For the next two weeks, you can buy one of the best sagas in video games at a massive 70% discount. GOG has a DRM-free bundle featuring the first seven games in the Yakuza (Like a Dragon) series for just $33.59. You have until September 10 at 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET to purchase the bundle before it returns to its $112 list price. GOG has had this bundle since last summer, but it launched on other digital storefronts earlier this month. Steam is selling the bundle for $112, while PlayStation and Xbox Stores have it for $110.
The collection is dubbed “Yakuza Complete Series,” but keep in mind that while it includes all of the mainline beat-’em-up games starring the franchise’s original protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, the beloved character has appeared in two other Like a Dragon games since the bundle launched.
Kiryu is one of two playable characters in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the most recent mainline entry in the series, which released earlier this year. And Kiryu also starred in the spin-off game, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which launched late last year and takes place after Yakuza 6, during the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020)–the first mainline entry in the series starring Ichiban Kasuga. You can play the entire Like a Dragon/Yakuza series on Xbox and PC with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
As for what you do get: This collection includes every mainline game in Kiryu’s storyline, starting from Yakuza 0 and ending with Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. In case you never played them, Yakuza games are essentially a mix of sandbox beat-’em-up action with melodramatic storytelling. Sure, they’re cheesy, but they’re the good kind of cheesy as Kazuma finds himself regularly embroiled in all manner of government conspiracies, underground gang wars, and at least one instance of running the best hostess club in Japan.
Yakuza 0
Narratively, these games also have an episodic structure and are broken up into chapters that makes for a digestible experience that can be enjoyed over a few weeks, if you take your time. On the gameplay side, Kazuma flexes his muscles as the legendary Dragon of Dojima and can crush skulls like a pro. Each game puts a new spin on his combat arts, and by the time you’ve mastered them, you’ll be able to perform moves that wouldn’t look out of place in a WWE ring.
It’s worth noting that two of the games in this collection are the Kiwami remakes. These are Yakuza 1 and Yakuza 2, which were remade in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and include more modernized gameplay, enhancements, and new story elements that make it more in line with Yakuza 0. Yakuza 3-5 are HD remasters, and Yakuza 6 was localized in 2018.
As a whole, the collection is an essential purchase for anyone who’s a fan of long-term storytelling and solid action.
