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Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Critic Reviews

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name has been reviewed by 57 critics and currently has a 'Strong' rating. Read and browse them all to learn what the top critics in the video game industry are saying.

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Critic Reviews


ACG - Jeremy Penter - Buy

'The Man Who Erased His Name' is pure Yakuza tradition and an excellent revisit to real-time combat. It's also a moment-to-moment reminder that while the engine and visuals are getting older, the world is so full of amazing stories and excellent action that its bumps are smoothed over."

AnaitGames - Víctor Manuel Martínez García - Spanish - 7 / 10

As an intermission or appetizer before the next big installment of the series, the Ryu ga Gotoku Studio Studio pays tribute to Kazuma Kiryu with a minor but hard to resist installment.

Areajugones - Cristian M. Villa - Spanish - 8.5 / 10

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is not simply a short story to contextualize the presence and appearance of Kazuma Kiryu in the chronology and history of Ichiban Kasuga. In the same way that Yakuza 0 ended up representing a magnificent 'separate' installment, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name also manages to maintain itself by pulling nostalgia and some other curious novelty.

Atomix - Jose Celorio - Spanish - 86 / 100

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a highly recommended title for this Christmas season, as it will serve as an appetizer to welcome Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which looks extremely ambitious and promising, and will be one of the strong cards for when 2024 begins.

Attack of the Fanboy - Marc Magrini - 4.5 / 5

Despite missed potential in terms of its main story, Like a Dragon Gaiden makes up for it with incredible combat and fantastic side content. Hopefully RGG Studio continues to expand on the beat-em-up style instead of going all-in on turn-based combat, because Gaiden offers one of the most fun gameplay experiences of the franchise.

But Why Tho? - Eddie De Santiago - 8.5 / 10

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name may not be as long as other games in the series, but it still provides a deep sandbox in which to lose yourself for hours, whether it's in the arena, the arcade, or simply helping out around the neighborhood.

CGMagazine - Khari Taylor - 8 / 10

Despite a nonsensical plot and slightly lower emotional stakes, Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a stunning refinement of the Dragon Engine that's wholly deserving of your time, whether you're a longtime Yakuza fan or new to the franchise.

COGconnected - Rhett Waselenchuk - 80 / 100

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name doesn't reinvent the wheel by any means. For Yakuza/Like Dragon fans, it'll be a familiar, albeit enjoyable experience. It has a few shortcomings – the most egregious being a painfully slow first few hours. But once it gets going, Gaiden packs a punch. One that's sure to keep you satiated until Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth drops.

Cerealkillerz - German - 8.2 / 10

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name offers the usual high class story, which demands some knowledge from the previous Yakuza entries. The agent abilities insert themselves perfectly into the combat and there are also again, a lot of sidequests to do, sadly without much new elements. This short trip to Sotenbori is a must have for fans of the series but will be difficult for Newcomers to get into.

Checkpoint Gaming - Charlie Kelly - 9 / 10

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name more than justifies its existence. It creates fantastic points of tension and a real constant threat in Kiryu's attempts at anonymity as he butts head with the Yakuza and some mysterious, shadowy figures. Always keeping me on the edge of my seat, it's a heavy-hitter in the narrative, having me actively weep at the conclusion. This kind of magnificence is the payoff of years upon years of hard franchise work, entirely rewarding for longtime fans though boldly unapologetic and unforgiving to the newcomers. Slamming enemy's heads into walls and getting emotional over the franchise-long angst and baggage our beloved protagonist holds has truly never felt this good. Despite now hosting more than a dozen entries, Gaiden proves the Like a Dragon name is still endlessly valuable to this day. Bring on the next dozen, I say.

Cultured Vultures - Ashley Bates - 7 / 10

Like A Dragon Gaiden should tide fans over until Infinite Wealth drops as a shorter yet still enjoyable romp, but this is hardly a series highlight.

Daily Mirror - Scott McCrae - 4 / 5

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name goes toe-to-toe with the likes of Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 2. It also serves its main purpose and then some: to bring Kiryu back into the fold and get you excited for what could be his final ride in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Destructoid - Eric Van Allen - 8 / 10

Like a Dragon Gaiden has games, laughs, tears, and brawls where characters dramatically reveal their resplendent back tattoos. It does what a new Like a Dragon entry needs to do, and tees up some big emotional moments for its longtime series lead along the way. If you want a deep story with twists and turns, this may not be all you hope for. But if you run off the beaten path to get a model AiAi out of the UFO Catcher, this should more than tide you over to Infinite Wealth.

Digital Trends - Tomas Franzese - 3 / 5

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name satisfyingly ties up many loose ends in Kiryu's story, but it's one of the franchise's most tedious adventures.

Digitally Downloaded - Matt Sainsbury - 3.5 / 5

Thankfully we only have to wait three months for the next "proper" title in the series to land. While Like a Dragon Gaiden might have been disappointing against the astronomically high standards of this series, I have no doubt whatsoever that January 2024 will deliver another bold step forward for SEGA's gritty urban epic.

DualShockers - Matthew O'Dwyer - 8.2 / 10

Despite its flaws, I can't deny that I had a great time walking in the shoes of Kiryu.

Final Weapon - Raul Ochoa - 4.5 / 5

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name delivers an impactful story through the perspective of Kazuma Kiryu, the beloved protagonist of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. In preparation for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Gaiden bridges an important gap in the timeline while providing additional context with new characters that enter the fold. Meanwhile, Gaiden introduces various improvements to the signature combat system and many hours of compelling content as a can't-miss entry in the series.

GGRecon - Dave McAdam - 4 / 5

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a throwback and a step forward, putting a potential end to what came before on the way to something new. As it does so, it is a shorter, but still truly excellent example of everything that has made the Like a Dragon series so great for so many years.

Game Informer - Blake Hester - 8 / 10

By the time credits roll, Gaiden neatly establishes Kiryu's role in the next mainline game, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and since that game's out in a few months, the brief taste gave me plenty to be excited for. I wish the story were more interested in exploring who Kiryu is now that he's forced into this double life, but as a thin bridge between games, Gaiden is a neat one.

Game Rant - Brie Hoban - 4 / 5

Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name marks the beginning of the end for Kazuma Kiryu, but, if its quality is anything to go by, the Like a Dragon series has a long and bright future ahead.

Game Revolution - Nicholas Tan - 8 / 10

As an extended epilogue for Kazuma Kiryu, The Man Who Erased His Name is well worth the time. While the game could be longer, it's a strong send-off for a character that has made Yakuza the thrilling, dramatic series it has been for nearly two decades. As the franchise transitions to Ichiban Kazuga as the main protagonist, I will still fondly remember him, with or without his name.

GameSpot - Michael Higham - 8 / 10

RGG Studio's latest action-brawler is a captivating and emotional look at Kiryu's life that offers a 'greatest hits' of the series' gameplay.

GameXplain - Mac Campbell - Liked-a-lot

Video Review - Quote not available

Gamer Guides - Jarrod Garripoli - 8.5 / 10

Like A Dragon Gaiden is another great game in a long-running series, that continues the high-quality tradition. It's packed to the brim with content and offers great drama that not only gets Kiryu sucked back into the underground world, but also yourself.

GamesHub - Edmond Tran - 4 / 5

As always, it's those intimate and emotional human elements that make Like A Dragon Gaiden so gratifying. Whether or not we needed to see Kiryu be pulled back so heavily into the underworld against his will is another question entirely, but if we believe at this point that the end is truly nigh for Kiryu in Infinite Wealth, this one last go-around to spend a few more deeply personal moments with him is something to be cherished – as a bittersweet way to get ready to say goodbye (for whenever that time actually comes around).

GamesRadar+ - Kazuma Hashimoto - 3 / 5

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name feels like another swan song for Kiryu, and it's one I'm tired of hearing.

GamingBolt - Pramath - 7 / 10

While not on par with Kiryu or the franchise's finest outings, Like A Dragon Gaiden is still a good enough game that does the job of priming you up for the next big entry in the saga.

GamingTrend - Henry Viola - 80 / 100

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a great interlude before Infinite Wealth comes out next year, with its throwback to the franchise's classic real time beat 'em up combat in the shoes of Kiryu. The narrative does take a step back, and the new characters aren't as memorable, but there's plenty of bizarre and addicting side activities to partake in on the streets of Sotonbori or at the Castle.