The Like a Dragon series, formerly known as the Yakuza series, is making a major comeback. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio recently announced the game “Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name”. Read on to find out about Like a Dragon Gaiden, its release date, gameplay, and story.

Like a Dragon Gaiden Release Date: November 8, 2023

Like a Dragon Gaiden will release on November 8, 2023. The game will release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Players who preorder the game will receive the Legendary Fighter Pack, which includes the following characters:

  • Goro Majima – The Mad Dog of Shimano
  • Taiga Saejima – The Slayer of Eighteen
  • Daigo Dojima – 6th Chairman of the Tojo Clan

These characters are available for use in the game’s Arena mode.

Reviews for the game are already are already going live on Metacritic. As of this article, the weighted average for the game is around 78.5. The reviews are mostly positive, with minimal mixed reviews.

Like a Dragon Gaiden gameplay

Like many of the games before it, Like a Dragon Gaiden is an action-adventure game. It will feature the beat-’em-up style of gameplay that the series is known for. During the RGG Summit 2022, it was revealed that the game will be about “half the size” of a normal Like a Dragon title story-wise. As such, the gameplay should not take too long or be too heavy. However, players will still have plenty of opportunities to explore the world and partake in side quests. While the reveal event did not give too much information, we can assume that Like a Dragon Gaiden’s side quests will range from serious to wacky.

Like a Dragon Gaiden story

The story of Like a Dragon Gaiden takes place in the summer of 2018. Former series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is now living in hiding under the codename “Joryu”. He is the 100th disciple of the Daidoji temple and carries out missions for the Daidoji faction. One day, a mysterious suited man approaches him and gives him a mission to escort “a certain individual.” What follows is a series of events that could potentially change the course of his life as a hidden man.

The game will act as a bridge between Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and the upcoming title Like a Dragon 8. It will introduce Kiryu to newcomers to the series who learned about him through Yakuza: Like a Dragon. For older players, the game will explain the circumstances leading up to Kiryu’s appearance in Yakuza: Like a Dragon and set him up for Like a Dragon 8.

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