Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name follows Kazuma Kiryu in the events that unfolded after Yakuza 6, when Kiryu faked his own death and assumed a new identity. Developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by SEGA, the title offers varied locales to explore, a fresh fighting style to master, and new characters to engage with as Kiryu clashes with a villain who wishes to drive him out of hiding. Screen Rant recently attended a special hands-on look at Like a Dragon Gaiden that showed off an impressive new area called The Castle.
The demo began with a woman named Akame bringing Kiryu to The Castle, which she called an “adult theme park.” Located on a large ship in the middle of the ocean, the neon-lit locale is home to a bustling community of sin favored by the Yakuza. There were several areas to explore on the boat: a boutique, a cabaret club, two different gambling establishments, and the main attraction – a coliseum home to a myriad of special fighting competitions.
There are two places players can go to try their luck onboard after purchasing the requisite chips or wooden tags to place bets with. The main casino offers two card games – poker and blackjack – at either high or low stakes, while a place called Toba features the games Koi Koi and Oicho-Kabu at varying levels of difficulty. Winnings can be cashed in for special prizes that are similar at both locations, with items like powerful accessories, clothing, or tonics that improve stats.
The cabaret club is a unique experience featuring live-action video, where after paying a hefty entry fee players can choose a companion to converse and have a drink with. Different conversational options can raise the relationship between the player and their date, as can offering them a gift. It wasn’t elaborated on in the demo just how the relationship can progress over time, but it’s clear that repeated visits can further fill the heart meter that appears during each meeting.
Before heading out for a cabaret date or entering the coliseum for a fight, players can customize Kiryu’s look at the boutique. Here outfits can be put together that range from formal to delightfully ludicrous, with options available from head to toe. Outfits are split into two categories: those for regular wear and those for fighting, and players can don everything from corsage-adorned suits to leather jumpsuits and terrifying masks.
Although the Like a Dragon Gaiden demo didn’t explain much about what Kiryu did after Yakuza 6, somewhere along the way he acquired a new fighting style called Agent. This combat mode offers four special moves based around gadgets: Spider, a wire that captures and throws enemies; Hornet, which summons an AI combat drone; Serpent, which activates jetpack-style shoes for Kiryu to ram into opponents; and Firefly, which is a small bomb shaped like a cigarette. This fresh high-tech approach to battle is incredibly fun, sometimes even feeling overpowered when slinging large groups of enemies across the room.
This style is put to the test in Like a Dragon Gaiden‘s coliseum, which is the main attraction Akame brought Kiryu to see. There are several types of events to compete in, all for cash prizes as well as experience. There are 1v1 Tournaments, the one-versus-many Hell Rumble, and Special Event Matches, which are rare events unavailable during the demo; there’s even a special Platinum fight where he can take on 100 enemies. Players don’t have to battle as Kiryu, either – they can choose from a diverse roster of options ranging from characters like Goro Majima to the anthropomorphic Sheep Man with different stats and Heat skills.
Though this Like a Dragon Gaiden demo only showcased a small part of the upcoming title, it’s clear from The Castle that the world will be filled with intricate detail and a myriad of activities for players to explore. The new fighting style is incredibly creative and shows a lot of promise for fun combos and strategies when approaching combat, and clearly ties into Kiryu’s backstory which will be intriguing to unravel over time. Players will be able to dive into Kiryu’s past when Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name releases this fall.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name will release November 8 for PlayStation consoles, Xbox consoles, and PC.
