Yakuza: Like a Dragon Sequel Announced and In Development

Was expecting this but great to see it confirmed anway. I think the changes to combat was a great refresher. If I can play a game like Lost Judgement/Yakuza 6 one year and a turn-based one another year, it will reduce chances of burnout.

Great news, Yakuza Like a Dragon was excellent and a fun change of pace. These guys are absolutely smashing it and putting the likes of Rockstar to shame with their output

Fantastic. The characters are great, like the original Yakuza series, and so much better than those in judgment. I still have to do the final grind for the last tower and the plat, but I’ll get to it.

Even though it came out last year, this is my favorite game I've played this year. Loved the change to turn based combat.

Like A Dragon was very good for a first stab at a turn based RPG. Tone down the grind, correct some of the difficulty spikes, and make sure your teammates don't get stuck on geometry when a battle starts. If they fix those three things it could easily go from good to great.

One of the best games released last year. Can’t wait to continue Ichibans adventure. I liked the new direction.

Well chuffed. I loved Like A Dragon and much preferred its combat over the other Yakuza games. Ichiban and the gang were all great characters too.

Hyped. Really happy to see Ichiban make his return.

@CynicalGamer A real shame if we really won't be seeing any more Judgment titles.

I'm enjoying Like a Dragon - currently on the final chapter. I've really only died during one battle in the entire game, although there were some definite challenging sections. I died in that battle like 3 times (the infamous chapter 12 difficulty spike). So that was surprising but I do love the game. Love the characters, love the side stories. It's my first Yakuza game.

Wait... is this a spinoff from the main series like Judgment? I thought it was a continuation of the main series?

If they want to keep the turn based combat, they must implement a system where your party warps to ichiban at the start of battle, rather than the player having to wait for them to get unstuck from geometry.

They also need to incentivise switching jobs. I tended to stick with the same jobs as it was a nightmare dropping from a strong job with lots of skills and health, to one where you may as well have been back at level 1. It made little sense given you were already levelling up the individual character and spoilt my enjoyment somewhat.

Also, whilst not a problem for me as i'd saved the money, dont arbitrarily gate off the story by forcing you to collect 3 million yen half way through. That felt unecessary

Finally, better difficulty scaling - i grinded alot in the battle arena, which meant it wasnt a problem for me - but i read a lot of people getting stuck at the end of chapter 10 or 11 and couldnt proceed as they were stuck in a dungeon and couldnt get past the boss.

Oh and the fact you couldn't take a taxi to a location elsewhere in the city if you hadnt 'tagged' the taxi in that area. That was ridiculous

For the record, i loved the game - but these were bits that stood out as being massive flaws for me.

@carlos82 Had to put Rockstar in there hehe well this weirdly running around in a suit soap opera series may be fun but can't be compared to any of the Rockstar's masterpieces, I mean the reviews are there. 😉

@Xenomorph_79 Glad someone else said it. I do plan on finishing LAD, but the combat is a slog, and doesn't feel anywhere near as satisfying to me so I have yet to go back to the game (was on chapter 7 when I stopped).

@Cherip-the-Ripper Yeah it would suck a lot. But I trust them to come up with a compelling alternative if needed.

@TheArt reviews don't matter to me, my point wasn't just about quality but also quantity. These guys have put out multiple games that are easily as good as any other series I've played over the previous generation and into this one

I honestly need a break from the series. So hopefully I’ll be ready for this game when it comes out.

@carlos82 We all agree Quality takes time to make even still, I must admit they could've released some GTAV SP DLC or some other new IP if it wasn't for GTAO. I see it more of a TakeTwo thing than Rockstar though. Then again if you take the time and observe RDRII under a microscope, the extreme detail, soul and pure craftsmanship in that game can't be made any faster, mind you there were reports of crunch even. So is it about making more games or the devs well-being...

I really wish they'd stop with the yearly releases with these games. The issue I have with these games is that they keep adding in these new "mechanics" like stealth, climbing, detecting and then never fleshing them out cause they literally don't have time. That's why the only thing you ever see have the most effort put in is the combat and story.

@TheArt If there's one thing they put Rockstar to shame it's not abandoning the story for a crap unnecessary online mode for them to make bank off of since now were getting story dlc for Lost Judgement. And I'd personally play these over Rockstar titles. As much as I enjoy RDR 2 and GTA V the issue I have and a lot of other people have is restricting you from how you want to play so they become one and done titles for me.

It took me a long time to get used to the turn based mechanism in Like A Dragon, and by the time it did. It just became so easy.the last arc of the game was mostly just grinding but most fights were easy outside of the last dungeon...

I hope they work to fix that in the sequel.

@TheArt there's arguments each way, I like what Yakuza has done in largely recycling the same city but still keeping it fresh and it reminds me of those old Liberty City and Vice City stories on PSP. Just a shme Rockstar never thought to do something similar and just reuse the City whether for dlc or a smaller game like Miles Morales did

@Telekill It is a continuation, yeah. Its actual name is Ryu ga Gotoku 7, or Like A Dragon 7. So it should've been just Yakuza 7 outside of Japan but they decided to combine the original series name with the western series name and not number it.

@Nepp67 I have no problem with Rockstar's restrictions to keep scenarios in line with realism. I don't see how getting out of your car and abandoning a companion who asked to be dropped off realistic. I'd take that over a a suit-wearing guy running all over the place picking cabs cause somehow with his level of coolness can't even afford a car(obviously making a driving mechanic would require extra time and map expansion and yet still it gets compared to GTA in terms of speedy development...the audacity) with kicking animations from Tekken 3, smacking people with bikes, needless fighting at every corner sigh
... Maybe one day I'll get into this series because it's probably a good game in its own right but in terms of sheer size and scope, it can't be compared to a lot of open worlds.

@TheArt Wow that is a really bad argument. You'll take restricted level design for the sake of realism. I wonder how you'd handle Uncharted with how Nathan talks about not killing someone in Uncharted 4 and yet shooting hundreds of people along the way and it's clearly not trying to be a open world game like all the others and yet it still manages to out do those titles with how much there is to do in comparison cause of how empty and barren alot of them are.

The great thing about this series is it makes your gaming system worth it purchasing. I would argue that having multiple great games in one generation as a whole easily matches the quality of just one high quality game like RDR2. It means you aren't waiting for a high number of years for your next fix.

@Nepp67 It's not even an argument, it's preference clearly. And what have games been striving for since the dawn of time
...? REALISM. Every game doesn't have to be realistic, wacky unrealistic ones also have a place. So then you can't shoot a game down for trying to be realistic by implementing restrictions and then expect no complaints on a storydriven soap opera series like Yakuza which can't tell if it wants to be serious or wacky, it would've been fitting with anime graphics instead. I wouldn't question all that running in Tales games, Persona, Zelda etc but I would've definitely questioned R* if Arthur Morgan was running all over Valentine like a maniac, you get my point.

Sorry but the Yakuza team release games far too quickly.

I'm a big fan of Yakuza zero and then every game since has been practically the same with some minigames and characters replaced. Quality over quantity especially if you want me to play like the 20th game set in the same space.

@TheArt I can't shoot a game down for wanting to let me have more freedom the way I play in levels? Christ dude, I get you love sucking off Rockstar every chance you get but understand there is legitimate criticism to be had with their games. The majority agrees that Rockstar needs to give players more freedom in how they want to play the game instead of restricting them and why are you even complaining about it? If you want to play in the most restrictive way possible go for it, nothing is stopping you.

@Nepp67 And what's your problem if I don't see no problem with the restrictions, it's YOUR problem, is it that that hard to understand? "Sucking off"... sounding really immature there.

@TheArt I do have to disagree with the anime style part you are suggesting. The art style of Yakuza makes the characters look like Japanese citizens in a Japanese city with a Japanese culture. Anime rarely matches the realism in a Yakuza game when it comes to portraying a Japanese city. And it is precisely this realism combined with the combination of wacky and serious themes that gives the series its identity. I also think both RDR2 and Yakuza have their share of realistic and unrealistic dynamics. Example the number of times you have horses crashing into trees is unrealistic as trained horses are smarter than that. And let's not get into the wacky stuff that can happen in GTA. I guess the point some people are making here is that regular doses of great games can be more impressive to some gamers than the occasional masterpiece.

@TheArt Cause you are, you defend them every chance you get cause you're fanboy of rockstar to the point that you'll go and defend level restriction. Simple as that. I like RDR 2, I like GTA V, I enjoy Rockstar's games but I'm not gonna go and defend them cause they have their fair share of problems. Level restricting on how you play especially. It is not fun to have a game punish me for playing how I want to play and play in a super linear way. It is terrible for replayability and makes it super boring to play through again.

@CynicalGamer 3 playthroughs and I've not actually seen horses run into trees, I think they fixed that in one of those early updates in 2018 or '19, but there's the occasional crashing into other horses though.

Great news. Love Like a dragon.

@TheArt Fair enough. If it was fixed though, it must have been at least months later, by when most enthusiastic gamers will have finished it at least once. Much like with Yakuza games.

Edit: I just checked again and horse ran off a cliff. Maybe I shouldn't be moving so fast but still find the frequent possibility of this scenario unrealistic. Not that it matters to me, just like it doesn't with Yakuza. My main point of tagging was the suggestion of an anime art style though as I think that would be a major detriment to the identity of Yakuza.

I think I'm done with the series. Not a fan of the new system and miss Kiryu too much.

I was waiting for them to make it in to proper rpg with turned based fights ever since around part 4. The fighting just got so boring, even when playing as all the chars in part 5 it was still just boring to me. I hope they don't go back for main games and keep it turned based it deserves to be a proper rpg and not a button masher.

Like a Dragon was refreshing to me with party management and combat you needed to think a little about (was too easy still in some parts) and I don't think I could have played through a whole game again with fighting mechanics.

That said they need to add some new cities for the next one we haven't really had a new full sized location in the new engine yet except for Yokohama in like a Dragon, but it wasn't that large of a map and only one location. We had other little tiny places like the small city in Yakuza 6 but that was very small. We have had about 10 games now and only really had Okinawa, Shinjuku, and Yokohama as main cities, part 5 was the biggest and since then maps have been smaller and smaller.

These games would be amazing if they added a whole Tokyo area like from Shibuya to Shinjuku and had train stations for fast travel like persona. I get very bored now in these games unless it's not Shinjuku, there is only so many times you can walk around the streets there and go to that damn Sega arcade in the main square lol!

Nothing is worse then turn based combat,I can't fathom how anybody would want that garbage over the deep rewarding real time combat of the excellent Yakuza 0 to 6 and the excellent Judgment and Lost judgment,..Can not get into this new direction,even though the other Yakuza games balanced crime drama with crazy side quests very well,like a dragon characters seem Corny and too goofy,seems to be for people who like lame anime or high school drama games like Persona,..Its an insult to a game about Japanese Mafia..., The 3 fighting styles in Lost judgment were great,..tactical,smooth,brutal and responsive,like all Yakuza games should be..

@ApostateMage How can anyone prefer lame as all hell turn based combat over the excellent real time combat,..its truly insane how anybody would think that garbage system is better,..Its an insult to replicating real street fights or the Japanese Yakuza,..Ruins the game from thinking and engaging on the fly to waiting politely for your turn like its a crappy Persona game,..

@Xenomorph_79 They said quite specifically that the future of the Yakuza franchise involved a two pillar approach. The mainline numbered Yakuza series will continue to be turn based from this point forward and that the real time action combat will continue in the Judgment series, with the franchise continuing to produce both going forward.

@Fbase88 Obviously you hate turn based RPGs. Clearly other people don't. Yakuza 7 has sold better (and reviewed better by many gamers and news outlets) than any previous entry in the series. Tons of people love the new battle system. As to why people like it, if you actually want to know.. it's just a different experience. I love the original games and the real time combat, just like I like a lot of other games with real time action combat.

But I also love turn based RPGs and strategy games. Turn based strategy has been enjoyed for literally millennia, with tactical battling games cropping up in virtually every culture in world history. It offers a unique, interesting and engaging way to use strategic puzzle solving versus on-the-fly tactics. It's different and it's fun.

And for this series.. the Judgement games still exist and will continue to exist as a main continuation of the franchise. To me, it's the best of both worlds with getting to have the great turn based gameplay of Yakuza 7 and the great real time gameplay with Judgement.

The problem with the real time combat in the other Yakuza games was it was so simplistic that even a duffer like me could master it with increasing ease.

Mash square for the goons and block, dodge, square and weapon for the bosses. There was very little variety for the combat and you didn't need the skill moves to win the fights.

Now with Nocturne you have to get your tactics right or you would lose the turn based battles.

Real time combat offers less challenge in my experience.

Bigger map please. Non-stop open world map like GTA or Sleeping dog. Want a reasonable boundary, like railroad, hill, plant, seashore, cliff, building..etc, even a wall but not invisible wall and transport by taxi only , how about a Yamanote Line or a run?
plz,plz,plz…