There is no better time than now to get into the Yakuza series on Xbox. Yakuza: Like a Dragon has a new main protagonist in Ichiban Kasuga, a new city to run around, and plenty of new activities to partake in!
Sure, there are still the usual karaoke, arcade games and Mahjong parlors, but which new activities are our picks to sink your time into? Have a read to find out:
Can Quest
Upon first arriving in Isezaki Ijincho, you will have no money to your name whatsoever. You can scrounge under and around the vending machines for some pocket change, but if you want a bit of something more meaningful, you can take part in a round or two of Can Quest.
In typical Yakuza fashion, this is a silly but incredibly intricate minigame that involves Ichiban riding around on a modified tricycle and picking up cans dotted along the floor. Perhaps the nearest comparison would be like an oversized game of Pac-Man as you ride around the streets.
You aren’t the only one collecting cans though, as other riders will try and bump into you and steal some of your horde. Pick up an energy drink on your round and you can barge them back, stealing their cans in the process.
After returning with your cans you earn Eco points that can then be used to purchase various items. You can quickly trade them in for instant yen rewards, but eagle-eyed gamers will notice that many of the other items can be traded in to other people for even bigger prize pots. For the patient, Can Quest can be the first step into lucrative fiscal paths.
Dragon Kart
Can Quest isn’t the only vehicular-based activity in Like a Dragon though. If you are brave enough to venture to the north-eastern corner of the map after Chapter 4, you can find Dragon Quest. You will be vastly under-levelled against some of the wandering enemies in that section of the map, but it is worth your time.
If Can Quest riffs on Pac-Man, then Dragon Kart absolutely riffs on Mario Kart. You drive around the streets of Yokohama against various opponents, picking up power-ups to use against them.
Approach the Dragon Kart building and you may recognise a certain someone standing in front of it, at least if you have played either Yakuza 0 or Yakuza Kiwami. After a brief introduction you are thrust straight into a race of Dragon Kart to give you a taste of the minigame.
After completing the race, you will learn about some of your opponents. This echoes some of your opponents from previous side-quests in Cabaret Club missions or Real Estate, giving them all over-the-top personalities. And by doing so, you understand that this is going to be one of the lengthier distractions from the main story, but as with all side-activities in Yakuza, it is done with a lot of care and attention.
Explore!
It seems like an obvious one – especially considering the amount of activities you can do – but we strongly recommend taking your time to explore. In the year 2020 and the distinct lack of air travel for many people, being able to explore a new city is even more crucial – virtual or otherwise. Whether that be Isezaki Ijincho, Sotenbori or Kamurocho, the cities of Yakuza have always been created to the highest level of detail.
This one does come with a caveat however: always keep one eye open. Whilst the cities the RGG Studio have designed look absolutely stunning in 4K, there will be enemies aplenty to keep a look out for. With Like a Dragon going turn-based for the first time in the series, enemies also have levels associated with them now. This means that some areas will have enemies a much higher level than yourself, as I found out when my Level 11 Ichiban was one-shotted by a Level 23 enemy.
Exploring and defeating enemies does tie-in to our next activity, however…
Complete the Sujidex
Next year will see the Pokémon franchise turn 25 years old. Let that just sink in for a minute before I introduce this next activity.
25 years old.
“Why are you bringing up Pokémon in a Yakuza list article?” I hear you shout. If you have managed to put two and two together with the sub-heading and me referencing Pokémon though, then skip to the next point. For those that haven’t, read on.
In Chapter 4, a cutscene will occur after a battle where you are introduced to a strange professor-looking character who is looking for some help with something. He will install an app on your phone called the Sujidex and asks you to complete it by defeating the various undesirables around Yokohama that he refers to as Sujimon. Now the Pokémon references make sense!
This is slightly different however, as instead of catching them in tiny spherical prisons – AKA a Poké Ball – you simply bash their heads in to unlock their Sujidex entry. There are 252 different enemy types to find… good luck!
Take a Test
Not high on my list of fun things to do would be studying and taking a vocational test, unless it is done with the usual Yakuza flair and pizzazz; that is exactly what our next entry is.
After bumping into a man speaking a strange language known only as English, you are guided towards the Ounabara Vocational School. As a signing on bonus for the school, your first test is free! But be warned, future tests can set you back around ¥50,000.
All tests in this school are multiple choice, with five questions. To pass, you need to get three correct. The qualifications you actually receive have a double benefit as – based on the type of test you are taking – they can improve Ichiban’s personality traits, that then in turn allow him to access more conversations around Yokohama.
Part Time Hero
Our final entry is also the biggest one. Anyone that has ever played a traditional Yakuza game will know that it has a completion list as long as Pink Street, Shichifuku Street and Tenkaichi Street put together, and Like a Dragon is no exception.
This time around though, your Completion List isn’t revealed until Chapter 5, when you also unlock the Part Time Hero side-quest. This game-long activity will have you responding to various requests from the residents of Yokohama; in the same way that a person can order an Uber, Part Time Hero can allow people to request some assistance from Ichiban. It could be to deliver specific items, defeat certain enemies causing the dwellers some hassle, or bring people some tissue paper when they have been caught short.
Alongside these typically bizarre requests is Like a Dragon’s completion list. For anyone looking to 100% this latest Yakuza title, here will be where all your activities are documented.
This list barely scratches the surface of things to see and do in Yakuza: Like a Dragon on the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, as there are the usual traditional Japanese Shogi and Mahjong games, casino, fighting dens, karaoke, and a whole management side activity that we haven’t even mentioned. It is yet another huge Yakuza game and these activities are just a few of our favourites, but what are yours? As always, share your virtual tourist hotspots in the comments section below!
Keep an eye out for our review of Yakuza: Like a Dragon on Xbox Series X. It’ll be live very soon.
