Footage of the upcoming Yakuza 8 has been revealed, showing several returning characters from Like A Dragon, the previous game in the series.
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The latest scene from the upcoming Yakuza 8 features the return of Ichiban Kasuga and the other members of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (RGG Studio) confirmed that the sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragon will continue the story of Ichiban and that the title is in development as of October 2021.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is completely different from the rest of the Yakuza series. Instead of keeping the gameplay from previous installments, Like a Dragon opted for a real-time turn-based RPG system. Another surprising change is that of the main character from Kazuma Kiryu, who has been the main character since the birth of the Yakuza in 2005, until Ichiban Kasuga took over the role in the latest game. Despite these drastic changes, RGG Studio retained the originality and fun element of the Yakuza series with Like a Dragon, which received a positive reception from both fans and critics. Given the success of such ambitious design choices, it’s no surprise that some within RGG Studios are toying with the idea of future Yakuza games set outside of Japan.
Recently, RGG Studio gave MMA fighter and YouTuber Mikuru Asakura a glimpse of Yakuza 8 during a private studio tour. The screenshot shows scenes from Yakuza 8 featuring Ichiban Kasuga, Yu Nanba, and Koichi Adachi returning from Like a Dragon. While the other characters look similar, Ichiban Kasuga wears a new hairstyle, with a smooth ponytail replacing his messy hair. Nibellion went on to share a full video of the tour posted on YouTube by Mikuru Asakura himself. Along with footage of Yakuza 8, the full video reveals that RGG has scanned Asakura’s image into the system, meaning he could make a guest appearance in Yakuza 8.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is released in 2020, and Yakuza 8 will likely continue the story of Ichiban Kasuga.
This is the first information about Yakuza 8 since it was officially confirmed. While no gameplay has been revealed, RGG Studio has previously stated that future Yakuza titles will retain the turn-based RPG gameplay of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. This is due to RGG’s desire for its other major game series – Judgment to be a prime example of its action-oriented capabilities and for Yakuza and Judgment to be unique in their game experience. . With the cast of Like a Dragon confirmed to return, it looks like Dragon gameplay will also be made for Yakuza 8.
As Yakuza: Like a Dragon has taken a completely different path from the series, it will be interesting to see how Yakuza 8 will change or improve the Yakuza formula. Having the cast of characters that helped Yakuza: Like a Dragon achieve success despite the changes is a good start. Hopefully fans won’t have to wait much longer to see what RGG Studios has for Yakuza 8.
