GAME CLEAR No. 154 -- Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023, Multiplatform)

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: SEGA
Clear Version: PS5
Clear Platform: PS5
Clear Date: 1/12/24

The Man Who Beat All These Games

Man, I fuckin’ did it. I beat all these god damn Like a Dragon games. According to my PS5 playtime tracking, it took over 400h to play all of the main series entries plus the Ishin! plus the Judgment games. And that was playing most of them at a rather brisk pace. Whew.

It’s nice to be here. It’s cool and fun to be able to get excited about the forthcoming Like a Dragon 8: Infinite Wealth, which looks like it’ll be a simply massive game (and one I can finally take my time with).

Gaiden itself was great. The real-time combat in this game is as good as it has ever been in the series, and it makes me hopeful that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio isn’t done making such games, even as the Judgment series hangs in limbo. Perhaps the Gaiden name will be used for games involving other great characters from the series? Time will tell.

And it’s not just the combat that packs a punch; the plot of Gaiden has, perhaps surprisingly, some of the most emotionally impactful moments of the series. Does this foretell of some tearjerking moments in Like a Dragon 8? We can only hope!

It goes without saying that I’d recommend this series to anyone, lengthy runtime of catching up notwithstanding. They’re goofy and often imperfect experiences, but you can’t walk away from these games not being in love with a couple guys named Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima.

And hell, even setting aside Like a Dragon 8, we all know I’m not done. I’ve already looked up the original PS2 releases of Yakuza and Yakuza 2 on ebay (since I’ve only played their remakes). Of course I’m going to buy and play them. I’ll let you know what I think of them right here on this very website. See you then.