The latest in the "Ryu ga Gotoku" series, "Ryu ga Gotoku 7: Hikari to Yami no Yukue" is a command RPG!

August 29, 2019. A presentation of the latest in the "Yakuza" series was held at the UDX Theater in Akihabara. The following is a report on this event, where a lot of new and exciting information was revealed.

As the presentation began, Mr. Toshihiro Nagoya, general director of the "Yakuza" series, took the stage first. He said that he was quite nervous because the work to be announced this time seemed to be a turning point for the series. After the greetings, a teaser video of the new film was shown to the audience. Beginning with a scene in which the protagonist turns himself in to the police for the crimes of his friends at the request of his gang leader, we were given a glimpse of the epic storyline, including the hero's release from prison 18 years later, only to be greeted by no one, and finally being shot by the gang leader he reunited with.


At the end of the video, the logo "Yakuza7: Whereabouts of Light and Darkness" ("Yakuza7") appeared. It was revealed that the new title to be released this time is the numbering title of the "Yakuza" series. The main character in this title has been switched from Kazuma Kiryu, a well-known character in the series, to a new character, Ichiban Kasuga. In addition, the game's overall system has also undergone major changes, so the company decided that the game should be released as a numbered title of "Yakuza" in order for the audience to fully enjoy the story. Incidentally, in the latter half of the video, the main character says, "Just like Dracula," and Mr. Nagoshi said that he had received prior permission from Square Enix, the copyright holder of the "Dragon Quest" series.


Kazuhiro Nakatani, who voices Kasuga Ichiban, then took the stage. When asked how he felt about the recording, he said, "I was in charge of the main character, so I had a lot of lines and appeared in many scenes. I was involved in the production of the new work for a long time, so I was very emotional when I saw the video that just came out".

Masayoshi Yokoyama, chief producer of "Yakuza7," took the stage next. He talked about the details of this work. This work is a sequel to "Yakuza6: Poem of Life," which was released in 2016. sequel to "Yakuza6: Poem of Life" released in 2016. In the early part of the story, the protagonist's life in prison is depicted. The story takes place in 2019, and in addition to Kamurocho, which has become a familiar place in the series, Yokohama will appear as a new city.


After the commentary, the main characters were introduced. Masumi Arakawa (CV: Kiichi Nakai), head of the Arakawa clan, Takeshi Sawashiro (CV: Shinichi Tsutsumi), number two in the Arakawa clan, and Namba (CV: Ken Yasuda), the man who saves the protagonist's life were revealed. Details here are presented at the end of the article, along with images of the characters.

The video then shows Kasuga and his friends walking in Yokohama. When they came into battle with the goons, icons that looked like HP and MP for Kasuga and his friends appeared on the screen, and the game shifted to a turn-based battle. The battle system in this title has been changed from conventional action to a turn-based command battle. According to Yokoyama, distance from the enemy is important when attacking. When aiming at an opponent at a distance, if there is another enemy in the way, it is likely to be blocked. In addition, objects in the field can be used as weapons, and there are "jobs" for the companions.


Eri Kamataki, who won the grand prix in the audition for supporting actress in the film, took the stage afterwards. She also appeared in the film as one of the characters, and said that this was her first time to record voices for a game. She said that the recording was both fun and difficult.



Finally, Ms. Nagoshi announced information about the game, including its release date. The game will be released on January 16, 2020 on PlayStation 4. The North American and European versions are also scheduled for release by the end of 2020 and will support traditional, simplified, and Korean characters.