Does Like a Dragon Gaiden Set Up A New Spin Off Game?
Spoilers for Like a Dragon Gaiden
Having just finished Like a Dragon Giaden I am now ready for Like a Dragon 8, a big story and conclusion and new beginning for the series. However, before then we needed to be filled in with the story of Kiryu up to the point where he will meet Ichiban in Hawaii. Like a Dragon Gaiden is a smaller story in hours but is still a real fun story. One character I found myself really enjoying was Kosei Shishido. He is crazy like Majima and strong like Saejima and I was very glad how his story played out.
While he starts as just a strong brute we see his plan play out over time and combining him with Homare Nishitani III you get two very interesting villains. In the end of the game Shishido isn't killed much to my delight as Yoshimura captures him and forces him to become a Daidoji agent alongside Nishitani. It got me thinking, they created all these new moves and gadgets for Kiryu in this game and will likely not be used in Like a Dragon 8 so will we see the return of Daidoji & Shishido in a new spin off game.
Obviously this depends on critical reception, commercial reception & character reception. RGG Studios has no issues reusing assets which I have no issue with so I honestly would expect them to do this if it was just down to them however the top three issues are what need to be looked in. Critical reception seems fine for the moment with positive reviews as expected with a Like a Dragon game they know what their audience wants and make a fun game. For sales it is something I don't have access to that information so we will see how that works. The main one for me is character reception, if Shishido isn't well received then he wouldn't get a game. Checking the Like a Dragon Reddit he does seem positvely received as a boss and character. The fact his character is getting praise would lead me to believe that you have the potential for a spin off. But I imagine projections on how many sales a Shishido led game would make compared to budget.
On a personal note I think you could have potential in a Shishido & Nishitani buddy cop/agent story. Much like the Judgement series it would provide a look at a different part of the world. Not a (former) Yakuza undertaking a grand quest or conspiracy or a detective working on a case but a sort of special agent espionage thriller. I think it would be fun, have different combat to the other two games and could give us a look at different part of the world (maybe in terms of what is going on not different maps I'm sure we will get the same maps which would be fine).
All in all maybe it is too early to see if Like a Dragon Gaiden set up a new spin off game as this one has only just been released. I think the idea and potential has been put out there with the ending of this game but it would rely on fan interest. As mentioned before I would love to see it but first things first is to see if Like a Dragon 8 builds on this idea anymore and if it does that will give us a clear indication on if a spin off could be made.
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