment, whilst sprinkling in new faces, activities, etc. What totally killed the game for me was the new rpg fighting style. Years of different fighting styles, upgrading with skills and combos, you now are forced to take turns. You hit them once and hope it goes well, they hit you, and whoever is left standing obviously wins. This slowed down the game by far. I was 4-5 hours into the story. Loved the story, but when I got other teammates it dragged the fighting out longer, and I just got burned out. I was fighting like 10 guys and some times these battles takes 5 plus minutes. This adds up when you fight all the time, even in the street if you run across thugs it forces you. I’d rather watch someone play it. It’s not for me. Totally hated the new rpg element and want the old style back. Many like it but I don’t. Now they may permanently implement this in their next installments. Which I won’t buy. I ended up watching a real walkthrough online. Like a long 24 hour movie and I fast forwarded through the fights, the story and all the normal stuff was amazing and great. The plot was easy, and I saw the twists from a mile away. Still the story was good.

Terrific cast of characters in a very good JRPG

Loving this JRPG! Protagonist Kasuga is a kindhearted and empathetic character, a worthy successor to past protagonist Kiryu.Switch between different jobs and battle Yakuza to find out why Kasuga was left behind shortly after his release from a lengthy prison sentence.This is NOT a beat 'em up game like Yakuza 0 through Yakuza 6, in which you play as Kiryu. This is purely a JRPG.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is great

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is an amazing reset for the Ryu ga gotoku series. No longer is Kiryu the main protagonist or the gameplay action based. We get a full turned based battle system similar to Dragon Quest! Although this might seem weird at first, it all meshes together quite well. Again, as in previous entries, you get well developed characters and a grandiose story. Some of the story scenarios also play like Japanese TV dramas. You also get to explore a new, enormous city which also returns in Lost Judgement.