I’ve tried. I’ve tried many, many times.Yakuzais a series that just keeps evading me, no matter how many times I keep trying.
I wanted to play Yakuza for a while, as it’s one of those monumental series with so much praise and love surrounding it. I’m not sure how many times I played through the opening ofYakuza 0, but each time, it never quite kept me on board.
Go ahead, tell me to start with Kiwami instead, but it honestly makes no difference for me.
I don’t know what it is. At first, I thought it might be the whiplash of serious cutscenes and completely bizarre side missions. But it’s not that; I even ended up loving the games for those things, which made my arrival to this series even more unexpected for me.
Enter Stage Left, Ichiban Kasuga
Early on in 2024, I saw people lovingLike A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. It was a huge game, and the eighth in the series (ninth if you include 0), so anticipation was high. Amid the hype, I kind of felt left out, like I wanted to join in on the fun, but I would glance back at the eight (or nine) games that led up to that point and feel daunted. I’d have to play Kiryu’s entire life, basically, just to catch up. Or… so I thought.
I never got around to trying Judgment either, though those are still games I’d like to play.
Instead, I just skipped those, jumping straight intoYakuza: Lika A Dragoninstead. Sorry, Kiryu, but I’m starting with Ichiban. While this might be a decision some will dispute, I’m so glad I did it this way because I can finally call myself a fan of the series. Sort of, anyway.
I got hooked, running through 50 hours of Yakuza: Like A Dragon in just a few weeks, and I fell in love with Ichiban and friends. The story was incredible, the whiplash of serious and bizarre was actually a wonderful contrast to break things up - something I didn’t take the time to appreciate in my attempts with 0 - and I particularly loved the turn-based battles over the classic combo-oriented action. I don’t know what it actually was that kept me from sticking with Yakuza, but Like A Dragon had me on board.
In Japan, the series has always been Ryu ga Gotoku - Like A Dragon - so this article makes no sense in Japanese. Luckily, you’re reading it in English. Probably.
Okay, But I Still Haven’t Played Infinite Wealth
Despite feeling like I was missing out and powering my way through Yakuza: Like A Dragon to join in on the love for Infinite Wealth, over a year has gone by, and I’ve still not played it. Other games came along, life got busy, and I’ve not had the chance to sit down and get invested in this one yet.
Maybe I’ll get around to Infinite Wealth when I feel FOMO from the next mainline entry, or maybe there’ll be a gap sometime this year when I can give it my all. Rest assured, I can’t wait, and I love following Ichiban on his adventures, but I’ll get there in good time.
Maybe one day, when I’m an old man (like 30 or something, I don’t know), I’ll eventually play Yakuza 0 and stick it out. Probably not, though.
