Story of a OP anime guy
The mega franchise know today as Like a Dragon with each new relese more crazy than the previous one started of as Yakuza or Ryu Ga Gotoku on the PS2. The beloved franchise loved by many fans (fanatics) began with the story about a member of the criminal underworld with a heart of gold.
Story
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our bad boy wasnt always so bad, once he was an orphan taken in by a yakuza member that later on is revealed was the killer of his parents..... However Kiryu always thought fondly of his adoptive father Shintaro Kazama. There at the Sunflower Orphanage he met Akira Nishiki, his sworn brother and best friend. The two wanted to be like their father so they pursued the yakuza lifestyle, only to get themselves into more trouble than they can chew.
From being hunted by the very organization they are working for to going against some of the most dangerous yakuza groups, its a whirlwind of non ending trouble. Yet this doesnt break Kiryu, it only makes him stronger, his physical strenght maybe unmatched but his soul growth maybe even more so.
Gameplay
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The yakuza gameplay experience is nothing to scoff at, it maybe very simplistic in nature and not too difficult for the average player, however the special finishers "heat actions" is what the whole fuss is about. As you progress you moveset will expand, along with your health bar and heat bar. The game maybe not overly hard but you still have to watch your back nontheless, becasue the enemies get more agressive and weaponized as you go further in the game. You will find interesting that there are many fun minigames scattered across the sandbox map. Bowling, bating, cabare clubs (talk clubs for lonely men and women!), heck even karaoke singing is here. And Kiryu's voice is truly the voice that rumbles your heart.
And if that wasnt enough there are also quests where you help NPCs with their daily troubles, that sounds really boring but hear me out! The writting in this franchise is really good, and the quests are truly half of the whole yakuza experiance. With diverse characters ranging from simple people in need of some kindness in this harsh world to a bit more euhmm.... questionable side stories........
Mechanics
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a 3D beat em up game franchise set in modern day Japan (ehem not the prequel). With colorfull neon lights in Tokyo, Kamurocho the "red light district" during nightime and in other games as it goes along daytime scenery is still looking mighty good. The earlier games played a bit clunky, especially the first game where Kiryu felt like you were controling a freight train that is hard to stop once it goes in one direction. It wasn't that bad though becasue later in the game all of the skills you aquired cover for it. Part 3 suffers from the case of enemies that block way too much, and I played the remastered version and i'm not really sure if its fixed. As sequels continue all of that is greatly improved and is no longer an issue. As a matter of fact you become so agile that the enemies cant keep up with you, and even if you are knocked down you can cancel the knock down with an ability that lets you bounce rigth back up. And continue smacking the everloving silly outta anyone who dares to threaten you so hard that they go to the after life and then come back to life.
Final Level
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This franchise is nothing short of a masterpiece in my eyes and it excells with its sequels that make my excitement levels go to another dimension. I would highly recommend it to beat em up fans and even if you are not one of them you should still give it a try, it might blow you away, in a positve way ofcourse.
10 MOONS AND STARS OUT OF 10
GALAXY LEVEL GAME
Attachments
Last edited:
