Noah is the Worst

[Homebrew]

I beat the game and left a positive review, so this isn't some hot take on the game itself, but more a comment on the inclusion of a 10 year old as one of the main characters and arguably one of the most vocal characters in the entire story.

I realize this is a Yakuza game and I've played them all, so I'm well aware that suspending your disbelief is mandatory, but Noah's involvement and dynamic is so ridiculous, annoying, and weird most of the time that it proved to be a legit distraction.

Right off the jump your amnesia-afflicted serial killer is saved by a kid that immediately treats you like an uncle after watching you beat the living ♥♥♥♥ out of some pirates. Then asks you within the first day or two to basically kidnap him without his father's permission or knowledge which you immediately agree to do. Like what the hell is happening.

Then, the kid not only shows up everywhere, all the time, regardless of being told to I don't know, not show up because he might get horribly injured or killed, without any consequences or discipline. Also you drag a 10 year old to basically Murder-Vegas and the dad is just super cool with it. I don't understand. I'm not even a parent but this whole thing was ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ bizarre to me.

Oh and also the 10 year old serves as the insightful, plucky prodigy that constantly provides tactful and strategic insights that change the decisions of grown ass adults/massively alter outcomes with comments such as "you can do it" or "never back down" or whatever other generic ♥♥♥♥ where the protagonist responds with "ya know what? can't argue with that!" or "kid's gotta point!" Does he though? Does he really?

Although I love the LAD series as a whole, and enjoyed Ichi for the most part, he was effectively, at least in Infinite Wealth, a man-child. Which still had its charm, although at times I was pretty sure Ichi had actual brain damage. But since Majima is more of an actual grown man they had to offset it with a 10 year old. So they did. And that kid is the worst.

[Midnightfen88]

I don't see the problem with Noah, it's a story about Majima going to show the outside world to the little kid, Noah wants to see adventures and treasur hunts, it's like a shonen manga.

I played all the other Yakuza games since the PS2 and the Pirate one is a nice fresh side episode. It's not Yakuza 9 or 10 it's a side game with Majima who's probably the craziest character in the serie, don't expect something very serious and mature like the other main games, and that's fine for me the game is about fun and mini games.

[Midnightfen88]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Shiber Kivan:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von McGeorgeOfTheJungle:

It's as if you haven't played the old games or remembered the countless "chotto matte yo" from Haruka.

Ojisan!

Matteeeeeee !!!!

[Rws vi Britannia]

The 3rd time drinking at Revolve was really sweet tho and, while I don't really care about Noah, they did do some cute stuff with the dynamic between Majima and Noah. They could have used some better overall writing, to really elevate Noah's character.

Still, I'd pay big bucks to have Kei be the partner instead. The trip to the XXX shop would have a whole different conversation.

[Player 3]

I had to alt F4 the game at the Noah Disney singing part, the cringe was too violent.

[ValentB]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von McGeorgeOfTheJungle:

It's as if you haven't played the old games or remembered the countless "chotto matte yo" from Haruka.

What's this post is about?
1. Haruka isn't with you all the time.
2. She acts like an actual child, nothing like OP posted.

[Flux_Casey]

The games that have Haruka as a tagalong pretty much it's only for one, maybe two chapters. The rest of the time Kiryu was on his own or with an adult tagalong.

Noah... I don't hate him. I thought the full musical number was goofy but cute. If you're complaining about Yakuza protags happy to break out the singing, or pirates happy to break out the singing... Man. Don't know much about either, huh? It was a little much but whatever, and it sold the tone they were going for. We're not doing srs bsns crime drama, we're doing goofy adventure, and the rest of the game pretty much reinforces that. Noah's constant presence does feel like it limits the game's options in terms of content. I definitely feel that.

It does make me wonder in what ways they had to hold back on some stuff, and I'm not sure... What he adds? Like, if he was a teenager instead of ten. Same story, makes it slightly less questionable how the story starts out with Noah and Jason. Like, if he's trying to become a man in his own right instead of "I wanna leave I wanna I wanna I wanna!" that's a much more digestible story. It would mean both Majima and Noah have a point and Jason would have been stiflingly overprotective. As it is, with Noah being ten, the only reason Jason is in the wrong is because he's a drunk and tries to slap his kid, which while wrong and awful, has nothing to do with NOT WANTING HIS KID TO GET ABDUCTED BY SOME WEIRDO AMNESIAC!

[zisniszni]

counter arguement: god bless noah for making me refund the game before it was too late

[MisterPool]

The pirate cheer is full cringe.

[Terrifying Turnip]

He's patterned off of Jim Hawkins from Treasure Island. He's the kid seeking adventure as a cabin boy who provides a different perspective on events because of his naivety. If you don't like the way he's written, that's perfectly fine, but the character trope is well established in the pirate genre.

[TREXINATUX]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Terrifying Turnip:

He's patterned off of Jim Hawkins from Treasure Island. He's the kid seeking adventure as a cabin boy who provides a different perspective on events because of his naivety. If you don't like the way he's written, that's perfectly fine, but the character trope is well established in the pirate genre.

On the beach, I was getting Sora from KH vibes. He then introduced me to his "cat" and instantly became Calvin and Hobbes. He joined me in battle later and became He Man along with his Battlecat. Can't wait to see what he transmogrifies into next.

[BeefoTheBold]

I kind of agree.

At first I actually liked Noah. He's got a lot of positive qualities to him. But his CONSTANT presence and how he never shuts up and how he always saves the day and how he's the main motivation for EVERYBODY is annoying.

Younger players probably won't remember, but he reminds me of Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Pretty clearly an author's pet.

[BeefoTheBold]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Shiber Kivan:

This game especially have balance of silly to serious heavily in favour of silly, and Noah being there often robs the game from any serious and dark plots that we had in previous games.

This has been more or less the problem with Yakuza game since the rebranding from Yakuza to Like A Dragon.

The Ichiban games in particular go far to hard in the silly direction and fail to strike a proper balance.

I didn't mind it so much in THIS game because you knew going in what you were in for with both Majima and the entire concept of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

But the rest of the franchise, well, I would like it to pull back a bit on just how far they are going in the wacky/silly direction. There was always BOTH in the franchise from 0-6, and you still see it in the Judgment games too, but the main franchise has become far to cartoony.

[Girthquake]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von BeefoTheBold:

I
At first I actually liked Noah. He's got a lot of positive qualities to him. But his CONSTANT presence and how he never shuts up and how he always saves the day, etc.

Same, I liked him too but since reaching Chapter 3 he got really annoying, consistently being brought to story beats that don't even involve him in dangerous locations.

[Camzillasmom]

And that "The Goro Pirates" thing they constantly doing. Feels like watching a TV show with my toddler kids...

[Oh!Zulkazkah]

I dont see were is the problem in bringing a kid to murder people in boat battles to a city full of semi naked women and psycos. Thats a totally beliable and serious narrative /s