New Day One Xbox Game Pass Game Is Getting Great Reviews

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is now available on PC and the last two generations of Sony and Microsoft’s consoles, as well as Xbox Game Pass. The latest entry in the long-running series has already received widespread critical acclaim, with many reviewers praising Like a Dragon Gaiden for its striking locations, compelling combat, and captivating storytelling.

While the Like a Dragon brand is still a novelty in the West, many gamers will recognize the series’ former moniker, Yakuza. Sega recently decided to change the name of the Yakuza franchise to Like a Dragon, explaining how the rebranding was meant to standardize its nomenclature across the globe. For clarity, the series itself has always been called Ryu ga Gotoku in Japan, which directly translates to “like a dragon.” The same phrase inspired the name of RGG Studio, the Tokyo-based Sega subsidiary in charge of the franchise.

RELATED: Like a Dragon Producer Explains Why Kazuma Kiryu Was Brought Back

Like a Dragon Gaiden Reviews Are in the High 70s, On Average

The PC version of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name currently boasts an average rating of 77 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 11 reviews. Meanwhile, the first 15 media scores of its Xbox Series X port published by the aggregator average to 78, while the PS5 version has a 79 aggregate score, based on 49 reviews. Metacritic also lists one PS4 critic review that rated the game at 91. These high scores are all the more impressive in light of the fact that Like a Dragon Gaiden was developed in just six months, which was recently confirmed by RGG Director Masayoshi Yokoyama.

For reference, the initial critical reception of Like a Dragon Gaiden is just slightly below that of the previous game in the franchise, Like a Dragon: Ishin, whose PC version boasts an average Metacritic score of 80, while its PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ports are rated at 81 and 78, respectively. The widespread praise for RGG Studio and Sega’s latest title is also a big win for Xbox Game Pass, as its day one release on Microsoft’s subscription service further bolsters its already robust content library.

The promising debut of Like a Dragon Gaiden is not the only reason why November 9 is a big day for Xbox Game Pass; the platform’s catalog has just been extended to include Dungeons 4, a new title from the strategy veterans at Realmforge Studios that combines management sim and RTS elements into yet another experience that plays like a spiritual successor to the iconic Dungeon Keeper franchise. Dungeons 4 is also a day one release on Xbox Game Pass.

The third and final November 9 addition to Microsoft’s subscription service arrives in the form of Wild Hearts, the EA-published Monster Hunter rival that first launched in February 2023. This particular title is only available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users, because it’s tied to the EA Play subscription that’s not attached to the base tier of Microsoft’s service.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a spin-off game that focuses on Kazuma Kiryu’s actions after Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. Unlike the main entries’ shift to turn-based combat, Like a Dragon Gaiden returns to the franchise’s classic beat ’em up combat.

Franchise

Yakuza

Platform(s)

PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

Released

November 9, 2023

Developer(s)

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

Publisher(s)

Sega

Genre(s)

Action-Adventure