Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Yakuza: Like A Dragon is an uplifting and hopeful story told with heart, supported by satisfying RPG gameplay and a host of entertaining side-missions and minigames. It is a story about a well-meaning goofball trying his best against impossible odds in an uncaring, cruel world. It is a story told well both through exposition and through gameplay that supports that thesis.

I loved its characters, humor, and willingness to balance complete absurdity with utter sincerity. And even though the battle system would occasionally trip over its own feet, I still adored watching my crew beat the hell out of some weirdos, grow a little bit closer, and celebrate their victory with karaoke back at the pub.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is not perfect, though. The AI can be a bit wonky when it comes to the environment and mechanics, with sometime glitches where enemies get caught behind an object and cannot make their way around. But the success of the risks taken with the rest of the game honestly makes it easy to live with this.