Yakuza 7’s New Turn Based Mechanic Explained

Sega recently revealed the next installment in the Yakuza game franchise its to be a mainline entry titled Yakuza 7 or alternately Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon, surprisingly it will no longer be a classic beat-em up and will now be a turn based RPG instead. Yakuza 7 follows new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga, a Yakuza who spends 18 years in prison after taking the fall for his boss’ crimes. He is abandoned by his clan while his boss, Masumi Arakawa, attemps to murder him.

Though the game adopts a whole new combat system, there will still be plenty of familiar components common to the series. Yakuza 7’s producer, Masayoshi Yokoyama, explained on how the game’s new JRPG-style combat will work. The system being referred to as ‘Live Command RPG Battle’, while turn-based promises fights that are “constantly in motion” there will be more emphasis on the environment objects and transitioning between each areas of the environment.

You still have the ability to use objects such as bicycles on the street to deal massive damage on your opponents. “The situation completely changes depending on your distance from the enemy character you’re attacking, as well as the “city objects” in the area,” says Yokoyama. “If a bicycle or something similar rolls by, you can kick it at the enemy, or pick it up and attack with it. This action also depends on the character’s class and traits.”

The world is “constantly in motion” as NPCs and enemies move about as the fights take place. Yokoyama warned that though the game is stat based, you won’t get the same result attacking any enemy as when attacking a character farther away you’re more likely to be interrupted by another enemy’s attack.

Yakuza 7 is coming to PlayStation 4 January 16th, 2020 in Japan, while its western release is scheduled later the same year.