Yakuza: Like a Dragon & Octopath Traveler | Parallel Play

Last week, I first dove into the treasure trove that is the Xbox Game Pass on PC, taking advantage of the dirt cheap first month deal. A single quid for AAAs to indies, retro to next-gen, even Xbox exclusives! It’s a good thing I didn’t discover this gem until after I finished my degree, or I would’ve been spending all those Zoom classes with my eyes on another monitor, mashing away at the keyboard. Anyway, by taking advantage of the Game Pass’ massive catalogue of games, I’ve managed to download a hefty number – these include games that I forgot, were too expensive, or simply weren’t on my radar. Having so many games at my disposal meant I could switch between them if I got tired or bored, giving me the interesting opportunity to compare them in real time. For today, I’ve chosen two JRPGs – Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Octopath Traveler.

 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is one of the newer entries to the distinguished Yakuza series, which had previously followed the adventures of one honorable and stoic gangster, Kazuma Kiryu. The Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has been widening their horizons though, and along with the new spinoff series Judgement, they released Like a Dragon, a game with a different protagonist – and an entirely new combat system. Rather than the action-brawler we’ve all gotten used to, RGG did a hard pivot and introduced turn-based combat and typical RPG elements, including a job system, equipment, and even dungeons to the Yakuza series.

 

On the other hand, Octopath Traveler arrives from the illustrious halls of papa Square Enix himself, the father of JRPGs. Having created long-standing series such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, saying that this is their wheelhouse would be an understatement. Octopath Traveler’s most vaunted features include a “HD-2D” art style that combines typical 2D art elements with 3D effects and lighting, as well as the interesting idea of having eight distinct stories split between eight protagonists that takes place in the same world.

 

I had balked at the expensive price tag on Yakuza, and I didn’t own a Switch when Octopath came out, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to play both these games. And now, having dug into a large chunk of both these games, I have decided to discuss one specific aspect that will hopefully shine a light onto why I’m enjoying one of these games much more than the other.

 

Octopath’s idea of having eight different protagonists sounded interesting – at least in the beginning. It was cool that each character would have their own stories and their own unique abilities; for instance, I started with H’aanit, a hunter who could capture beasts and use them in battles. Her “path action” allowed her to “provoke” NPCs into battles, providing one of the many ways to resolve quests. I spent an hour doing her prologue, then moved on to the next region, where another one of the other protagonists awaited me. This time, I unlocked the ability to “inquire,” which interrogates NPCs to obtain secrets and locations of hidden items. But by the time I got to the fifth character, this started to get old. Not only is it annoying to have to rearrange my party to use these abilities, I found out that another character’s path action is essentially the same as H’aanit’s. And it’s not just the two; apparently there is another pair of protagonists with similar abilities. While it isn’t a dealbreaker, this gimmick was starting to annoy rather than entertain me. Rather than making each character unique and special, it feels as if they are simply reduced to their path abilities. Unfortunately, this problem is simply an outgrowth of the key issue with the game: the utter lack of party interactions and chemistry.

 

I’ll use Yakuza as a counterexample. This doesn’t mean I think Yakuza is perfect – there are many issues, some of which have to do with the new combat system. The developers blended the old brawler combat with a turn-based system, with players issuing commands that the characters try to pull off in the game world. Because of this, there are a few additional complications and concerns – for instance, enemies may intercept your attacks if you try to aim for their friend behind them. Unfortunately, this leads to a few frustrations, such as with AOE attacks. I’ve had moments when I thought I had all the enemies lined up, only for the enemies to scatter once the camera zooms out of the attack animation. Characters also warp sometimes if their pathfinding doesn’t work well. This leads to inconsistencies, and ultimately annoyance, over whether the game “cheats” or not with the physical limitations of the game world. But enough about the combat. What Yakuza does do well is emphasize the relationships between the party members, which is something sorely lacking in Octopath. In this game, there are so many mechanics relating to the connections between the party members. There are “drink links,” which are basically levels of bonding between the main character, Ichiban, and his buddies. You get cutscenes and a small mission as you deepen each bond, which develops these relationships. Beyond this major mechanic, there are spontaneous conversations that occur between the party members as you pass by different landmarks in town; some of them are hilarious, such as when the guys in the party discuss the difference between briefs and boxers to the disgust of the girls. You can also invite the team to the movies or even a cabaret club! In battle, there are special cooperative attacks with accompanying cutscenes, like the Showtimes in Persona 5. Finally, the narrative beats of the game also focus on the newfound importance of these bonds, further emphasizing them for the players.

 

Octopath, on the other hand, seems to forget that the core of an adventure is the hero’s party. There is no banter, no real relationships, no conversations between the party members. It felt as if each character couldn’t care less about each other’s stories. Why does H’aanit accompany Therion the thief in his robbery, despite her proud and honorable character? And why isn’t Alfyn saying anything when Therion literally steals stuff from his childhood friend? In Octopath, the party is solely a mechanical device, not part of the narrative or the world-building. I didn’t realize how important this was until I was about five hours into both games. While I was eager to improve and develop my bonds with my companions in Yakuza, the deafening silence between the members of my party in Octopath made each stretch of the journey feel lifeless and grindy. It felt like Square Enix took eight generic adventure stories and stitched them together – badly, too, as they’re falling apart at the seams.

 

Because the Yakuza series has always been about the bonds between people – of respect, of blood, of duty – the party and RPG system was a great chance to tie together narrative and gameplay. The relationships between you and your companions are no longer simply communicated through cutscenes, but rather through your adventures together as a team. But in Octopath, the core gameplay loop is utterly disconnected from the story. The game’s selling point – the gimmick of having eight unique starts and stories – is ironically the game’s greatest weakness, as its modular nature prevents the game from presenting a cohesive narrative about the party and their relationships. And when I’m looking for JRPGs, I’m not looking for procedural variety. I want a party I can be emotionally invested in, a story that hooks me and takes me for a ride, a memorable experience. In their strange quest for variety and replayability, Square Enix forgot what made their games masterpieces in the first place.