Newcomers just hearing about
the Yakuza series, you’re in
luck: not only are the Japanese
crime epic’s early instalments
available on Xbox Game Pass,
but the latest chapter begins
afresh with a new character, a
new location and a completely
new combat system.
You play as Ichiban Kasuga,
a lowly yakuza thug fresh out of
an 18-year prison sentence for
a murder he didn’t commit... only
to find his sacrifice was in vain as
he’s shot and left for dead by his
old boss. Stranded in the port
city of Yokohama, his searchfor the truth will lead to clashes
with local Chinese and Korean
gangsters; but where past
Yakuza games have been
OTT beat-’em-ups, Ichiban’s
imagination transforms these
bouts into battles resembling a
turn-based RPG – like a Dragon
Quest, you might say.
The radical shift does make
sense as you’re now controlling
a party of four, while battles
continue to have the dynamism
of a real brawl instead of just
pressing menus and watching
numbers (although there is
plenty of that too). What’sfascinating is how the game
gives a modern twist to classic
RPG tropes, from summoning
allies with an app to finding new
roles at the job centre.
More importantly, the core
Yakuza experience is fully intact.
So while there is a cinematic
melodrama to sink your teeth
into, you can also play around at
the local Sega arcade or get into
side quests that are as bizarre as
they are heartwarming.
This is a launch title for the new
Xboxes, but you’ll also be able
to experience Ichiban’s saga on
current-gen platforms.FIRST PLAY YAKUZA: LIKE A DRAGON PS4, PS5, XB1, XSX, PC
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10 NOVG A M E S
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