“I do know the sort,” says the Hen Race Receptionist. “The true gamblers. The stallions on the observe. The cocks within the henhouse.”
He’s, in fact, referring to me: Like A Dragon: Ishin participant character, Sakamoto Ryoma. On a quest to seek out out who actually murdered his father, Ryoma has landed within the Japanese capital of Kyo, intent on sniffing out any leads he can in a world stuffed with political intrigue and social unrest, on the cusp of a brand new age. However all that’s set-dressing. Town of Kyo, it seems, has a reasonably good hen racing scene. And that’s why I’m actually right here.
As quickly as I walked into the henhouse, I shaped a bond with him – this fowl man that sat cross-legged within the reception space. This clerk that smelled softly of feathers and chickenshit. With an enthusiastic grin, he supplied to show me how you can race chickens. I believe we had a spark.
“Very first thing’s first,” he defined, “know your birds.” You see, within the historic artwork of hen racing, all of the birds are graded – and while ‘reputation’ and ‘score’ gives you a very good total sense of the clucker, these attributes don’t inform the entire story. You should take distance and situation under consideration, too. When you discover the way it can have an effect on the outcomes, you’ll see developments within the rankings.
However you want to get into the thoughts of the hen, too, apparently. Some birds’ talents change fairly considerably relying on their temper that day. Possibly they’ve received an itchy waddle, perhaps they don’t like how their comb is sitting that day. You by no means know. However you’re going to wish to gauge your hen’s temper earlier than sending it off to the races. “The quickest mare may flip snail if its situation’s within the crapper,” says my new greatest good friend, the Hen Race Receptionist. “And each lame duck has its day.”
I really feel like I’ve been briefed properly. I’ve inspected the birds, and positioned my bets. I’ve not gone with the favorite – her situation appeared a bit of off immediately, there was a malaise about her – and as a substitute I’ve put a sizeable wager on the second favorite. Let’s see if my new mate has taught me properly.
The motion is about to begin. “All birds are in place,” we’re instructed. It’s the lengthy distance open. Talons are on the prepared. “It’s gonna be an in depth one!” yells the commentator. “It’s all neck and neck!” My chosen hen, “That Frying Scent” – a stunning gray little bit of chicken – struts out confidently however is rapidly overtaken by the favorite, a clucky younger upstart known as “Apollo”. Out of the blue, a no-name schmuck known as “Feed Demon” will get out forward too. Oh no, I believed, this wasn’t presupposed to occur in any respect.
I inform you, I’ve by no means cheered as a lot as I did watching “That Frying Scent” take again the lead from “Feed Demon” and “Apollo”. On the ultimate straight, the hen I wager all my cash on – sufficient Mon to purchase a really good sword, no much less – managed to chase down the brood and are available out on prime, in a flurry of talons and lovable waddling. My pleasure had drawn a crowd; PRs and video games media gathered across the display, all calling out the unhealthy/good pun names of the various fowl.
I used to be wealthy, I had sufficient cash to purchase a brand new sword – very important for getting revenge for my expensive, useless dad – and get a spherical of sake in for the despondent losers on the observe, too. I needed to ensure these fellas have been saved on-side, in any case. Whether or not they’d put cash on “Feed Demon”, “Poultry Providing”, “Fowl Mood”, “Featherstorm”, “Flustercluck”, “Thigh Will Be Accomplished”, “King of Wings”, “Tenderfoot”, “Tosan Pleasure, or ”The Colonel”, we have been all right here for a similar purpose; to have a little bit of enjoyable, and bask in some male bonding.
The subsequent day, after a extra middling time on the observe, our favorite Receptionist regarded despondent. I’d accused him of hiding one thing from me earlier – he wasn’t his typical effervescent self after we walked within the door. Seems, he’d blown all his cash immediately. All of it, each final Mon in his purse. “I got here so near attaining my dream,” he confessed, “I got here so near having the ability to afford a complete evening in a brothel.”
The subsequent day, I got here again to the observe. After all I did, I can’t keep away. The Receptionist regarded as unhappy as earlier than, however it was totally different this time. He’d been on a streak – and one hell of a streak at that. He was near attaining his dream, and you would see the lust and longing in his eyes… he simply wanted to go double or nothing. However, apparently, he all the time tousled at this level; the final wager is all the time the place he got here unstuck. So the selection was on me – he may belief me, now. He knew I had the reward of hen instinct.
“”Wondercrest” or “Tosan Pleasure”?” The burden of the world was on my shoulders, who do I choose? ‘Tosan Pleasure’ – the hen that had undone my very own goals quite a lot of occasions at this level – or ‘Wondercrest’, a hen I’d barely heard of? I used my wits, and selected the previous. It seems like the sport was attempting to show me that “Tosan Pleasure” was the higher alternative, in any case. And it had been in nice situation that day, too. Our man disappears, and I wait. And wait. Till he returns. “I… I gained!” he exclaims. My coronary heart, in actual life, did a bit of leap.
He gave me a damaged compass by means of thanks, and known as me his benefactor. The little friendship gauge ticked up and pinged, full. I’d made a good friend, a good friend for all times. Within the midst of this smoky, sweaty hen coop attended by gamblers and drunks, the seed of friendship was planted, and fertilised with hen guano.
That’s the enjoyment of Yakuza; that even within the midst of great, dour storylines, the true great thing about life can shine via. Little moments like this – glimpses of unpretentious friendship in a gambler’s paradise – are the bread and butter of Yakuza. Whether or not it’s set in a bustling 80s metropolis district, or an 1860s township, there’s one thing actually particular about the best way the sequence communicates the intricacies and nuances of adults simply attempting to eke a little bit of enjoyable from the oppressive environments that enrobe them.
I can’t wait to play the complete model of Like a Dragon: Ishin, and see this stunning, unlikely friendship blossom in full.
Like a Dragon: Ishin launches for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Collection X/S, and Home windows PC on February 21, 2023.
