Hyung-tae Kim, the director of Stellar Blade, has revealed during a three-way interview alongside Jaeho Hwang (Dave the Diver) with ThisIsGame that he’s always wanted to make a game similar to Like A Dragon (aka Yakuza).
Like A Dragon, developed by Ryu ga Gotoku Studio, was named the “game of their lives” by Kim and Hwang, with the former stating that his love for the franchise began with the Korean localisation of Yakuza Kiwami, which he felt was like a spiritual successor to another game he’s a big fan of — the Dreamcast classic, Shenmue.
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The Stellar Blade director added that Like A Dragon’s depiction of Kabukicho’s fictional counterpart as “true” adult entertainment, stating, “while the term is usually associated with violence or sexual content, Yakuza really deals with modern urban culture from an adult perspective.”
However, despite wanting to make a game similar to Like A Dragon, he’s not sure how well its 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,” said Kim.
Stellar Blade was released for the PS5 in April 2024 and is coming to the PC next month.
[Source – ThisIsGame via Automaton]