They'll kill you five times before you hit the ground."

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is what I will be requesting today. It is currently on lunar sale at a 30% discount.

So, why do you like the game and the series? And why do you want the game?:

Here are some of my previous notes summarised why I love the series in general, and in extension, why I would really love Yakuza: Like a Dragon. I am already very invested in the series and it would mean a lot to be able to play this title.

For those uninitiated to the series, Yakuza is like a scorsese gangster movie. Stunning, stylish, suave and filled with fun filled moments.

Ok, so, let’s talk about the series. The Yakuza franchise is an action-adventure game, mostly about Kiryu Kazuma. Over the series, you also follow Goro Majima, Haruka, and many more. As of Like a Dragon, the main protagonist has since changed to Ichiban. Kiryu Kazuma is a former Yakuza, trying his hardest to live a quiet and honest life since becoming a civillian. However, the dark and murky world of the Yakuza keeps calling out to him, and throws him various challenges to overcome. The franchise timeline starts in 1988, and prior to Yakuza 7, concludes in 2016 (Yakuza 6).

"All the bad luck in the world shouldn’t make your dream less worth pursuing”

The storyline is extremely well written, with no visible plot holes or retcons, and consistently follows all the characters from young to old. The writers did a stunning job at fleshing out each character and also raising the stakes for the trials and tribulations each character has to go through, and they have come up with super creative ways of playing out different scenarios. I personally believe that the series has the best crime drama plot there is to gaming at this point in time. There's witty dialogue, dialogue and cutscenes that makes you laugh, cry, have you contemplating what in the ever bloody hell did you get yourself into... and honestly, its a fantastic series all in all.

That's not to mention that there's also an amazing soundtrack paired to this, something that I already have playlisted on youtube, and listen to in my spare time. Then, there's all the activities you can do in the game. With Yakuza 0 alone you have access to mini games such as: Running a cabaret club, real estate, Playing UFO Crane Catching, Arcade Games, Gambling Games, Pool, Casino Games, Darts, Batting Cages, Bowling, Catfight Bets, Pocket Circuit, Participating in Shogi, Mahjong, Card Collecting, Telephone Club, Karaoke, Disco, Fishing, sneaking challenges, training sessions.)

Even before playing Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 2 I have been in love with the series, and it has helped me stay calm in times of stress, anxiety and beyond.

What really makes me excited about Yakuza 7 is all of the above, and...:

The fact that its got RPG mechanics and a brand new protagonist and narrative to follow. From what I hear, he's also a more approachable, unprofessional, and flawed character than Kiryu. This excites me as Kiryu is one of my all time favorite characters. I love characters that are flawed, and more than 2 dimensional personality wise... they feel more human to me. I can already imagine this game having a lot of drama and heart like previous titles before it.

From what I've read, Ichiban is pretty nerdy! He builds his heroic impulses around a lifelong love of Dragon Quest, to the point where every time he enters street combat, he imagines that he’s fighting monsters and evil creatures. It's a fun thought to consider, and it makes me wonder if it's only him that sees the world and fights in this way. It also shows in the now "turn-based" JRPG combat, a genre I absolutely adore.

"Life is like a trampoline. The lower you fall, the higher you go."

Like a Dragon seems to have several brand new features that look extremely exciting. You can summon various people and creatures using your telephone, kind of like a stand or a persona. There's also a mechanic called Life Experience that Ichiban needs to nurture throughout the gameplay, as it would boost his stats as he battles across various dungeons and through real life situations. You can romance different team members (and it can turn out terribly for you like in persona if you decide to date, say, many members of your team). Also, you can go-kart, and play a traditional movie theatre minigame too, where you have to fight to stay awake! Also, this cutscene. Pure gold.

TLDR; In this particular title, you play as unemployed former yakuza with chuunibyou syndrome. You will be facing off against Omi Alliance men , among many other interesting folk.

Why am I having trouble affording it? Why can’t I just "buy it"?

I work on an assistant teacher's salary in Japan, which isn't very much. To be honest , I do everything a regular teacher does and I am recognised in the staff office as a fully fledged teacher, and there's been a reduction in staff, meaning we have even more responsibilities than before. There's no protection for us out here, and no social distancing neither. We have to go to teach 40 kids in person on a day to day basis, where not many people follow social distancing or other pandemic safety protocol. I can only do so much with enforcing it in my classes, but outside this I have been so stressed with how little people seem to care about staying safe amid pandemic.

'Life will always have ups and downs. And if we don't have the bad parts, we'll never appreciate the good ones.'

While I'm lucky to have a job as it is at the moment, the salary is mostly going towards paying off student debts, rent, gas/electric bills. The little that me and my partner are saving up in terms of cash is going towards a place to live together once our work program is over, when our work visa abroad expires. The savings are also going towards documents to finalize our marriage at the registry office, and towards our visa after our work program concludes, since we are both from 2 different countries (US and UK). If we do not save up and proceed with this, we cannot live together as husband and wife in the same country. We are working to get an extension of our visa for one extra year, but as it stands, my partner and I's visa expires in just under 2 months.

I know in previous posts I went a bit too off topic in explaining why its difficult to afford this title so far, so I'll leave it there for now.

その他 (Other):

Here's my Steam ID if you want to take a look at my profile. You're always welcome to message me here, on discord, or on steam.

“If you wanna look down from the top ... it’s the endgame that matters. Ruling the world don’t mean shit if you lose it the next day” - Shimano

Thanks to everyone for being so welcoming and kind since I joined this subreddit!

Take care all, stay safe and gucci!

Chickenarla / Carliewarliee