Summary
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Namecontinues a long line of series titles by RGG Studio, tasked with being one of the final farewells of Kiryu’s journey.Like a Dragon Gaidenwas developed in only six months, due in part to its beginnings as a DLC, though it’s primarily through its use of the Dragon Engine and recycling of existing assets that the team was able to deliver in such a short amount of time. While asset reuse has been construed by some as negative or “lazy,” RGG shows that the approach works as both a clever and sustainable part of the company’s game design philosophy.
Like a Dragon Gaidensees the return of Kiryu as he navigates the life of a dead man. Operating under the Daidoji Faction, Kiryu’s story quickly entangles back into his past, pulling him into the plight of the Yakuza’s Omi Alliance. ThoughGaidenintroduces a number of new features, including an Agent Style moveset and an “immersive” Cabaret experience, much of its experience brings the series' nostalgia front and center, making its asset reuse all the more relevant.
How the Like a Dragon Series Succeeds At Recycling Environments, Animations, Minigames, and More
The Streets of Sotenbori
ThoughSotenborihas made numerous appearances across the series, the ability to make its environment feel fresh comes in RGG’s use of side quests and story.Gaidenintroduces the Akame Network for this, as Akame, whose role bears resemblance to Kamurocho’s Florist of Sai, uses her network of homeless around the city to keep updated on those needing assistance. While Kiryu traverses the city in search of helping others and recruiting members to the Joryu Clan, the lens of the environment shifts to accommodate his perspective. As a character who beginsGaiden’s story as understandably resigned and nihilistic given his circumstances, returning to Sotenbori provides a nostalgic lens that feels bittersweet in his journey.
From walking past Club Four Shine to hearing the sounds of beating drums on Sotenbori Street, there’s something comforting in the context of Kiryu’s story about a location that has largely remained the same, despite all the trials the character has gone through. The use of nostalgic locations extends to some ofGaiden’s Coliseum’s arena battlesas well, like the feature of the Tojo Clan Headquarters and the rooftop of Millennium Tower. While the Dragon Engine of RGG games has made its most recent titles more beautiful than ever before, the familiarity of its sound design and setting shows how to successfully iterate on the structures of its past.
Turning Asset Reuse Into Nostalgia
Minigames are a quintessential part of theLike a Dragonexperience, andGaidenis no exception in this case. From the SEGA Arcade’s UFO Catcher to Mahjong and Karaoke, the recycling of the series' minigames is a formula that has succeeded throughout the years.Gaidenplays on the nostalgia of its minigames especially well through the return of Pocket Circuit, the toy-racing car game that first enamored Kiryu inYakuza 0. In the case ofGaiden’s Karaoke, the reuse of certain songs on its set list even makes contextual sense for its story, as Kiryu reminiscing on his friendship with Nishiki through “Tonight” feels more dower considering his loneliness.
Familiar Heat Actions and Moves
The success of asset reuse can also be applied to the series' movesets and Heat Actions.TheLike a Dragongames have been highly adept at crafting movesetsfor its characters that imbue them with a sense of their personality. From Majima’s Slugger and Breaker Styles inYakuza 0to Akiyama’s kick-based combos inYakuza 4,the ways in which the series' protagonists and bosses approach combat help give a sense of who they are. Taking small slices of these movesets and reintegrating them with other characters, however, still works surprisingly well.
