Playing a Yakuza game without series stalwart Kazuma Kiryu in the leading role takes some getting used to. But luckily for Yakuza: Like a Dragon, it’s easy to warm to new hero Ichiban Kasuga. He has all the strength and determination of his predecessor, but with a goofy sense of humor and an endearing enthusiasm for everything he does—whether that’s taking on the Korean mafia or employing a chicken to run a sweet shop.
Ichiban starts out as a low-level yakuza in Kamurocho, the Tokyo red light district that serves as the main setting for most of the Yakuza games. But after a series of unfortunate events, he ends up homeless in Yokohama. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is about Ichi getting his life back together, reckoning with his past, and beating a lot of people up along the way.
In many ways, this is classic Yakuza. It features an immersive, detailed urban Japanese setting filled with minigames, absurd sidequests and karaoke bars. The story is an unlikely mix of criminal conspiracy, heartfelt melodrama, and slapstick comedy. And when a problem arises, it’s usually solved with outlandish violence. If you’ve played any Yakuza game before, its distinctive rhythms and quirks will be instantly familiar.
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Special Report- Stacked Deck - Monster Train, a deckbuilding roguelike that firmly entrenched itself as the crown prince to the kingly Slay the Spire back in 2020, was the kind of smash success you might call Champagne Big.
Monster Train, a deckbuilding roguelike that firmly entrenched itself as the crown prince to the kingly Slay the Spire back in 2020, was the kind of smash success you might call Champagne Big. Four years later, its successor Inkbound’s launch from Early Access was looking more like Sandwich Big.I’m not just saying that because of the mountain of lamb and eggplants I ate while meeting with developer Shiny Shoe over lunch, to feel out what the aftermath of releasing a game looks like in 2024. I mean, have I thought about that sandwich every day since? Yes. But also, the indie team talked frankly about the struggle of luring Monster Train’s audience on board for its next game.
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