{"id":392,"date":"2026-04-10T00:54:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T00:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/?p=145872"},"modified":"2026-04-10T00:54:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T00:54:09","slug":"exploring-the-world-of-yakuza-for-the-first-time-in-yakuza-like-a-dragon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/exploring-the-world-of-yakuza-for-the-first-time-in-yakuza-like-a-dragon\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the World of Yakuza for the First Time in Yakuza: Like a Dragon"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Today, longtime fans can experience a new entry in the long-running Yakuza series with the release of Yakuza: Like a Dragon<\/strong><\/a>, which introduces a new protagonist and several new gameplay features alongside many of the series\u2019 mainstays. But what if someone has never played a Yakuza game before? Would this entry point be too high of a hill to climb? What\u2019s with all the arcade games? To answer these questions and more, we thought it would be great to pair our resident Yakuza expert Jeff Rubenstein and Yakuza newcomer Mike Nelson and have them share their impressions on this critically acclaimed game.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Mike \u201cYakuza Noob\u201d Nelson: <\/strong>Okay, I\u2019ve taken my first steps into the world of Yakuza: Like a Dragon<\/em> \u2013 and I really like it! I\u2019ve never played a Yakuza game before so I\u2019m going in with fresh eyes and an open mind. What struck me was the high level of detail in the city and how that carries through wherever you explore, from rooftops, to shops, and the Sega Arcade. But it also feels like the game has yet to let me start playing it.<\/p>\n

Outside of a few combat opportunities and one \u201cdungeon\u201d run, I\u2019ve mostly been watching and reading (playing with Japanese VO). Is it like this for all Yakuza games? When does it let me loose to start running around Yokohama? I just got to Chapter 3, and it still feels like I\u2019m playing a tutorial. Let me run around already!<\/p>\n

Jeff Rubenstein, Patriarch of the Rubenstein Family, an Xbox Clan Subsidiary<\/strong>: Haha, this is par for the course \u2014 Yakuza games are heavy on narrative (and us fans love that). These games don\u2019t always make it clear that you\u2019re free to roam; if you consistently make a beeline for the next objective, you\u2019ll only see a fraction of what the game has to offer. I strongly suggest you keep an eye out for chat icons that regularly show up on the map; they lead to sub-stories that give you a much better flavor for the city and its residents.<\/p>\n

Yakuza open worlds aren\u2019t the largest in gaming, but they are richly detailed and filled with interesting characters. BTW, I was pleased that early chapters of YLaD <\/em>take place in series mainstay locale Kamurocho, allowing me to see how that part of Tokyo has evolved. I\u2019ve come to know every street and alley in that neighborhood, as so many hold meaningful memories.<\/p>\n

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\"Yakuza:<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Mike: <\/strong>I meant to have one more note on the detail, and that\u2019s about the restaurants and cafes. I walk in there and I want to order all the things and eat all the bento boxes. The walls of colorful beverages make me thirsty. I know they are designed to help your character through their quest, to regain HP and MP. But do they have to make me feel so dang hungry?!<\/p>\n

Jeff<\/strong>: You\u2019re right on there \u2013 the most memorable parts of my visits to Japan are gastronomic in nature, and Yakuza captures that so perfectly. The wide choice and depiction of food on offer, the Boss Coffee vending machines on every block, even the chime when you enter a Poppo convenience store. I can almost smell the oden<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s just say I\u2019ve been visiting our neighborhood izakaya<\/em> far more often since I got into the Yakuza series this year. I\u2019m curious, Mike \u2013 as a series newcomer, what do you think about the game\u2019s very different take on JRPGs?<\/p>\n

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\"Yakuza:<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Mike<\/strong>: I really like this turn-based combat mechanic where I\u2019m blocking attacks, kicking objects at the enemies, cycling through items mid-fight\u2026 it\u2019s very JRPG battle influenced, which I dig. Is this combat style a staple for the Yakuza series? If so, I\u2019ve got some games to add to my backlog.<\/p>\n

Jeff<\/strong>: No and yes. Much has made its way from earlier Yakuza titles; familiar animations and music tracks, guzzling energy drinks for mid-battle boosts, and fighting with whatever is at hand (bikes, traffic cones). But those games are button-mashing action brawlers, dependent on solid timing and a fair amount of endurance. You get a taste of that during the many QTEs to boost your Skill attacks or try to perfect your block timing (which I really enjoyed). Even the \u2018summons\u2019 call back to the special character actions from Yakuza Kiwami 2<\/em>. That said, this is a Yakuza-fied proper turn-based RPG, and\u2026 it somehow works! What\u2019s your take on new hero Ichiban Kasuga?<\/p>\n

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\"Yakuza:<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Mike<\/strong>: Kasuga is turning into a fascinatingly flawed, prideful, but honorable hero and I have liked his journey so far in what I\u2019ve played through the game\u2019s first three chapters. But going in I had assumed I would be playing as someone that\u2019s more stoic, cold, calculated\u2026 What\u2019s the deal here?<\/p>\n

Jeff<\/strong>: Stoic, cool\u2026 sounds a lot like Kazuma Kiryu, the unflappable, impeccably-dressed hero of the Yakuza series up til this point (you should definitely check those out via Xbox Game Pass). Ichiban is a lot different from Kiryu, but they have something in common: a firm sense of right and wrong, and zero hesitation to do the right thing, even at great personal cost.<\/p>\n

One thing that\u2019s defining who Ichiban is to me is the excellent performance of Kaiji Tang, who we spoke to a few weeks back<\/a>. As a Yakuza purist (if there is such a thing), I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m playing with English VO, and yet\u2026 it\u2019s excellent! In addition to Tang\u2019s Kasuga, George Takei\u2019s performance as a wise and world-weary Masumi Arakawa often sticks with me even after ending my play session for the day.<\/p>\n

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\"Yakuza:<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Mike<\/strong>: Is it supposed to be serious? Or\u2026 not? I can\u2019t figure out the tone of the game. Sometimes it\u2019s downright cold\u2026 then silly and heartwarming\u2026 then a dramatic shift to mature drama. What\u2019s the deal here?<\/p>\n

Jeff: <\/strong>Like salted caramel or chicken and waffles, Yakuza\u2019s two very different flavors come together in a delicious harmony. While you quickly learn how Kasuga will act in a crisis, his reactions to the crazy situations you end up in the game\u2019s many sub-stories actually shed light into who he is as a person. The fact that you don\u2019t just unlock extra XP, but new abilities and summons this time out, make these diversions more important than ever before. Also, they\u2019re ridiculous and fun in a way that is vintage Yakuza. Speaking of fun, have you availed yourself of any of Yokohama\u2019s many diversions?<\/p>\n

Mike<\/strong>: I\u2019m spending too much time at the Sega Arcade. Help! I love running here and playing Space Harrior, Outrun,<\/em> and others. It\u2019s a nice element that of \u201cliving\u201d in the world of YLaD<\/em>. Can I expect more of this later in the game and\/or in the other games in the series?<\/p>\n

Jeff: <\/strong>Of course \u2013 one of the interesting things as you play through the Yakuza series, some of which take place in the 80s, the 90s, and into this century, you see the setting evolve, and that means \u2013 among many other things \u2013 different games in the arcade. I spent a bit too much time playing Virtua Fighter 2 in Yakuza Kiwami 2<\/em>. Even when someone is trying to blow up the city, there\u2019s always time to go another round!<\/p>\n

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\"Yakuza:<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Mike: <\/strong>I just wanted to touch on one more thing here and that\u2019s the high degree of polish, from presentation, to controls, to voice acting, to the depth of the RPG mechanics\u2026 this game feels like a flawless experience (so far). And graphically, it looks amazing. I can\u2019t wait to transfer my saves via Smart Delivery to Xbox Series X. I know you\u2019ve played most, if not all the series, and we\u2019re both still early in the adventure, but how does Yakuza: Like a Dragon<\/em> stack up to the other entries here?<\/p>\n

Jeff:<\/strong> As one of the launch games for the new generation of gaming, Yakuza Like a Dragon<\/em> is the smoothest looking and feeling Yakuza game to date. And load times\u2026 you\u2019ll see, but there\u2019s not enough time to even read the tips on those screens!<\/p>\n

Mike, I\u2019m glad you not only played your first Yakuza game but proved to me that Yakuza Like a Dragon<\/em> makes for a strong entry point into the series. Once you\u2019ve tied a bow on the game, be sure check out Yakuza 0<\/em> to see how Kiryu\u2019s story begins. What\u2019s funny is, it may seem unusual to you that the game *isn\u2019t* an RPG. It just works!<\/p>\n

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\"Yakuza: