Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name preview – Kazuma Kiryu is back for more

Kazuma Kiryu fans are in luck. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a proper return to form for the iconic series, leaning into its Yakuza roots while bringing this era of the series into modernity with Like a Dragon’s recent improvements.

The Like a Dragon series, or Yakuza in the West, has seen around 20 titles release under its vast umbrella since 2005. Naturally, fatigue begins to set in after a while. There’s only so long you can spend exploring the same few alleyways in Japan and mastering the same few minigames.

That’s where the likes of the detective-style Judgement games come into focus, alongside the Like a Dragon pivot in 2020. Flipping the series on its head, this new direction gave us a new protagonist, a fresh cast of characters around them, and even did away with the popular beat-em-up style combat, opting for a unique spin on the turn-based approach instead.

Divisive in its nature, some have been eager for a return to the series’ roots ever since, and now, the wait is almost over. The Man Who Erased His Name brings back the fan-favorite Kazuma Kiryu along with his more flashy third-person melee combat, and all the rest of the chaotic features fans know and love from the earlier years of the franchise. 

We just went hands-on with an early build of the upcoming release at PAX Australia and even from a brief session, it’s clear the original vibe of the Yakuza games is so back. 

Kazuma Kiryu, man of the hour

While Ichiban Kasuga very much remains central to the franchise moving forward, The Man Who Erased His Name is a throwback to Kazuma Kiryu’s era leading the charge. Through and through, it feels just like a classic Yakuza title, only modernized with far improved visuals, lightning-fast load times, and of course, filled to the brim with more content than ever.

Stepping back into the shoes of Kiryu is an absolute delight. Not only for his tame behavior and mature outlook in comparison, but for all the accoutrements that come along with his return.

Namely, wandering the glitzy streets of Japan and stumbling your way into ridiculous, over-the-top brawls has never been more enjoyable. With a mix of traditional Yakuza-style fighting mechanics, be it combos, weapons in the environment, and charge-up attacks, along with bonus powers through the Agent skills, like calling in a drone strike, no really, it all blends together in that perfectly chaotic fun you know and love.

While the turn-based formula certainly has its place, and Like a Dragon no doubt shines because of its originality, returning to what made millions of fans fall in love with the franchise in the first place just feels right.

Classic Yakuza fun is back on the menu

Naturally, it wouldn’t be a Yakuza or Like a Dragon game without some wild chance encounters, bizarre minigames, and thoroughly hilarious activities on offer. Just from a brief demo in one small part of town, The Man Who Erased His Name nails the assignment once again.

Three of us at Dexerto were playing the same demo side by side. Barely a few minutes in and we were all doing something completely different. One of us was grinding a wave-based combat mode, another was enjoying a round of darts, while the final member of our team was getting busy with some… adult entertainment.

It’s this unparalleled variety that captivated so many across the earlier mainline entries, and rest assured, the chaos is back in a big way here. From customizing Kiryu in the most obscene ways to gambling your earnings away at the casino, and of course, your mahjong skills will be put to the test here again too. 

Although we weren’t able to experience much of the story in our brief demo, the tone appears to be exactly in line with what you’d expect from the series. For all intents and purposes, The Man Who Erased His Name comes across as a modernized throwback to everything fans adore of the original entries.

If you weren’t a fan of Yakuza 0-6, this likely won’t change your stance. But for experienced fans eager to scratch that itch one more time, and better yet, with Kiryu back in the spotlight, this is not one to miss on November 9.