Yakuza: Like a Dragon is, at its core, an underdog story about fighting for what you believe in, even when you're at rock bottom. The new main protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, a low-ranking grunt of a low-ranking yakuza family, takes the fall for a crime he didn't commit in order to protect his patriarch and father-figure, Masumi Arakawa. After serving an 18-year prison sentence, he returns to society to discover that the clan he once belonged to has been destroyed, its few remaining members are being hunted in the streets, and learns that his former patriarch may be the man responsible for it all. Facing an unimaginable sense of betrayal, loss, and confusion, he sets out to discover the truth. This is where Yakuza: Like a Dragon's story begins.
Along with the all-new cast and setting, Yakuza: Like a Dragon introduces a new dynamic RPG combat system that takes the genre somewhere it's never been before - present-day Japan. Ichiban is a diehard RPG fan, so to help him stay focused in fights, he imagines the battlefield as if he was living in one of his favorite games. In Yakuza: Like a Dragon, players will level up 19 different 'Jobs' far from traditional RPG fare - not Warriors or Mages, but Bodyguards and Musicians, with completely unique strengths and skills. Get ready to step into Ichiban's shoes and crack some skulls in style
Even with so many changes, Yakuza: Like a Dragon still retains the core Yakuza experience, and a large part of that is the seemingly endless supply of hilarious minigames and substories spread throughout the city. Over 50 substories and a collection of never-before-seen minigames, as well as the return of fan-favorites like Karaoke and SEGA Arcades will ensure that players will enjoy their time in Yokohama to the fullest.
In less than 2 minutes, the new How Will You Rise? trailer takes players on a journey through the streets of Yokohama, Japan, the new setting for Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
In the video, we see Ichiban Kasuga, the first main new protagonist in the history of the mainline Yakuza series, alongside some of his loyal party members, Nanba, Saeko, and Adachi, as they swap between just a few of the 20+ unique Jobs available throughout the game. In what can only be described as a meta worldview, Ichiban envisions himself the lead character in an RPG and his ensuing skirmishes take on the form of turn-based battles. If you've ever wanted to don a chef's hat and sprinkle enemies with a dash of pepper to finish them off in style, we're happy to say that no game other than Yakuza: Like a Dragon will offer you that experience.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is everything that fans know and love about the series, with several over the top twists for the next generation. Featuring an entirely-new cast of characters and taking place in the brand new painstakingly & beautifully-realized setting of Ijincho in Yokohama, players can jump right into the drama, action, and hilarity that Yakuza is known for.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is much more than just a new chapter in the Yakuza series, players will explore an entirely new side of Japan never-before-seen in the series.
Actors Shinichi Tsutsumi, Ken Yasuda, and Kiichi Nakai will be lending their appearances and voices to the game's main cast members, with Kazuhiro Nakaya voicing the game's main protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Japanese title - Ryu Ga Gotoku 7) will be available as simultaneous release on the Xbox One, PS4, and PC (Steam) in November 13 2020, while the Xbox Series X version will release on day one of the console's release date, and the PS5 version will release at a later date.
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