Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Review

Yakuza games are becoming yearly releases, and Like a Dragon Gaiden is another cog in that machine. Is going back to Kiryu yet again worth the time, or should you play something else? Check out or review and find out.

Like a Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name Review

Like a Dragon Gaiden has you playing as Kiryu after he has “escaped” his former life. Hoping to protect his foster children, he joins up with a group called Daidoji and becomes one of their secret agents. Still, being this close to home can only end one way, as someone figures out who Kiryu is and forces him back into the Yakuza line of work. Maybe a name change to something other than Joryu and a disguise better than a pair of glasses would have helped him stay hidden.

Now that he is back in the Yakuza, he finds out the boss of the Omi Alliance was looking into Kiryu’s death anyway because he didn’t believe it. With that info, Kiryu is put back to work and tasked with finding a woman named Akame; a jack-of-all-traders fixer, as they put it. She gives you missions, helps you stay hidden, and is your way into the Coliseum, where you can prove your strength. If Kiryu does as he is asked, he will be reunited with his foster kids again. You’ll be done in around 10-15 hours if you rush the story.

Since this is a Kiryu Yakuza game, you will be doing real-time combat with thugs on the streets. One thing the series never gets wrong is how satisfying the impact of fighting is. You truly feel as powerful as Kiryu, and when you take out ten thugs in under a minute, you feel like you can take on the world. With the new easy mode, you can spam attack buttons and look like an expert, which is an excellent addition. The reality is, though, because the game is so short, they force fight after fight after fight on you. It’s fun, but getting a breather would also be nice.

While Like a Dragon Gaiden is the smallest Yakuza game, it still brings some new tools for you to use. Being a secret agent, Kiryu gets access to some new weapons and gear. You have the spider shot, a string that can bind enemies up or grab weapons from a distance—the hornet, and a drone that crashes into targets. The firefly is a cigarette you can use as an explosive, and finally, the serpent shoes that make your shoes into jet shoes for ramming over enemies. Each of these adds to your combat skills and combos, helping you find an opening for your heat attacks.

The main reason I play Yakuza games these days is for the big minigame, and sadly, Like a Dragon Gaiden is kind of a stinker on that front. You do have the Coliseum, which is fun, but like I said earlier, you get more than enough fights in the streets. You do get to build up a team that can fight alongside you as well for specific battles, but I felt I did most of the work in those. Pocket Circuit makes a return for the masochists who enjoy going through that time and time again. Akame gives you plenty of side quests, from beating thugs to delivering food. And, of course, you have the arcade, cabaret clubs, gambling, and other minor minigames. It is fine, but you can easily get all that and more in another Yakuza game.

Let’s talk about the economy real quick. By now, Kiryu has been a multi-millionaire multiple times over multiple games. Like a Dragon Gaiden is very similar; you get rich quickly. The difference is they learned to make the skills for upgrades cost more, so the cash has more value. You also need Akane points to get specific skills, meaning you must grind. They tied to two currencies to each other, so most of the time, completing a side quest will reward both. So now you can get a skill, complete a quest, get a new skill, and satisfy your dopamine need.

As for bugs and crashes, I had none. The dub is horrible, but I’m sure everyone knows that by now, so just play in Japanese with subs.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is the quickest Yakuza game ever, and in 2023, that is exactly what is needed. Fans of the series can pick it up and breeze through in a weekend.

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