RGG Studios has announced a new IP from their studio, Project Century as part of the Video Game Awards that aired on Thursday night. They had previously suggested they had multiple games in development including a new IP, but this is the first look players have gotten of the game up to this point.
Set in 1915 Japan, Project Century appears to be a gritty crime drama with similar veins to Yakuza, but a very different take. Not much information is given but the trailer puts an emphasis on the action which has a more violent undertone than their namesake franchise with the unnamed protagonist using a multitude of weapons to dispatch his enemies with an emphasis on gore over comedy.
While no genre has been given yet, the level design also looks to be more linear, with the player fighting through slender, tight streets of enemies. The combat also appeared to have a soul-like element with focused combat between you and enemies, but of course, all of this remains to be seen.
While not what players might expect, with RGG being known for juggling a multitude of Yakuza/Like a Dragon games that release nearly yearly, this is a project I would argue the studio needs more. Many might forget that RGG once attempted to venture outside of their flagship series between the Release of Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5 when Nagoshi conceived of Binary Domain (ironically the first game developed under the RGG banner). It was a fun game but predates Like A Dragon breaking out worldwide like it has today meaning the game had a limited budget. Now That the studio has the freedom to take these risks, hopefully, this is only the first of many projects to branch from their norm.
RGG was also nominated for several awards during the Video Game Awards for their most recent game Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, including Best RPG. It was not nominated for Game of The Year, which was my biggest snub of the event. Fans of the series also have Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza of Hawaii, a stand-alone spin-off title featuring the popular character Goro Majima for the first time as the sole protagonist.
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