Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name has launched for the PC, PlayStation, and Xbox (and Game Pass) platforms, and judging from the reviews, it seems the game doesn’t seem to offer anything new but should appease fans of the series.
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According to critics, while the new “Agent” fighting style is fun, and it’s always good to be back in the shoes of the series protagonist Kazam Kiryu, the game is sort of a bite-size rehash of the previous games with the same old side-activities and such.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Review Roundup
Here are some reviews and first-look articles for Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name from around the web. At the time of publishing this article, the score for this game was 79 on both Opencritic and Metacritic.
7/10
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is kind of like the cup of miso soup served before Infinite Wealth’s main course – it delivers an enjoyably familiar flavour that stimulates the appetite, but doesn’t really make for a substantial meal in its own right.
79/100
As a fan, though, I don’t really begrudge Gaiden’s price or its compromises. It still offers tens of hours of entertainment, and, most importantly, it’s a compelling new chapter for the series’ original protagonist. If you’re at all invested in Kitryu’s story, it’s damn near essential.
8/10
Gaiden may be a brief excursion that occasionally leaves the full potential of its supporting cast on the table and often relies on remixing ideas from the series’ past, but with enough new features to make combat exciting and a buffet of high-quality side content, it’s still some of the most fun I’ve had with an RGG game.
3/5
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name feels like another swan song for Kiryu, and it’s one I’m tired of hearing. While he’s without a doubt one of the best characters in the franchise – which makes sense given he was the leading man for seven mainline games and two spin-offs – Gaiden is a reminder that Kiryu has had his time and that the series needs to move on.
8/10
I wish the story were more interested in exploring who Kiryu is now that he’s forced into this double life, but as a thin bridge between games, Gaiden is a neat one. And I’ll always appreciate an excuse to hit the streets and the thugs therein with my favorite dummy.
8/10
As an extended epilogue for Kazuma Kiryu, The Man Who Erased His Name is well worth the time. While the game could be longer, it’s a strong send-off for a character that has made Yakuza the thrilling, dramatic series it has been for nearly two decades. As the franchise transitions to Ichiban Kazuga as the main protagonist, I will still fondly remember him, with or without his name.
8/5
Like a Dragon Gaiden has games, laughs, tears, and brawls where characters dramatically reveal their resplendent back tattoos. It does what a new Like a Dragon entry needs to do, and tees up some big emotional moments for its longtime series lead along the way.
Mufaddal Fakhruddin
Mufaddal Fakhruddin has been writing about games and technology for the past 15 years. He has lost count as to how many reviews he has written over the years, but he is sure headphone reviews make up at least 70% of that.
