The Like A Dragon Series, previously known as Yakuza in the West, stands as a remarkable example of consistent quality and rapid release in the video game industry. RGG Studio, the developer behind the franchise, has consistently delivered new titles at an impressive pace, often releasing multiple in a single year. Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii has kept up the strong and consistent gameplay we expect from the series.

It seems like RGG has found the perfect formula for making great games, and other studios should have already stolen it. Despite the fast turnaround, SEGA has managed to keep making great games, and we applauded how fun it was Screen Rant's review of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. This consistent pace and high quality come from tried and true methods the developer has developed over time, and other studios could benefit from embracing similar approaches.

Like A Dragon/Yakuza Has Kept Consistent Quality & Fast Release Times

It feels Like There's A New Entry Every Year

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is just the most recent in RGG Studio's catalog of games that have done incredibly well. Despite a rapid release cycle, the studio's games maintain a high level of quality, both in of gameplay and story. The Like a Dragon series as a whole never has any bombs or games that let players down harshly enough to put the franchise in jeopardy, which is amazing.

The sheer number of games released in close succession is staggering. For example, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth launched in January of last year, while Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii was released in February this year. This rapid release schedule is typical of the franchise, and this series has even seen multiple major releases in the same year on occasion. The sustained excellence shows that the studio has achieved a perfect workflow.

Playing the Yakuza & Like A Dragon games in the best order would require playing through at least ten games, depending on whether you want to play spin-offs. There are a lot of games in the series, and it should be harder to make more games with so much established lore, but RGG has been able to keep the games' overarching story consistent across the franchise. This is hard to do when there are multiple protagonists across different time periods.

Sure, there are some consequences that come from making games quickly, as some fans have criticized the developer for reusing assets, maps, and mini-games in order to get more games out. To be honest, it's hard to notice the improvement in the games over time if you start from Kiwami instead of the originals, but the improvement is clear from one end to the other. Since these games aren't huge blockbusters, the lack of technical progress isn't a deal-breaker.

Game Development Has Taken Longer Over Time

Some Games Have Taken So Long

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii seems to go against the current trend of video game development. Games in the late 1980s and 1990s typically didn't take more than a year or two from initial conception to release, while games today can take five or more years to complete their development lifecycle. It is not easy to make a game, and even indie games can take years to complete.

The lengthening development cycles of current games can be attributed to many factors that seem to grow over time. For example, technological advancements should make development faster, but they actually add more for the developer to do. The demand for more realistic visuals and complex physics engines is only increasing the time taken to make each game. Basically, the growth in demand naturally means longer development.

The longest game development times in history are over eight years, and that's sticking to active development, not off-and-on projects.

The extensive pursuit of perfection can lead to some great video games like Red Dead Redemption 2. While that may sound good, it means games that do not hit the mark sales-wise for the studio still take longer to make, like Dragon Age: The Veilguard. There are so many more factors to keep in mind today that it seems like every game idea comes with the expectation of more time taken in development.

This pattern has clearly been accepted by the industry overall, but it's being challenged by RGG studio. This studio was able to cut a lot of what players considered to be vital for new games and turn it on its head. By fighting the idea that every game has to take a long time to develop and coming up with a solution for consistent quality at a rapid pace, Like A Dragon seems to do everything "wrong" but ends up winning.

Reusing Old Assets In Games Used To Be Common

This Feels Like A Brand New Issue

One of the cardinal sins of gaming is to reuse assets in a way that is easily visible to the player. RGG commits this sin in almost every game, including Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii, but I'm not mad about it. It seems that as games became better looking, it's become harder to get away with reusing assets, but the practice used to be fairly standard in sequels. The avoidance of obvious asset reuse is a relatively modern problem.

In the early days of gaming, limited hardware capabilities dictated many design choices. Storing large amounts of high-resolution graphics, complex animations, and diverse sound effects was simply not feasible. This technological constraint forced developers to be incredibly resourceful. Developers frequently reused assets, characters, environments, and even entire sound palettes across multiple games. This started as a limitation in technology, but it was also a great way to make sequels without wasting time remaking everything.

Strategically reusing assets can yield high-quality results without the crippling development cycles plaguing many studios.

Games like Super Mario Bros. and its sequel, Super Mario Bros. 2/The Lost Levels, illustrate this well, but it's easier to see in games like Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel. Reusing assets was normal and served as a way to skip past having to make something look slightly better when that time could be used to make more features or fix known bugs.

In an interview with Ungeek, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's chief director and producer Ryosuke Horii said that this practice was normal for RGG's development. In this game, they "reused a number of assets from Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth," but the developers have a lot of "know-how" that helps them reuse assets in a way that isn't as noticeable.

Other Games Could Stand To Learn From Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii

Not Every Sequel Should Be Completely New

The development of Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii gives a fascinating example of efficient game production. Strategically reusing assets can yield high-quality results without the crippling development cycles plaguing many studios. The game's success hinges on leveraging pre-existing assets and established mechanics from previous entries in the Like A Dragon series. In the most recent entry, the team took the existing Honolulu map and the Dragon Kart mini-game and used them as a foundation.

When using older assets as a foundation, the developers can add a better layer or slightly improve on it, making a better version of both. This isn't about laziness or cutting corners, but a conscious decision that prioritizes creative focus and lets the developers maximize the resources at their disposal. If game developers want to make games faster, they should learn from the example set in Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii.

Source: Ungeek