Substories often contain some of the best and funniest parts of the Like a Dragon games, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Is no different. one who transcends Holocaust Another where players fight overweight criminals who call themselves the White Knight, the game is full of memorable side-quests. my favorite substory Like Dragon Gaiden – The series — and perhaps the entire series — stands out because it’s based on something that’s been a hot topic in the tech sphere this past year: ChatGPT.
AI has been one of the biggest talking points in tech industries over the past year; Earlier this week, Microsoft announced plans to partner with Inworld AI to create game-writing AI technology. There are a lot of controversial and potentially unethical uses of AI that people are wary of and unpacking. like dragon gaiden‘ uses his signature brand of social satire to satirize AI from a specific angle: by showing how bad AI is at giving dating advice.
This article contains spoilers for the Seeking Advice subseries. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name,
looking for advice
Starting from Chapter 2 of like dragon gaiden, players can access the Looking for Advice substory through the Akame Network. The mission begins with Kiryu going to Smile Burger to meet a teenager who needs advice. When Kiryu gets there, it turns out that a boy named Kusano is looking for advice on how to talk to a girl named Takashi he likes. He says that he no longer needs Kiryu’s help, as he is using an artificial intelligence called ChotDDT.
As Like a Dragon subplots usually do, the quest for advice takes this premise to its logical extreme. ChotDDT convinces Kusano that he needs to jump off a bridge to impress Takashi, and before Kiryu can stop him, he runs out of Smile Burger to do so. Kiryu follows and eventually talks to Kusano and explains that there will never be a date if she hurts herself. He then asks ChotDDT for advice again, and he tells him to try and save Takashi from an attacker.
Before Kiryu can stop him, Kusano escapes again, with Kiryu convinced that ChotDDT is making Kusano a “danger to society”. As you can probably guess, this doesn’t go well, as the violent goon Kusano tries to recruit becomes enraged and attacks him. Kiryu comes in and beats up the scoundrel, but even that’s not enough to discourage Kusano, who thinks the only reason Takashi talks to him is ChotDDT, because it gave him the words to finally call him out. Had given. After writing a message filled with sarcasm using it, Takashi and Kusano agree to meet in person.
Kiryu eavesdrops on the meeting and finds Kusano speaking terrible lines to Takashi from ChotDDT, who doesn’t know how to respond. Kiryu steps in and shows a little wisdom: “Real communication is better than imperfect communication,” he says. “If you have something important to say, don’t go looking for the cleanest, best-edited version. Take a risk once, speak from the heart.”
Of course, as Like a Dragon stories go, it all ends in a fight as ChotDDT urges Kusano to beat up Kiryu – this is the worst idea ever. Kusano is defeated, but then realizes that Takashi is not being weird towards her because she doesn’t like him. In fact it turns out that Takashi was also using ChotDDT to respond to his conversations. This revelation causes Kusano to openly admit his feelings without ChotDDT’s help. Takashi responded, and Kusano vowed to no longer trust the AI. Kiryu ends the substory wondering whether he would have used AI to talk to Yumi if the technology had existed when he was younger and she was still alive, but ultimately determines that she used it for him. Would not have been used.
The Search for Advice is a hilarious spinoff full of memorable moments. From Kusano’s continued naivety to the wild things the AI tells him to the twist ending, every part of this quest is stuck in my mind, even a week after winning the game. It also seems very relevant to the present times as more and more people use AI for writing purposes, and its ethics are questioned. Plus, it concludes a nice moment that closes out Kiryu’s romantic arc with Yumi. By balancing satire and a heartfelt message about communication, Looking for Advice embodies everything that makes the Like a Dragon substories great.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.