(No, it’s not the return of action combat; it’s still turn-based.)

Yakuza 7, or Yakuza: Like a Dragon as it’s known in the West, has met with its share of controversy since the reveal of its turn-based combat system, and now the latest story trailer has revealed another divisive surprise.

This massive 11-minute trailer is in Japanese and doesn’t have a translation yet, so I can’t tell you a lot about the included story details. It shows a lot of what we’ve seen before about the story premise, but there’s a fair amount of new content, too.

Even without understanding it, however, I can say the story trailer is exciting and makes me want to know what’s going on.

Then there’s the end of the trailer, which shows Ichiban facing off against a familiar face. Without context, it’s hard to say if this is a spoiler or not…

Yes, Ichiban prepares to fight Kiryu, the protagonist of the previous Yakuza games.

Kiryu’s story officially ended in Yakuza 6, and he was expected not to appear in the next game at all, so this reveal has been met with mixed opinions. Some fans are happy, because they’d been hoping he would at least get a cameo.

Other fans are disappointed, because they feel his story was wrapped up nicely. Then there are fans who are concerned they’re including Kiryu simply as a hook to keep people interested who might have been turned off by the switch to turn-based combat.

And of course, there are people worried about how it will feel if new protagonist Ichiban is able to defeat Kiryu, although it could be an unwinnable battle.

(There are even theories that Ichiban is just hallucinating him, but that’s a topic for another time.)

Meanwhile, a Yakuza: Like a Dragon demo is available now in Japan, so if you have a Japanese PSN account, you can download it to try out the new combat, mini-games, etc. for yourself. Reception of the demo seems pretty positive so far.

How do you feel about Kiryu appearing in Yakuza: Like a Dragon? What sort of role do you think he will have? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Yesterday, the next Yakuza game was finally revealed. Shin Yakuza will be officially titled Yakuza 7: Whereabouts of Light and Darkness in Japan, with the western release dropping the number to call it Yakuza: Like a Dragon (that won’t be confusing at all) and it’s due out next year.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a turn-based RPG that follows Ichiban–wait, wait, wait, what?

Yes, Sega took everyone by surprise by revealing that the next Yakuza game will no longer have the brawler-style action combat the series has used in the past, but will instead have a “live command RPG battle” system where you select commands from menus. A turn-based combat system had been shown on April 1, but everyone thought it was a joke.

I’m baffled.

After so many series have switched from turn-based combat to action, it’s actually happened in the other direction. Yakuza has become a turn-based RPG.

This has not gone over well with fans.

On one hand, I have to admit I’m looking forward to it because I love turn-based RPGs. On the other hand, I don’t like seeing a game change such a core part of its gameplay. In debates about games like Final Fantasy XV and the Final Fantasy VII Remake, I always said I’d be opposed to it happening the other way around too.

And here we are.

Today, they went into more detail about how the combat will work, as outlined here by Gematsu.

Although it is turn-based, characters and enemies will remain in motion during combat, attacks can be interrupted, and the situation will make different attacks available by making use of the Dragon Engine system. For example, you can pick up a bicycle and attack with it on your turn.

It sounds as though they might be trying a hybrid system, but it’s difficult to judge until we see it in motion.

The director has said if fans really don’t like it, they’ll change it back for future games. I find it refreshing to see a developer wanting to experiment but being openly willing to go back if it’s not a popular decision.

Like the Final Fantasy VII Remake, I’m certainly still planning to buy Yakuza: Like a Dragon, even as I question this decision.

Anyway, let’s move on from the controversial combat system to talk about the game’s story. Yakuza: Like a Dragon follows Ichiban Kasuga, who goes to prison for 18 years to take the fall for someone else, only to find once he gets out that things have significantly changed.

But even though things start in Kamurocho, that’s not where the game is set. Yakuza: Like a Dragon takes place in Yokohama, in a district called Isezaki Ijincho that will be three times the size of Kamurocho. I hope it doesn’t start to feel too open-world… but I’m confident that they’ll keep the usual Yakuza feel.

The story trailer got me pretty interested in the game. I wasn’t sure how Ichiban would be as a protagonist, but I like him so far. He’s a video game fan, too, and they even got permission to directly mention Dragon Quest.

(Some fans have speculated that the turn-based combat system is because Ichiban imagines fights as though they’re turn-based RPGs.)

So overall, I’m excited for the next Yakuza game… even though I don’t quite know what to make of the combat change.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be out on January 16 in Japan and later in 2020 in the west.

What do you think about Yakuza: Like a Dragon? Do you think dropping the numbers in the west while Japan calls it Yakuza 7 is a good move or one that will cause confusion? How do you feel about the new turn-based combat system? Am I a hypocrite for objecting to combat changes in games like this and the Final Fantasy VII Remake but buying them anyway? Share your thoughts in the comments!