On paper, Like A Dragon Gaiden has a few things going against it, the largest being that it has the daunting task of justifying Kiryu's return as a protagonist following what seemed like his final adventure. This is especially the case since Ichiban, the series' new lead, has largely been embraced by the series' fans. It sets developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, and Kiryu, at a disadvantage. But if there's one thing Kazuma Kiryu is, it's resolute.

However, after playing about 20 minutes of Like A Dragon Gaiden, I remain unsure if sheer determination is enough. Granted, the portion of the game I played through was limited to one area and shied away from digging into any of the story elements the series is well-known for. I can't make a definitive call on the game just yet, although with that said, what I did experience was a lot of fun--and also deeply embarrassing, but more on that later.

Like A Dragon Gaiden picks up after the events of Yakuza 6, which saw Kiryu fake his own death to escape the criminal underworld he'd been trying to break away from for so long. However, things in Kiryu's life seldom go as planned and he is quickly pulled back into his life of crime, albeit from a different perspective, and under a new name: Joryu.