Yakuza: Like A Dragon Will Get a Demo, Producers are Confident About the Switch to RPG

Yakuza: Like A Dragon Will Get a Demo, Producers are Confident About the Switch to RPG

Iyane Agossah November 2, 2019 11:16 AM EST

Sega will release a Yakuza: Like A Dragon demo soon so players can get a better feel of its battle system before buying the full game.

On November 2, Sega held an autograph session with Toshihiro Nagoshi and Yakuza: Like A Dragon Producer Masayoshi Yokoyama. Fans could also try out Yakuza: Like A Dragon at the event. It was the first in a series of similar events organized by Sega, and you can check the dates on the official site if you’re in Japan and interested in going.

Nagoshi and Yokoyama also made some announcements at the event, most notably that Yakuza: Like A Dragon will get a demo soon in Japan. No date for the demo’s release on the Japanese PlayStation Store was shared yet, however.

Toshihiro Nagoshi and Masayoshi Yokoyama also shared some comments during the event. The playable Yakuza: Like A Dragon demo at the event was improved compared to the demo from Tokyo Game Show 2019. It most notably let players control the full party of Ichiban and friends, and implemented the Just Action and Just Guard systems revealed in the latest gameplay stream.

Yokoyama mentioned one of the many reasons behind the switch to RPG is how it can allow for a different kind of friendship and story depth which can resonate more with players. This is a sensation that is hard to transmit with a demo though, so the upcoming demo will focus on introducing the battle system for skeptical players.

Nagoshi and Yokoyama also mentioned how the global fan reception towards the switch to turn-based RPG is positive, and they are confident this new demo will convince fans to get the game. Yakuza: Like A Dragon will also feature an intense, “dramatic” story just like the rest of the series. They’ll share more regarding the story elements soon. For now, you can read what was already revealed here.

It was also officially confirmed that each party member has unique jobs, including some of their starter jobs. For example, Saeko Mukouda, the sole female member of the party revealed, for now, has an Office Lady-like base job, where she fights using stationery like drawing pins or cutters. We previously already saw Saeko with the Idol job, another unique job she has.

Lastly, Yokoyama also explained how Yakuza: Like A Dragon has actual real-life pachislot machines because many fans asked for it.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon‘s main cast recently shared interesting tidbits in six different video interviews we translated. Toshihiro Nagoshi also explained at TGS 2019 why the game isn’t named “Yakuza 7” in the west. You can also watch more gameplay here.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon launches on January 16 in Japan and later in 2020 in the west, exclusively on PS4.