Wait no more. Sega just dropped a teaser trailer for the upcoming Yakuza game in the mainline series called Yakuza Like a Dragon 8 in the west (龍が如く8 in Japan), following the release of Yakuza Like a Dragon (technically number 7 if translated from Japanese).
Yakuza 8 follows strictly after Yakuza 7 in terms of the story of Ichiban Kasuga and the turn based combat system that was introduced in Yakuza 7 which received a lot of criticism due to brawler styled combat was replaced.
The trailer hasn’t shown much yet of the game apart from Ichiban Kasuga walking the streets of Kamurucho before Kiryu Kazuma joined in. That’s correct, it is Kiryu Kazuma but with different hairstyle. Kiryu is planned to hav e it’s own separate party.
No release date set for Yakuza Like a Dragon 8. But you can check out the trailer above.
Next up we’ve got Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (龍が如く7外伝 名を消した男 in Japan). Haha what a long name. The game itself follows the story of Kiryu Kazuma between Yakuza 6 and Yakuza 8.
A trailer was released, showing Kiryu at a monastery, where he meditates in the heat. Having seemingly relinquish all of his former life, before it’s revealed that Kiryu Kazuma is involved with the Daidoji family from Yakuza 6. I can barely remember what’t in Yakuza 6 after having played the game a long time ago.
RGG said the game will be half the length of a typical Yakuza game, and the events in it will be canon to Kiryu’s timeline. Other details are kept under the rug as of now. But you can check out it’s official Fandom page once we have more detail.
Like a Dragon: Ishin (龍が如く 維新! in Japan)is another game from the Yakuza series which isn’t strictly following mainline games. Gamers can finally rejoice as it finally available for the latest hardware after the game was released only in Japan in 2014 under the title Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin and never saw the day of light of western release.
The game is set in 1860s Edo Japan and puts you in the shoes of famous samurai Ryōma Sakamoto, a fictionalized version of Kyoto. While other games tell earlier stories in Japanese history, Ishin lets you experience the story of how the iconic samurai era vanished. Our hero, Sakamoto Ryoma, is a true historical figure largely credited with overthrowing the shogunate and taking Japan into a radical reformation. According to it’s game description.
This is not just a re-release of the game. Actually a brand new remake of the game using Unreal Engine 4, unlike many other Yakuza games that uses the in house Dragon Engine.
However, the game is available to pre-order on Steam I’m sure other PC game stores will start to sell them soon because in Australia, the game costs like full price on Steam.
Judgment and Lost Judgment (死神の遺言 and ロストジャッジメント), a detective game spinoff is finally getting a PC release. Gamers has waited long enough since Sega typically releases it’s game on PC alongside it’s console counterpart.
After the PC release is blocked by lead actor Takuya Kimura’s talent agency due to modding issues on PC, many fans were surprised by the sudden move. There were also reports saying the serie won’t be continued as the games lack of release on PC. This is a welcome move indeed.
Yakuza Like a Dragon 8 and Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name set to be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X/S and PC. No release date has been set yet. Like a Dragon: Ishin will be released in February 21, 2023 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X/S and PC. Meanwhile the spin-off Judgment games is available now on PC after it’s original console debut.