Yakuza: Like a Dragon aka Yakuza 7

[Yu Ominae]

DISCLAIMER: The title is not based on the Japanese movie of the same name.

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The game's going out next year worldwide.

So the April Fool's trailer you guys saw? Well, it's confirmed that the game will have a Live Command RPG Battle command system.

Story:

■ Introduction

The latest numbered entry in the Yakuza series for PlayStation 4, this is the story of new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga. In the new setting of Isezaki Ijincho in Yokohama, the story of the hot-blooded thugs stirred up by Ichiban Kasuga will begin.

If the protagonist changes, so does the gameplay. This is a new Yakuza experience!

New protagonist Ichiban Kasuga changes not only the story of the game, but also how you play.

■ Story

Protagonist Ichiban Kasuga makes his way up from the depths of despair. Depicted until the becoming of a new “Dragon,” this is the ultimate story of overcoming the higher ranked and rising to new heights. The future is in your hands!

January 1, 2001. The yakuza Ichiban Kasuga, who belongs to third generation family of the Tojo Clan—the Arakawa Family—was asked to take the fall for the crimes of wakagashira Jo Sawashiro by his boss Masumi Arakawa, which he agreed to do. For the family that he loves, for the respect of his boss… Kasuga served 18 years in a strict penitentiary, and in 2019, was finally released.

However, there was no one there to greet him upon his release.

With no one to welcome him, Kasuga returned to his hometown of Kamurocho. But the Kamurocho was not the Kamurocho that Kasuga once knew.

Thanks to a police policy known as the “Kamurocho 3K Operation,” the Tojo Clan had fallen. The police and the Omi Alliance of Kansai yakuza had completely taken over. And the one who created this new Kamurocho was none other than Masumi Arakawa.

“How could the boss do something like this!?”

In order to ascertain the truth for himself, Kasuga went to go see Masumi Arakawa.

After getting past obstacles like Omi Alliance members and his former superior Sawashiro, Kasuga manages to make his way to Masumi Arakawa.

“Boss!”

A reunion 18 years in the making with the “Boss” he loved like a father, the yakuza he admired—But what awaited him there was not the smiling face of a reunion, but rather the cold barrel of a gun.

“I’m sorry, Ichi… you need to die.”

The gunshot echoed. Kasuga’s vision dimmed—.

“Wha….!”

While wandering the depths of life or death, Kasuga somehow regained consciousness. But when he came to, he was at a dumpsite in homeless town lined with cardboard houses.

“…Where am I?”

Kasuga’s question is answered by a homeless man.

“Ijincho… Isezaki Ijincho. This is Yokohama. Got that? Yokohama.”

As explained by game producer Masayoshi Yokoyama c/o Gematsu.

#1: Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The media should be publishing detailed articles about the battle system later on, but I’ll explain the points I discussed yesterday here.

#2: “Live Command RPG Battle” means battles through command execution where the fight is constantly in motion. In a standard RPG, enemies and party members are stationary, and their actions only playback by executing commands such as “Attack.” But in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, battles are different.

#3: To be specific, this is a battle system where “characters move in real time” and “fight in a living city.”

#4: Except for some bosses, when you encounter an enemy, the battle will begin from right where you’re standing. In other words, depending on how you encounter the enemy, your starting position in the battle will change, which can both give you the upper hand or land you in a pinch. (Some enemies may also suddenly appear from hiding.)

#5: When you enter battle, enemies, party members, and even the “city” will remain in motion. They don’t stop moving. Characters will turn towards nearby enemies and keep their distance. And naturally, since these battles take place in the city, characters will fall if they bump into things like street signs or bicycles.

#6: Everything moves according to the physics of the Dragon Engine developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Through this, the “objects” that exist on the battlefield, such as bicycles, can be used as weapons or obstacles like in the action-based battles of previous games.

#7: Turn order is determined by parameters such as a character’s stats, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get the same result by attacking just any enemy. In a situation where you attack the enemy directly (by running up to them), there is a high chance that another enemy character will interrupt your attack.

#8: The situation completely changes depending on your distance from the enemy character you’re attacking, as well as the “city objects” in the area. If a bicycle or something similar rolls by, you can kick it at the enemy, or pick it up and attack with it. This action also depends on the character’s class and traits.

#9: Even enemy characters outside of those you are trying to attack may become the target of an attack or interference. For example, when you run up to a distant enemy to attack, there is a high chance of you being interrupted by another enemies in the run-up. On the other hand, depending on the technique, you can attack several enemies at once through attacks that sweep and ranged attacks.

#10: In a situation where you are blown onto the road and the like due to the impact of an attack, you may get hit by a car passing by. Naturally, you will take damage. Basically, this system is called “Live Command RPG Battle” because you fight in a space where the people and city are constantly in motion.

#11: Depending on the technique, there are some action-like operations such as repeatedly pressing a button to match the action during an attack. There is an “Auto” mode for people who want to play without worry, which automatically chooses actions based on each character’s class and traits. (However, this feature may not always act as expected.)

#12: Everything utilizes the real-time physics of the Dragon Engine we’ve built up with previous entries in the series, and no battle situation is the same. The stronger the enemy, the smarter they are, so if you find yourself in a pinch, you have various options including retreating behind other characters.

#13: In yesterday’s (August 29) announcement, we were only able to share some basic information about the battle system. Since you can change classes at Hello Work, there are variations to techniques unlike anything before, as well as various other unannounced special moves.

#14: Everyone on the team is working hard to have everyone experience this “Live Command RPG Battle” for themselves at Tokyo Game Show 2019 starting September 12! If you are attending, please stop by and play! If you are not attending, we will work hard to share information through forms such as video.

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Here's the official trailer:

Remember the AFD trailer:

[Mad Pierrot]

Man, talking about adding a new protagonist makes sense considering Kiryu has had 7 games (counting 0 but not his swordsman persona or zombie outbreak) but the actual gameplay? Not sure how to react to this it kinda feels awkward. I mean, the spinoff Judgment had another protagonist, a focus on stealth but at its core it relied on an action system similar to previous Yakuza games.

[Kafriel]

I don't think it's a bad approach. Let Judgment follow through the path most walked, and give this a chance, see how it goes. Changing protagonist is also a welcome change - you can only do so much with one character, even if it's a Yakuza game.

[Mad Pierrot]

Originally Posted by Kafriel

I don't think it's a bad approach. Let Judgment follow through the path most walked, and give this a chance, see how it goes. Changing protagonist is also a welcome change - you can only do so much with one character, even if it's a Yakuza game.

I'm okay with different scenarios or character. This is how Yakuza 0's narrative kind of shined as they grabbed two completely different characters.

However, changing the core gameplay might divide people. I'm pretty sure the guys from Sega are aware of this considering the April vid. This change of gameplay reminds me more to the latest Final Fantasy games that focus more on hack and slash rather than turn based combat or that system where you had to choose commands quiclky.

[Kanon]

I already hated the new protag's design when it was first revealed, but I could easily get passed this. The revamp of the gameplay though? I'm not liking what I'm reading at all.

And the story... we spent so many games saving the Tojo's clan's butt with Kiryu and they announce just like that it's been destroyed.

Only good thing is that they're finally changing the main location.

[Kurohane]

So Yakuza in the style of Skies of Arcadia. That's interesting.

[Wandering Soul]

Spent 6 games effectively protecting the Tojo clan, only to have it all destroyed in the prologue of the seventh. Sort of feels like a middle finger to Kiryu.

Changing the core gameplay like that is a bold choice. It's one surefire way to divide the fanbase.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Wandering Soul

Spent 6 games effectively protecting the Tojo clan, only to have it all destroyed in the prologue of the seventh. Sort of feels like a middle finger to Kiryu.

Changing the core gameplay like that is a bold choice. It's one surefire way to divide the fanbase.

Looking at it another way, it goes to show how important Kiryu was. As soon as they can't go crying to him for help anymore, this happens. I never liked him much, but that means Daigo is either dead or in prison. That sucks.

[Yu Ominae]

What Kanon said is something to think about.

Since Kiryu's not willing to get involved anymore for the sake of the people he cares about, the rest of the underworld took a gamble to strike at the Tojos and displace them.

[Kanon]

What do you think are the odds Kiryu (living under another identity) will cross paths with Ichiban? He won't get involved with this whole business, but he could be his Komaki.

[Mad Pierrot]

https://www.siliconera.com/2019/09/0...ector-nagoshi/

Sega’s Toshihiro Nagoshi, who’s once again taking up the position of director with Yakuza: Like a Dragon, appeared on Sega’s semi-regular livestream today to talk about the upcoming game. While no new footage was shown, he did elaborate upon some of the development details behind the project, and expanded upon what was explained by chief producer Masa Yokoyama last week. [Thanks, Game’s Talk!]



Here are the highlights below:

Nagoshi admits that part of the reason is that the team couldn’t really think of a way to one-up the culmination of the previous battle system, but also furthermore he wanted to try something new.


Regarding the UI, things are still in development so it’s subject to change.


This game is not a game about choosing commands for multiple characters, then lying back and watching the battles play out. It’s more like watching multi-man battles play out in front of you as if it were an action game.


While it takes a bit to get used to, when you get used to it you can play the game with the same sort of tension as an action game. Nagoshi doesn’t like slow-paced games, so he wasn’t about to make one himself.


There will be an autobattle function that has quite smart AI. Nagoshi recommends it for when fighting weaker enemies.


The Heat Actions surpass the limits of ridiculousness that were previously possible precisely because this game is an RPG.


Originally, they debated having both a Command RPG style and a regular action style hybrid game, but that would be akin to making two games, and they wouldn’t make their schedule if they did so.


After choosing commands, there are additional action inputs that might occur.


If other party members are nearby, they may join in together on the attack.


To people unfamiliar with Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Nagoshi believes they might mistake the game for an action game.


The first gameplay footage for the game is set to debut at TGS 2019, as well as a gameplay demo at Sega’s booth.

[Kafriel]

Originally Posted by Yu Ominae

What Kanon said is something to think about.

Since Kiryu's not willing to get involved anymore for the sake of the people he cares about, the rest of the underworld took a gamble to strike at the Tojos and displace them.

Originally Posted by Kanon

What do you think are the odds Kiryu (living under another identity) will cross paths with Ichiban? He won't get involved with this whole business, but he could be his Komaki.

No single clan can stay in the underworld forever...as for Kiryu, I think he could have a side quest like Komaki's or be the arena champion, or even having a "stay a while and listen" part explaining the story so far for people unfamiliar with the franchise - 7 main games is a daunting challenge for a newcomer, especially when Yakuza is 65% side quests.

[Yu Ominae]

https://www.siliconera.com/2019/09/0...-september-13/

Upcoming stuff with a new livestream at TGS.

[Mad Pierrot]

siliconera.com/2019/09/07/yakuza-like-a-dragons-ijincho-will-be-3-4-times-the-size-of-kamurocho/

Ichiban Kasuga isn’t the type of one-man army who can singlehandedly charge into the enemy headquarters like Kiryu can. He fights with allies, and the RPG format is a straightforward representation of this.


The April Fools joke video was actually quite liked, although whether this was because it wasn’t revealed that this was the true gameplay of the new game is another matter entirely.


Part of the reason for the shift is that they wanted to prove that Ryu ga Gotoku Studio could make games other than action-adventure games. The reason it was given a numbered title status was because this is a true mainline Yakuza game that the studio has come up with. While the story flow will match what has been shown in Yakuza Online, character relationships and events are completely different.


The total play time of the game will be longer than previous games, and even the main story alone will take double the time to complete. Substories and play spots will give money, EXP, and skills not only to Kasuga but also his other allies.


You can decide job classes for all the characters, and some will have job classes that are easier or harder to change into. Enemy encounters are done through symbol encounters. In this game, they don’t plan on blocking off areas you can’t get to due to story purposes. Instead, strong enemies will act as the barriers.


Yokohama isn’t controlled by the Tojo Clan or the Omi Alliance, and the reason why will be explained in-game. Ijincho itself is quite different from the real-life counterpart Chojamachi, and is 3-4 times larger than Kamurocho, not including dungeons. Each area of the map will sell equipment of different grades.


You will be able to visit Kamurocho at certain spots in the story.


Dragon Quest exists in the world of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and other terms like Puff-Puff will also appear in the game. The reason why character appearances change, and why allies appear to suddenly pull out weapons, is because the RPG battles are a figment of Kasuga’s imagination. From a third person’s view, they are fighting normally. The varying appearances of the enemies is a visual representation of the enemies’ strength, a modern day version of how Dragon Quest visually sorts its monsters.


During Kasuga’s childhood, the only happy moments in his life was the time he spent playing Dragon Quest. He sees himself as the Hero and wants to set off on an adventure. Kasuga’s ideals of fighting fairly are also influenced by Dragon Quest.

[Kanon]

So the main character has delusions?

[Kafriel]

Too many video games! It is said that the combat is actually fast-paced though, so we'll see how it works out in the end.

[Yu Ominae]

https://www.siliconera.com/2019/09/1...-help-summons/

A first look at Ijincho and the combat system.

Also includes characters who the player can "summon" to help in a fight.

[Kanon]

As reluctant as I am to see the series go RPG on us, what they've shown so far is pretty damn cool.

[Yu Ominae]

Official English trailer.

Also shows more characters:

[Kafriel]

So, you're facing off against the Japanese, the Chinese AND the Koreans!? Sounds like a whole lot to take on in a single game, although I suppose the latter two probably establish a business relationship at the level of "see who gets backstabbed first". Pretty good trailer, the story setting is engaging.