Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Reviews
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is thus a production along the lines of previous games in the series, which has above all in the return of Kazuma Kiryu a point of interest for fans. The question that arises at the moment is whether it is a game whose development is necessary and whether it adds something relevant. It seems that the relevance of the story of this member of the Yakuza is told and now there are the "spin-offs" and endorsements, the filling of spaces between the branches and evolutions of the series. This can be developed to exhaustion, as long as fans don't mind and as long as the studio continues to make games in record time, like this one. It is a production that falls short of other central games in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, which fills a space and resumes the narrative of a nostalgic protagonist.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name isn’t Ryu Ga Gotoku's best work, as combat feels bland and we’ve seen these side activities before, but this is a nice distraction for hardcore fans and a more touching and satisfying sendoff to Kazuma Kiryu as the leading man.
It’s hard for me to truly be let down by a game, but all the way until the final few hours, I was not having fun. A thought in the back of my mind that kept nagging at me, “What is the point of this existing? What purpose does this serve to introducing Infinite Wealth?”. There was no answer.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name satisfyingly ties up many loose ends in Kiryu's story, but it's one of the franchise's most tedious adventures.
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.
The game does a great job of tying up loose ends and explaining why Kiryu returns.
For a smaller entry, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name offers a lot, both with content in the short term, but also influence on the larger Yakuza storyline at play. It harkens back to previous installments regularly, and connects to the future ones too, filling in gaps in Kiryu’s story and rounding him out even further. The reused and revisited locations are a mixture of familiar and overused, but they don’t overstay their welcome in this installment, and the new additions of The Castle help alleviate any potential boredom, whilst the combat introduces a new side to Kiryu, with new abilities and moves, it can feel repetitive after a while. As a whole, fans of the franchise will not be disappointed, and it will prove an easy jumping-on-point for newcomers alike with the constant recaps of the story so far, but for those looking for a longer, more in-depth entry to the franchise, you’ll be a little disappointed and may have to wait for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth next year.
The Man Who Erased His Name is a decent addition to the series, but it misses the mark in being a truly memorable experience.
Ultimately, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name provides the iconic Kiryu Kazuma with a fitting conclusion to his story and sets the foundation for the next game.
While Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name undoubtedly suffers due to its smaller scale and a heavy reliance on the Akame Network to pad out its 12-hour story, there’s no denying how good it feels to see the Dragon of Dojima back in action – especially with the grab bag of gadgets he has at his disposal. And while this spin-off’s story is over a bit too soon, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s penchant for spinning a compelling narrative shines through, showing Kiryu at his most vulnerable and setting the stage for what’s sure to be a momentous follow-up when Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth launches next January.
It's hard to evaluate Gaiden as a standalone game. And that's because it isn't? Sega took what could have been a flashback chapter in Infinite Wealth and tacked on some extras.
Like A Dragon Gaiden should tide fans over until Infinite Wealth drops as a shorter yet still enjoyable romp, but this is hardly a series highlight.
As an intermission or appetizer before the next big installment of the series, the Ryu ga Gotoku Studio Studio pays tribute to Kazuma Kiryu with a minor but hard to resist installment.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A good, but not necessary Yakuza game – a short storyline and an almost complete lack of new ideas make Gaiden a release primarily aimed at diehard fans.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Thankfully we only have to wait three months for the next “proper” title in the series to land. While Like a Dragon Gaiden might have been disappointing against the astronomically high standards of this series, I have no doubt whatsoever that January 2024 will deliver another bold step forward for SEGA’s gritty urban epic.
While not on par with Kiryu or the franchise's finest outings, Like A Dragon Gaiden is still a good enough game that does the job of priming you up for the next big entry in the saga.
While short and lacking in side content, Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a good entry point for curious players and a nostalgic throwback for longtime fans. (Review Policy)
Although a solid entry, this title serves as an intermediary of Kiryu's actions between Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon so its endpoint is inherently predictable and as enjoyable as it is, the narrative is relatively thin in exchange for a wealth of side content to pad it out.
A much smaller Like A Dragon game, that offers everything fans love about the series, but one that doesn't quite justify its own existence.
Like a Dragon Gaiden’s combat hits with flash and fury and its story is sharp, but its setting and side activities feel a bit on the stale side.