How Yakuza: Like A Dragon made Dragon Quest "Cool"

The franchise formerly known as Yakuza, now Like A Dragon in the west, is a long running series of what I'd generally call "Beat-em-up RPGs", each subsequent entry in the series further blurring that line between RPG progression and quests, and classic street brawler action. Like A Dragon, the entry whose western title now reads "Like A Dragon: Like A Dragon" due to the unfortunate timing of its release, bucks this trend and dives wholesale into the world of turn-based RPGs, with a strong focus on Dragon Quest as explicit textual inspiration, as well as many pulls from other series. It features mechanical footnotes of Pokémon in its parodical "Sujidex" of enemy baddies, as well as the action commands of many beginner RPGs a la mario RPG. That all established, Dragon Quest is a core influence on this game, with its open exploration and open world side quest progression heavily mirroring recent entries into the Dragon Quest series, namely Dragon Quest 11. On top of that, its plot stylings, partially by sheer luck, are a clear parallel to the way chapters are structured in modern Dragon Quest. Though this one could be chocked up to happenstance, as the Like A Dragon franchise for decades has held a similar progression system. Regardless, Like A Dragon takes what Dragon Quest does well, that being its simple to digest gameplay and fun enemy combat, and gives it a much more rich home to foster engagement with a story taken straight from mobster flicks. This isn't to say the core essence of Dragon Quest doesn't influence the narrative, because surely it does. The formerly-Yakuza franchise has always danced a fine line between The Godfather and Looney Tunes, this one more-so than any other with how many encounters can have their tension completely sidelined when the big head honcho pulls out a forklift and makes you fight it in a boss battle, or your handy dandy smartphone is used to call in an aerial crawfish strike. Another way this game eases players into the style of Dragon Quest is its dedication to easy to use interfaces. The game has a far easier to read menu at a baseline than anything Dragon Quest has put out recently. Where that franchise has stalled and rather than slimming down menus, continues to add functions into a cluttered submenu of "Other Settings" in 11's case, Like A Dragon smartly takes influence from other visually striking Turn-Based RPGs in the Persona franchise. Menus having a pop of rebellious punk color, while retaining clean and easily readable text, never too much information, but just enough to make decisions. The game also smartly takes what Dragon Quest would relegate to its "Misc." submenu in character building and progression and gives them homes in the game's world. From the workshop on Romance street, to the job center's easy swapping of active classes, the game keeps all major character building in-game rather than in your main menu. In the process making those choices seem to matter more when you do them, and keeping the game's UI sleek when it isn't necessary to touch on them.