In a three-way interview with ThisIsGame and Dave the Diver director Jaeho Hwang, Shift Up CEO and Stellar Blade director Hyung-tae Kim talked about his love for RGG Studio’s long-running Like a Dragon series.
Interestingly, both Kim and Hwang name Like a Dragon the “game of their lives,” with Kim mentioning that his admiration for the series started when he played the Korean localization of Yakuza Kiwami (2016) and found that, in some ways, it felt like a spiritual successor to Sega’s Shenmue – another title he loves.
Kim describes the Like a Dragon franchise and its portrayal of Kabukicho’s fictional counterpart as “true” adult entertainment, noting that “while the term is usually associated with violence or sexual content, Yakuza really deals with modern urban culture from an adult perspective.” Kim compares this quality to that of a noir film.
Although Shift Up releases like Stellar Blade and Goddess of Victory: NIKKE may not suggest it, Kim says that he’s always wanted to create something like Like a Dragon. However, he doesn’t feel confident in how such themes would translate to a Seoul-based setting. “In Kamurocho, it just fits. That uniqueness is what makes Yakuza irreplaceable. Every time a new game comes out, I look forward to what kind of ‘adult story’ it will tell.”
Kim also highlights that Like a Dragon games are balanced all-rounders in terms of how they treat different aspects of game design like narrative, combat, minigames, etc. This aspect of the franchise differs from Kim’s personal philosophy as a game creator, as he prefers to pursue depth in fewer aspects of game design rather than fan out, but as a player, this “comprehensive” approach of the Yakuza series is something that draws him in.
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