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Documentaries chronicling game development are great. With so much marketing fluff surrounding games, it can be nice to hear directly from the devs about their inspirations, struggles, and creative intentions. Hearing them chat candidly, making jokes and getting excited, is a good reminder that real-life people are at the heart of every game – what a crazy concept. Luckily, these types of documentaries seem to be increasingly common, evidenced by the Yakuza (or Like A Dragon) docuseries that just debuted on YouTube.
The docuseries is called Behind The Scenes Of Like A Dragon and it follows RGG Studio through a “generational shift” as they begin development on Like A Dragon 8 in 2021. The first episode is a brisk 20-minute insight into how RGG approaches the first stages of development, focusing on the details that go into motion capture, and all of the tiny VO considerations that make the series so endearing. Yakuza is consistently entertaining, even in its most mundane scenes, so it’s nice to see the thought process that leads to that magic. So far, only the first episode is available, but I assume the series will have weekly releases.
While the show details the minutiae that goes into development, it hasn’t delved into the emotional journey of the developers, yet. The recent 32-part Psychonauts 2 series has done an incredible job exploring the office dramas, heartbreak, and joy that come with game dev, and hopefully, we get a similar ride with the team at RGG.
The docuseries doesn’t reveal too much about the mysterious Like A Dragon 8, although Yakuza fans aren’t starved for games at the moment. Like A Dragon Ishin launched just the other day, and our Ed had a great time with the 1800s prequel. In his review, Ed said, “Ishin feels most like Yakuza 0 (my fave) that’s sure to please longtime fans.” He continued, “its standalone nature means that it is, without a doubt, one of the strongest starting points for newcomers.” If you are one of those newcomers, Ed graciously answered the age-old question of where to start with the Yakuza series.
Like A Dragon Ishin is available now on Steam for £55/€60/$60.