We got more information during today’s presentation about the upcoming Yakuza title.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (named simply ‘Yakuza 7’ in Japan), will follow the story of a new protagonist: Ichiban Kasuga. After spending nearly 20 years in prison on behalf of a Yakuza crime boss, Kasuga finds himself outside and alone, and needing to decide exactly how he’ll rebuild his life.
Kasuga is a huge fan of 80’s and 90’s RPGs, and that reflects itself in the game mechanics: Kasuga will be able to take on different part-time jobs as ‘classes’, ala the Final Fantasy job system of old. These classes will change his appearance and attacks.
The fighting is also reflective of Kasuga’s game love, which may throw some fans of the series – instead of the free-form brawling experienced in past titles, the combat is now turn-based. If you’re curious how that will work, you won’t have to wait long – a gameplay video is being streamed in a few hours, and we’ll provide a link.
The new Yakuza: Like a Dragon trailer may be found below. The title will release in Japan on the PS4, January 16th – a Western date has yet to be revealed.