As of Day 2 of E3 2021, the main series ofYakuzagames is now on Xbox Game Pass, includingYakuza: Like a Dragon. While the news ofYakuza: Like a Dragoncoming to Game Pass leaked slightly before it was formally announced at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, the official reveal still packed a hard-hitting new trailer.
This 1-minute trailer does an excellent job of cramming the appeal of theYakuzagames, particularlyYakuza: Like a Dragon, into a short run-time. From the over-the-top violent combat to the equally over-the-top JRPG aesthetic to the sight of hardened career criminals getting up to surprisingly comedic shenanigans, this gamehas a lot to bring to Xbox Game Pass.Yakuza: Like a Dragonwas also one of Metacritic’s top 10 JRPGs for 2020, which is impressive, as it’s the first game in the mainlineYakuzafranchise to stray into the JRPG genre.
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The whole game is a humorous send-up of both JRPG tropes and imagery and theYakuzaseries itself, but that hasn’t kept it from being well received.Yakuza: Like a Dragonis full of funny side stories, flashy combat, and an intricate story of corruption, redemption, and coping with the stresses of life through video games. It’s no wonder that Microsoft opted to bring it over to Xbox Game Pass today.
Some fans have argued that the rest of theYakuzaseries should follow in the path ofYakuza: Like a Dragon, leaving its past as a beat ‘em up series and continue forward as a series of turn-based RPGs.Yakuza: Like a Dragonwas certainly one of the strangest and most effective JRPGs of 2020. If the series does go in a turn-based RPG direction, there’s precedent for it to be good. New protagonist Ichiban Kasuga’s personal connection to JRPGs gives the mechanic change some thematic weight as well. However, it may be difficult for the franchise as a whole to leave behind its combo-based roots.
The future of theYakuzaseries is currently in question, but the simultaneousrelease ofLost Judgementmay say something about howYakuza 8will be launched.Lost Judgementis the second installment of a newYakuzaspin-off series and it received a simultaneous worldwide release, meaning that western fans didn’t have to worry about avoiding spoilers before they even had a chance to play.Yakuza: Like a Dragonreleased in English a full 10 months after its original Japanese release. A simultaneous release forYakuza 8may please fans regardless of where they stand on the beat ‘em up vs turn-based combat debate.
Yakuza: Like a Dragonis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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