I was supposed to play loads of Like a Dragon: Ishin, but I spent two hours in chicken racing instead
“I know the type,” says the Chicken Race Receptionist. “The true gamblers. The stallions at the track. The cocks in the henhouse.”
He is, of course, referring to me: Like A Dragon: Ishin player character, Sakamoto Ryoma. On a quest to find out who really murdered his father, Ryoma has landed in the Japanese capital of Kyo, intent on sniffing out any leads he can in a world full of political intrigue and social unrest, on the cusp of a new age. But all that’s set-dressing. The city of Kyo, it turns out, has a pretty good chicken racing scene. And that’s why I’m really here.
As soon as I walked into the henhouse, I formed a bond with him – this fowl man that sat cross-legged in the reception area. This clerk that smelled softly of feathers and chickenshit. With an enthusiastic grin, he offered to teach me how to race chickens. I think we had a spark.