...Anyone else feeling let down? The game is still solid, but...

[ranch water]

(Spoilers ahead)

Love this series - I've played every game and have damn near 100%'d/completed all achievements for each game.

That being said this game started off INCREDIBLY strong, but really took the piss about 30% into the game.

Mentioned before, but massive spoilers ahead.

When the game switches to Kiryu, it's like the quality dips severely. The side content (Memoirs of a Dragon) don't feel good at all. They're not fun, they're not interesting - bar a few here and there - and they're FOR SURE not nearly as high quality as what other entries in the series/what Ichiban has going on in Hawaii have/are. Kiryu doesn't even feel like the Kiryu we've gotten to know over the years. Doesn't act like him, talk like him (dialog) or genuinely anything. EVEN from last year's Gaiden - which is a whole other complaint - Kiryu doesn't resemble Kiryu at all.

To the Gaiden complaint. Gaiden was fantastic. A short, sweet game that felt much more put together and true to the series than this does. It's clear there was a severe lack of communication or coherence between the two teams when developing both of these titles. I understand that Gaiden was supposed to be a flashblack scene in this game but was parceled out to sell more content and expand on the title as larger, but I CANT imagine the tonal difference/writing difference if Gaiden was in this game because in that game Kiryu resembles himself from all the other games, whereas in this, he doesn't. There are other major story inconsistencies as well - Kiryu has seemingly abandoned his "I don't have a name" stichk and revels himself almost immediately to everyone - even people he doesn't know/has no reason to trust. Hanawa, a fan favorite from Gaiden, is killed unceremoniously and so anti-climatically that it's clear the team was not communicating in the slightest about changes that needed to be made to 8 before releasing this.

The characters - are all a welcome breath of fresh air that get NO time to develop (except the two who join your party, Tomizawa and Chitose, who are fantastic). Yamai, Ebina, Eiji, they're all really really rushed, throw away characters that had so much potential! Yamai, a cold hearted Yakuza who is Ichiban's Majima - is probably the most expanded upon of the three and it felt like they were going somewhere with him, but instead, relegated to some sub-standards fights before he gives up the ghost. Ebina? Who? Oh, just ICHIBANS HALF BROTHER? (A concept that feels shoehorned in and has zero bearing on the story) Has no threat behind him. No intimidation. In fact, he reminds me a lot of 6's ending antagonist - forgettable and zero reason to care about who I am fighting. Dwight Mendez, the boss of the Barracudas, the local Hawaiian game, has no development at all and is just there to be a quirky, overly evil dude that is made a zero threat after your first encounter with him (at least the last battle with him on the boat was interesting). A quick mention to the Wong Thou, if any of you even remember him - a totally wasted character that honestly should have been scrapped because it was a total nothing burger. And the most egregious of all was Eiji. Ei-Chan. Now in any other regard, I thought this was just an annoying side character that betrays Ichiban and was going to get his come-uppance. But dude disappears for the majority of the story only to reappear and harass the team for a short (but fun) segment, only to disappear again. No relationship building, no understanding between the major team - and zero emotional investment... ALL FOR EIJI TO BE THE FOCUS OF ICHIBAN'S ENDING?! Seriously? We as fans understand Ichiban is the kind of guy to forgive anyone who WANTS to be better, I mean look at Y: LaD and Masato. But there is zero character building or rationale on why Eiji is the focal point of an ending. Every single Yakuza game's ending has been an emotional gut punch for me, but this? This had me raise my eyebrows and go... "Okay? At least the ending song is nice."

The mini-games are some of the best ones in the series but the ones we've grown up with and loved over the years are all but basically gone. Because of this Japan's content also feels bare minimum to "run around, activate memory substory, and get out of there." Even the gambling mini-games are awfully boring, especially since they've decided to do away with the "cheat items" that were in nearly every mainline game and the most recent Gaiden. The lack of these games makes the game feel way less alive than many other titles.

Listen, I am only pointing these things out because I LOVE this series. But as far as I remember, RGG and SEGA have been touting this as "a game that'll take SOOOOO long to beat and has SOOOOO Much Content." I am at +100 hours now, but the main story actually only took me about 45 hours to beat WITH not skipping any cut-scenes and reading everything of course as well. Otherwise the other hours have been grinding out battle and mini-game achievements. (Quick side note, the RPG Combat in this game is hands down some of the very best in ANY turn based game, kudos for how solid it feels RGG).

At the end of the day, was it a good game? Yes, totally. Was it worth the nearly $100 dollars I spent for the MID-TIER UPGRADE. Gosh I don't know. All the DLC content I received has been extremely underwhelming and very much should have not been parceled out of the game and included in the standard edition. *The Big Swell for example feels like it was made in the game, and then a last minute decision was made to cut it out. Especially because one of the base game achievements is to reach level 70 with Ichiban. After completing that content I was JUST hitting 70. So yeah, kind of glaringly obvious that it was meant for the original standard edition. But this conversation has been happening far before the game's release and I can see it's still going on in other discussion threads.

All in all, I hate to say it, but this game ends up being like a 6/10 or a 7/10 in my favorite game series. The combat really drives that number up, and the addition of Tomizawa and Chitose, though I doubt we'll ever see them again if the other games are anything to go off of, are welcome additions. Ichiban is still the most likable game protagonist in the history of video games - but the problems this game has with consistency, tonal difference, character building, and overall respect to the series is pretty glaringly problematic - More-so on Kiryu's end of things, because, as I stated earlier, he simply doesn't feel like the Kiryu we've played as for years at all, even as recent as Gaiden.

Still, always appreciate these games. Though this one is kind of a let down for me personally, it's still far better than a lot of what else is out there right now in terms of content and quality and I can appreciate it for what it is.

Thanks for reading if you did :).

[Hajber]

Originally posted by ranch water:

When the game switches to Kiryu, it's like the quality dips severely. The side content (Memoirs of a Dragon) don't feel good at all. They're not fun, they're not interesting - bar a few here and there - and they're FOR SURE not nearly as high quality as what other entries in the series/what Ichiban has going on in Hawaii have/are.

That is one of my favorite parts of the game. They acknowledge all of these games past in a very genuine manner. Doc Emoto side quest made me tear up a little. There is barely any gameplay or modern yakuza goofiness. Just heartfelt conversations, which reminded me of the original first two games. This sort of side quests make them stand out compared to Ichibans cartoony adventures.

Originally posted by ranch water:

Kiryu doesn't even feel like the Kiryu we've gotten to know over the years. Doesn't act like him, talk like him (dialog) or genuinely anything. EVEN from last year's Gaiden - which is a whole other complaint - Kiryu doesn't resemble Kiryu at all.

I think youre just used to the rewritten Kiryu from Kiwami games, which sort of turned him from a criminal with a heart of gold to a shonen protagonist. Some substories like Casino Royale were cut from the remakes because they didnt fit the new Kiryu they had in mind. To me more Ichiban felt out of place at times, considering how calm, reserved and genuinely intelligent he is in Drink Links. And how sometimes they sort of break that with a anime joke, like in the post credits scene.

Originally posted by ranch water:

The characters - are all a welcome breath of fresh air that get NO time to develop (except the two who join your party, Tomizawa and Chitose, who are fantastic). Yamai, Ebina, Eiji, they're all really really rushed, throw away characters that had so much potential

Yeah this game has a sort of Yakuza 3 syndrome where its a villian of the week story, where they get constantly distracted with new ideas. Both games even have a villian who is built up to be a big deal, just for them to be stopped off-screen and then later reappear in the last cutscene (Hamazaki and Eiji). Both of them even change their look for the last cutscene lmao. However, unlike Yakuza 3, this time I think they fleshed out everyone well. My only real isssue (besides Eiji) is that Ebina's speach before his fight is a really lazy way to tell his story. Wong Tou and Dwight get enough screen time for how simple they are. Yamai is great and I think calling him "Ichibans Majima" is kinda dumb and only works as a comparison on the surface level.

What made me binge this game is how it brought back this sense of discovery, thats pretty absent in modern yakuza games. Also it has some of the most memorable setpieces this series had in a while, which also helps the game stand out. Its farawell to Kiryu is also very respectful. I wonder if we will get another title with Daigo for example. Overall I think its a 8/10 in simpler terms. I wish they would do better in certain aspects, but no other game made me feel this amount of joy and excitement like this one in a while.

Cant wait for their next title, as long as its not another rushed and half assed remake.

[mrpurple]

Agreed 100%...just beat it and as I feared,Kiryu was a drag on the story. He SO did not to be in this game. They cant kill him its obvious,but they need to move him to other games...he gets the last battle ffs!

[Hajber]

He does die though

[arronax06]

Originally posted by Hajber:

He does die though

Not really? The post credits scene shows that he finally decided to get treatment for the cancer, so that he has a chance to live. Granted it's supposed to be a slim chance, but him also reclaiming his name and reconnecting with Haruka and Haruto means that he is willing to fight, since his experience during the game reminded him that he has a reason to live.

[Hajber]

Thats simplifying it.

The reason he got cancer is that he did what Kiryu always does, he rushed in to save a person, even if it could cost it his life (I mean the forklift driver) and it sort of did kill him this time. The doctors gave him 6 months and the reason he didnt go with the treatment to prolonge his life is... what would he be doing then. He wouldnt be able to work or fight, which was all he can do, since Daidoji didnt allow him to spend time with his loved once. After the nuclear scheme was stopped, Daidoji said "aight, you kinda did what nobody could, you can now life a normal life again" and thats why he decided to go with the treatment. He wants to live peacefully as much as he can, because of his family.

Since we had games like Kurohyou 1 and 2, Judgment and Lost Judgment, or even Yakuza 4, where Kiryus role is minimal or even non existent, I doubt that they will retcon it. Especially considering how much of the game is devoted to saying goodbye to him. If he magically comes back, sort of how Masato Arakawa's disability was magically cured off screen in Yakuza 7, thats when I stop caring about these games.

[Hajber]

(Also, I didnt use spoiler tags, because this whole thread is talking about the game from a "post game" perspective. I didnt think it was needed)

[arronax06]

I think this game is about him getting back a will to live, that's the whole point of the bucket list: reminding him that there are things worth living for and that spending his days in a hole in hiding is what is killing him.
I don't know if he will survive his treatment or not, but I think they left the door open for him to come back, either as a protagonist or as a supporting character, maybe even non-fighting, just enjoying life with his family.

So my point is that he may retire, but he is not dead yet, it's possible he'll survive :) .

[someoneproud]

Originally posted by arronax06:

I think this game is about him getting back a will to live, that's the whole point of the bucket list: reminding him that there are things worth living for and that spending his days in a hole in hiding is what is killing him.
I don't know if he will survive his treatment or not, but I think they left the door open for him to come back, either as a protagonist or as a supporting character, maybe even non-fighting, just enjoying life with his family.

So my point is that he may retire, but he is not dead yet, it's possible he'll survive :) .

Exactly this, if they intended the story to be him dying he'd have probably... y'know... died. His part of the story was about him finding his will to live.

Personally I never really bought the level of defeatism in 8's Kiryu. Sure he's a sentimental guy and prone to martyrdom but having him pout for the duration felt forced so that they wouldn't have to actually resolve or progress anything in this game.

[Hajber]

I think he would work great like (DC Comics spoilers ahead from 2019 onward, if you care lol) Batman's Alfred.

Alfred was killed by Bane in the comics back in 2019. Everyone expected him to be revived like a week later, but no. To this day, almost 5 years later hes still dead. But that doesnt mean hes truly gone. His death had impact on almost everyone and how they would later go on to develop. Characters like Bruce would even from time to time forget that hes gone, just to be faced with the reality of it. I think Kiryu in that role would work really well, since hes the connective tissue of most of the cast.

[mrpurple]

If they want to keep him around, maybe make him a fighting master to teach the new hero?
Perhaps a child as yet unknown? (Majima is my hope!)

[Id3alistic]

The slow downtime is great. Enjoy all the other aspects of the game. It's amazing.

[tankanidis]

Originally posted by ranch water:

(Spoilers ahead)

Love this series - I've played every game and have damn near 100%'d/completed all achievements for each game.

That being said this game started off INCREDIBLY strong, but really took the piss about 30% into the game.


Thanks for reading if you did :).

There's a reason it feels so different from previous games

Localisation changed the script

https://fandompulse.com/2024/02/03/yakuza-series-director-accidentally-reveals-localizers-changed-the-original-japanese-script-of-like-a-dragon-infinite-wealth/

[drz30]

It's a solid game but not more. Highly overrated. 7/10

[arronax06]

Originally posted by tankanidis:

Originally posted by ranch water:

(Spoilers ahead)

Love this series - I've played every game and have damn near 100%'d/completed all achievements for each game.

That being said this game started off INCREDIBLY strong, but really took the piss about 30% into the game.


Thanks for reading if you did :).

There's a reason it feels so different from previous games

Localisation changed the script

https://fandompulse.com/2024/02/03/yakuza-series-director-accidentally-reveals-localizers-changed-the-original-japanese-script-of-like-a-dragon-infinite-wealth/

Weird, that article says things that are nowhere in the tweets quoted. The tweet says "There is no difference between the Japanese version and the overseas version" and that he has "never been asked to change the content". And yet the article is presenting this like the game was changed by the localization team.

[tankanidis]

Originally posted by arronax06:

Originally posted by tankanidis:

There's a reason it feels so different from previous games

Localisation changed the script

https://fandompulse.com/2024/02/03/yakuza-series-director-accidentally-reveals-localizers-changed-the-original-japanese-script-of-like-a-dragon-infinite-wealth/

Weird, that article says things that are nowhere in the tweets quoted. The tweet says "There is no difference between the Japanese version and the overseas version" and that he has "never been asked to change the content". And yet the article is presenting this like the game was changed by the localization team.

The localisation team moved from 'you write the story, we 'localise' it in the western version' to '-we- write the story together, -we- ensure nothing appears in the story that is 'problematic''

So the story was sterilised from the start due to localiser interference

There's a reason we see sensitivity training in the diner by the side cast about how his views are considered sexist when discussing women etc

https://nichegamer.com/like-a-dragon-infinite-wealth-english-localization-rife-with-feminist-agenda/

It's why 'gender politics' exists in the game at all:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aGdeLPwOKE


It's why there's an undocumented swap of characters where the English version is trans-swapped for no story reason other then checking diversity boxes (it's lazy, write a real trans character with real storyline if you are going to add it in, don't just swap something else and pat yourself on the back as job well done)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuc-vjMVhlE

5.01 min into the clip

Instead of a faithful re-telling of Japanese developers/artists vision, we get this watered down DEI/Bridge version to push real life western political agendas into a story where they don't fit