“Like Dragon 8” was released on January 26. Fans of the Like the Dragon series would be eagerly waiting. The previous works, Dragon Like 7 and Dragon Like 7 side story, were also excellent works, and the story and battles showed improvements as the series went on, so it is natural that expectations were high.
The journalist played the series with dragons relatively recently. With the continued recommendation of a friend who is a fan of the series, I started driving. The process wasn’t as easy as I thought. This was because the story was too long since it was a series that had been running for 20 years and some works did not support Korean.
After finishing the tour, the journalist became a fan of the Like a Dragon series. At first I was disgusted by the violence and crime, but I soon became immersed in the characters’ narratives and humming the signature song “Like a Fool.”
To conclude, Dragon Like 8 is the most complete of the series published so far. Not only the volume of content, but also the character narration and story were perfectly harmonized. It is the best gift for fans and the best work that announces another beginning.
Genre: Third-person turn-based role-playing game
Release date: January 26, 2024
Developer: Like a Dragon Studio
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox
■ Yakuza can’t be happy?
-Kasuga Ichiban, Namba Yuu, Adachi Koichi
The overall story of Like a Dragon 8 is very rich and solid. Like the previous work, the composition and direction are excellent, giving the impression of watching one long drama.
The story is set after the dissolution of the Omi Union and Dongseonghoe. It begins from the point of view of Ichiban Kasuga, who works in an employment agency to introduce lucrative jobs to the yakuza who have nowhere to go and are wandering the streets after the so-called “Great Dissolution”.
Ichiban, who has lost his job due to an accident, leaves for Hawaii to find his mother, from whom he was separated when he was young, with the persuasion of Joe Sawashiro, the second member of the Arakawa group and leader of the group. Sawashiro Group.
The main story is set in Hawaii, but the longest part is set in Japan. If you like the whole story without skipping, the game time is about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Ichiban increased the immersion by recounting the background of working at an employment agency, the process that led to the job loss, and the reason for the long departure to Hawaii.
– The end of most of the yakuza is miserable – Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga reunite in Hawaii
In Hawaii, stories sometimes appear that seem to take a back road. A serious story can increase immersion, but then suddenly turn into a comedy, which can reduce immersion, but this is a unique feature of series like Dragon.
Since the Dragon Like series is a film noir about Yakuza, violence and crime, the controversy of the glorification of crime always follows it like a tag. Like a dragon, this issue was addressed through the game’s direction and character expression. The director of the Yakuza series said in an interview: “The ending of Yakuza should never be happy. I write the script with that in mind.”
In fact, if you look at the content of the game, most people who have lived the life of a yakuza end up unhappy. This series highlights the yakuza who try to live a normal life after the Great Disaster, but are ultimately criticized and shunned by society.
Furthermore, in various side stories, minigames, etc., the Yakuza characters’ endings are not happy, but are unhappy endings or expressed in a comical manner, showing a pessimistic and cold reality that is not the subject of glorification. .
■ How much has turn-based combat evolved?
– Turn-based combat is more advanced than its predecessor
Combat has been further developed compared to previous work. Although it is turn-based, production and control have been maximized to make it feel like a real-time battle. In turn-based battles, the position of the character you control is generally fixed. When you give an attack command, you will be shown moving closer to the opponent, but after the attack you will return to your original position.
In Dragon Like 8, you can directly adjust the character’s position and direction. For example, combat can be handled in various ways, such as turning behind the enemy and dealing attack damage from behind, or using knockback during the attack to cause the enemy to hit the wall and take additional damage.
The interactive elements have also been further strengthened. If you move the character to an available object location and give an attack command, the character will directly lift the object and attack the enemy. Additionally, if you throw an enemy at a colleague, a linked attack is activated, dealing high damage.
The automatic combat system present in the previous game is also supported. Users who don’t like turn-based combat or find it annoying can proceed with the game without major problems by simply running auto-combat. In fact, the journalist took his hands off the keyboard and played as if he were watching a movie or drama, so most of the time, except for some bosses, he played with automatic combat.
Occupations have also become more diverse. Over 10 new jobs have been added to this job. In addition to character-specific occupations, there are various occupations such as host, dancer, western gunslinger, and idol.
■ I didn’t know what you would like, so I prepared everything.
– Rhythm game representing the dragon-like series
Like dragons, side content plays an essential role in the series. There are so many different minigames that the saying “I didn’t know what you’d like, so I laid it all out” comes to mind. As you progress through the main story, this is naturally linked to minigame unlock missions.
The representative minigame is “Karaoke”. He has appeared continuously since the beginning of the series. You can engage in a variety of activities, such as playing rhythm games, cooking and purchasing food, and talking with colleagues. Since the main setting is Hawaii, there is a difference in that it takes place at the “Reball Bar Pub” rather than a karaoke bar, but the composition is similar.
Yakumon Battle is a minigame that parodies the Pokémon game. Collect Yakumon to fill your Pokédex or form teams to engage in Yakumon battles. Yakumon can be obtained with lottery tickets collected during the game or by capturing them.
– You can chat with women in the game via a matching app – There is a high chance that a different person from the profile will appear
The matching app is also one of the fun features. By setting up your profile and matching, you can chat and meet women in the game. During matching, somewhat suggestive conversations are exchanged to attract the other person. Of course, because it contains a lot of B-level sensitivity, even if you manage to encounter each other, there is a high probability that animals, old people, humans, etc. will appear.
The reporter purchased the premium plan and tried to match it, but was a little confused when a grandma and a chicken enjoying cosplay appeared. However, it is useful because you can increase human power statistics such as passion, mentality, intelligence and vitality by targeting characters using a corresponding app.
In addition, various mini games are available, including the housing feature “Kung the Kung Island”, the delivery racing game “Crazy Delivery”, chess, darts, claw machine and casino.
■ I can’t wait for the sequel.
After watching the ending of Like a Dragon 8, the feeling remained for a long time. Excellent compositional and directing skills that lead the story while maintaining immersion from the beginning to the end of the game. After watching the finale, you are left with the feeling of watching a Netflix drama series.
Even users who haven’t played the previous game will have no problem understanding the story. However, there is a story flow that continues from the previous work, and characters who only appeared in the previous work are mentioned, so there are definitely sections where players who are new to Like the Dragon might wonder, “What does this mean?” If you want to fully immerse yourself in the story, it is better to play the previous game.
There are also some regrets. While Kazuma Kiryu’s part of the story was very complete, Kasuga Ichiban’s part was relatively less complete. The story is generally disjointed, especially after moving to Hawaii. That’s because the process of gathering clues to find your mother involves side quests and mini-game unlock missions.
However, that doesn’t mean the shortcomings are so critical that they lower the game’s rating. Like Dragon 8 is worth playing as it concludes Kazuma Kiryu’s narrative that has continued for 20 years and signals a generational shift.
Additionally, the story has become brighter as the main stage has moved to Hawaii, so even players who have an aversion to film noir can easily get into it. It offers a long gameplay time of over 50 hours just by playing the main story, side missions and various mini-games.
Even if you’re not particularly interested in the Dragonlike series or haven’t played the previous game, I hope you’ll definitely play Dragonlike 8.
Advantages
1. Huge volume of stories and content
2. Turn-based battle, more advanced than the previous work
3. Various side missions and mini-games
downside
1. Story that extends into some sections
2. Kasuga Ichiban’s narrative completeness is relatively poor.
3. A film noir that lets people like and dislike each other.
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