Summary
Fans may feel thatLike a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Namesounds like a title from a James Bond movie, and they wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that. That’s because the series’main protagonist Kazuma Kiryuhas faked his death. A secret agency known as the Daidoji has turned Kazuma into a spy and given him a new name, Joryu.
They also gave Joryu some new gadgets to play around with inLike a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. There are only four in total, so Joryu isn’t as decked out in gear compared to the aforementioned James Bond. Let’s go through each gadget and rank its usefulness.
4Firefly
Exploding Cigarettes
The Firefly will be the third gadget that players will acquire inLike a Dragon Gaiden. It can best be described as an exploding cigarette. The game begins with Joryu being equipped with the Spider, which is essentially a strong wire built into a watch that the Daidoji gave him. Upon meeting Akame, she believes that Joryu could use more gadgets like this, thus eventually leading to a weapon smith, Mizorogi. After he gives Joryu the Hornet, which are drones, he sends him over toa mysterious shopkeeperwho gives him the Firefly.
Now, the Firefly are technically the strongest gadget in the bunch because they are small bombs. The reason why it is ranked so low is that it is hard to control. OnXbox Series X/S controllers, players can hold down X to flick the Firefly at enemies. The reaction is delayed, giving enemies ample time to scatter before it goes off. Even with upgrades it can be hard to get a good explosion from it. The Firefly also damages Joryu if he’s caught in the blast, which is never fun to see in an action game.
3Hornet
Drones That Can Distract Enemies
The Hornet, as mentioned previously, will be gifted to Joryu by Mizorogi. They are the second obtainable gadget inLike a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, andthey can be quite useful. By holding down the Y on Xbox Series X/S controllers, players can summon drones to swarm enemies. If an enemy has a drone in their face then they will be distracted. This will allow players to land some quick blows while their opponent is basically stunned, or players can ignore these enemies and take comfort in knowing they are distracted for the moment.
The downside is that Hornet drones will go down fast, although there are upgrades in the skill tree to strengthen their health. Also, players are vulnerable when they have to stand still and summon drones to attack enemies, which is why it would be strategic for players to only use Hornet drones when they are a good distance away from enemies. There is a clear give and take to using them. Putting the Hornet aside for a moment, Mizorogi is good for more than just gadgets. He has some black market gear for Joryu to buy and equip which is always handy inan action RPG.
2Serpent
Rocket-Powered Shoes
The Serpent is the last gadget players will get inLike a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. They are also the silliest thing that Joryu can add to his collection of spy gear. The Serpent will essentially add rockets to the bottom of Joryu’s shoes. It doesn’t matter if Joryu is wearing shoes, boots, or sandals, as Mizorogi is a technological wizard when it comes to putting rockets on shoes. If players hold down the A button on Xbox Series X/S controllers, Joryu will shoot forward like a missile.
Controlling Joryu in this state can be tricky, but it’s to be expected. No one in real life would be able to control themselves delicately if they had rocket shoes on. The Serpent gadget is best used when large clumps of enemies are gathered together and players can then knock them over as if they were playing rocket-powered bowling. Sega has made somewild sports gamesin the past, so maybe a bowling game starringLike A Dragoncharacters as the bowling balls would be fun.
1Spider
A Watch That Shoots A Razor Wire
The Spider is the first gadget that comes pre-equipped to Joryu inLike a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. It is also the best gadget without a question for many reasons. The developers seemingly realized this as well, because most of the upgrades in Joryu’s gadget skill tree are for the Spider. These upgrades will strengthen the power of the Spider and allow players to whip more enemies around. It’s similar to the various web-based gadgets inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2.
With a name like Spider, it’s obvious that Sega must have had some inspirationfrom Insomniac’s games, or were at least inspired by theSpider-Mancomics for this gadget. Other upgrades to the Spider allow players to snag giant weapons from enemies in battle to turn the tables. Outside of battle, the Spider can grab items lost in trees or snagged on buildings like consumables or keys used to unlock boxes around town. It’s a versatile gadget, and it looks cool as heck to use during combat. Hopefully, of the four gadgets in the game, Joryu gets to keep the Spider for his future appearances in games.
