A little over a year ago, my wife and I finished playing persona 5 Royal and were eager to find another big rpg to play together. We went to the store and this bold, yellow game case covered in wild imagery sat on the shelf. It was yakuza like a dragon. This would be our first time entering the like a dragon franchise and it certainly wasn’t the last. Since then, we’ve played like a dragon 7, 0, Kiwami, Ishin and the spin offs Judgement and Lost Judgement. All of the games fabulous and, importantly, all games have independent enough narratives that it doesn’t really matter where you choose to get on board.
If you like big, narrative games, chaotic characters, eclectic and deep gameplay, and you don’t shy away from some intense tonal whiplash, DO NOT sleep on this franchise any longer.
Where I live, most of the games are on PlayStation plus, so you don’t have to go out of your way to buy them if you’re a subscriber. Otherwise they’re on frequent sale.
I’m happy for you and it’s obvious that many people like these games but for me (and I know many others who agree) the Yakuza games are awful. I could never get into the “humour”, the gameplay, the slow cut scenes, the stereotypical characters, the way people interact. Felt exactly the same with Persona. Maybe it’s a cultural thing. It all felt comparable to a very VERY low budget movie.
But as I said, great for you.