Like a Dragon Gaiden Review: Gameplay Impressions, Top Features and Videos

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name arrives as what looks to be one of the best fan-service offerings in recent years.

The latest epic in the series that changed its name (Yakuza), The Man Who Erased His Name from developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio tucks itself neatly into the long-running storyline of the series.

Along with it comes the expected Like a Dragon flair, meaning fun combat, depth to big worlds and droves of little non-story things to do that see the hours counter tick by quickly.

Technically a spinoff or not, Gaiden appears to have just as much to offer fans as the Like a Dragon Ishin! release from earlier this year, which is nothing but a good thing for fans and newcomers alike.

Graphics and Gameplay

Like Ishin! earlier this year, Gaiden is a great-looking game that blends classical and modern elements together well in captivating ways.

This time, players explore different districts of Osaka and Yokohama, which like other series staples in the past, are again densely packed with people and little details that give it a truly lived-in feel.

The real star of the show, though, is a hub area dubbed Castle, a huge cargo ship near Japan boasting neon on overload and law enforcement at a minimum. It's got casinos and pretty much anything else the bad guys might want away from the watchful eye of the law (even a castle, because why not?) and it quickly becomes one of the better settings in a game from 2023.

Gaiden, like the game before it, is again a stunner in the lighting and shadows department, which really provides visual depth to the world and a sense of realism that veers it away from an almost cartoonish feel.

Again the facial expressions and emotions are superb throughout the story, which only amplifies the excellent voice acting and overall sound design, which makes even the goofiest stuff tonally even funnier.

And while the overarching series dabbles in a turn-based gameplay that has been a treat to play, Gaiden keeps it more traditional in real-time with a brawler style that feels oh-so-good, too.

This time, the game boils down to just two fighting styles, Yakuza and Agent. The former is more about brute-force battle, while the latter embodies its namesake and is more akin to 007 James Bond-styled gadget play.

While Yakuza makes more sense for single targets or even bosses, flipping to Agent lets players backpedal with weapons and deal with large groups more effectively.

Agent is undeniably fun and a nice twist away from the usual beat-em-up approach. Players can use wires to trip up enemies, A.I. drones and even jet shoes that allow for quicker movement. Throwing it all together against a diverse cast of enemies at all ranges keeps players on their proverbial toes and dipping into the deep well of an arsenal often.

This is no better exemplified than in the Battle Arena, where players can take on a broad range of challenges against a varied number of opponents.

And while enemy A.I. isn't always the best and tends to have a take-turns approach to players don't get too overwhelmed, it is a little impressive to see just how many bad guys the game can stuff on the screen at once for players to fight.

In a fun twist, players can send out other characters to fight on behalf of the main character, too. Not only is this enjoyable, it's where the game punches the nostalgia button by looping in some favorites from throughout the series.

Considering the series nailed down good controls and responsiveness a long time ago, this is just another fun mixup of a take on the tried-and-true formula that rarely feels nothing short of excellent.

Story and More

So returns protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu to the greater narrative of the series.

Gaiden takes place after Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and is sandwiched between other titles, though that it takes place after Yakuza 6 is of more immediate importance. Because of that, the story picks up with Kiryu both living in hiding but also serving as a secret agent, which predictably, doesn't stay secret for all that long.

Interestingly though, the events take place before Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024), as this story was originally planned as an interlude for within that game before being expanded upon.

One might think that sort of setup is about to suggest the story is a quick one not necessarily worth an entire spinoff game, but that's just not the case. Like Ishin!, there's a heartfelt story here that is well paced and series fans are likely going to be quite thankful this set out on its lonesome before Infinite Wealth. As fans have come to expect, there are some downright unforgettable characters added to the cast who could stick for a long time, too.

Even better, the main story, environmental storytelling and more creates a package that is somehow a very solid onboarding point for players new to the series, too—there's not even really a need to go find a recap video online before starting.

And to wrap this whole cohesive package up nicely, completion of Gaiden actually unlocks a special trial version of the upcoming Infinite Wealth and includes an adventure and story mode.

The game's runtime is massive because it is littered with fun side activities again beyond the Battle Arena. These include, but are certainly not limited to karaoke, racing, card games and a UFO Catcher. Players can even go on dates at the Cabaret, which get a little uncomfortable considering they're live-action shots of real women while selecting dialogue banter.

Oh, and there's also a Club SEGA, which lets players enjoy arcade classics, some for the very first time on home consoles. This is just another one of those little things the game didn't have to do, yet is all the better for it and leaves it feeling like a true love letter to fans.

When it comes to progression in the world itself, players level up a rating of sorts with an all-knowing Akame character, who provides access to side missions.

Gaiden doesn't skimp on new things, either. There is customization at the boutique, which is a first for the series. There's more to this than expected, with pretty much everything tweakable in some fashion. And of course, it has the expected charm—players can preview how the changes look as the character waltzes down a runway.

There's also a photo mode with a nice little suite of features that will let players put those zany outfits to work in funny situations.

Like prior entries, Gaiden runs well and in an interesting twist, doesn't have a physical release this time out.

Conclusion

Gaiden is exactly what fans expect—which is nothing short of a great thing.

An engaging story with memorable characters aside, few games do in-depth worlds better. The amount of effort put into something as simple as a minigame like a karaoke session featuring droves of different camera angles is apparent. The Battle Arena itself could almost function as its own separate fighting game release.

It's almost a little bittersweet because it is clear this is just a way to tide fans over until the next major installment in a series—and yet it's so good that it functions as a standalone release that feels a long time in the making, not a quick follow-up and second release of the year.

That Gaiden takes care to make sure it acts as a perfect onboarding ramp for new players, too, is just another feat atop the pile for another as-expected stellar entry.