Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Anyone who's spent some time behind the skyrocketing fists and feet of this series' sharp-dressed anti-heroes will feel right at home in the franchise's latest installment. Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Sega's newest entry in the saga, retains the detailed, urban settings, optional mini-games, colorful characters, dramatic storytelling, and brutal beat-downs of its predecessors. But these familiar elements are nicely balanced by a few fresh, notable features that make for a deeper, more compelling take on the series' formula. Regular protagonist Kazuma Kiryu passes the torch to Ichiban Kasuga, a likable, sometimes clueless character that not only injects the story with some kindness and charm, but also counters the melodrama with some welcome laughs.

This isn't to say Kasuga's softer personalty comes at the cost of the series' signature, brutal combat. On the contrary, encounters are bone-crushingly satisfying, packing more depth, variety, and over-the-top style than ever. Most of this comes courtesy of a new turn-based battle system, a huge departure from the franchise's previous real-time action brawls. The new take adds a ton of nuance and strategy, from managing a four-member party of fighters to carefully selecting their offensive, defensive, special moves, and consumable items. The system also doesn't entirely abandon the immediacy of real-time combat, as characters can still wield makeshift melee weapons and even unleash grenades and other table-turning goodies. While generally a positive for the series, the more methodical fights occasionally display some clunkiness, such as characters getting caught behind environmental objects and targets moving erratically. Like a Dragon also suffers from some slow narrative stretches, especially in its early hours. Still, it does a fantastic job retaining and polishing what's made these games cult-favorites, while also introducing enough fresh tweaks to evolve the series for a new generation of wannabe gangsters.