GameCentral evaluations the samurai-themed Yakuza spin-off that, after a 10-year wait, has not solely obtained a Western launch, but additionally a full remake.
Samurai video games are a uncommon breed, which is unusual contemplating Japan’s affect on the video games business. Of the few that exist, comparable to Way Of The Samurai are hardly known names, compared to games with cowboys and pirates. However, the success of Ghost Of Tsushima (which, ironically, was made by an American studio) proved that there is a market for games deeply rooted in Japanese history, which Sega has promoted for Like A Dragon: Ishin!, a Yakuza spin from 2014, recreate and localize. -off that has never left the coast of Japan before.
The Yakuza series wasn’t exactly in a good place in the early 2010s, with attempts to appeal to a Western audience (including the zombie game Yakuza: Dead Souls) not proving very successful. Today, the franchise is one of Sega’s most well-known thanks to 2017’s Yakuza 0. So, with samurai games and the series itself in vogue, Sega and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio saw a perfect opportunity to recreate a lost chapter in the history of the franchise. for western fans.
Before that, there was a Japan-only samurai spin-off called Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! (which translates as Like A Dragon Arrives!, Ishin means Restoration) but apparently it wasn’t that popular and would have needed some budgetary story changes to work as a remake. Such a project could still happen, but even if it doesn’t, Like A Dragon: Ishin is more than enough to satisfy that Venn diagram of Yakuza and samurai fans.
Despite the shift from modern Tokyo to the late 1800s, fans of the series will feel right at home in Ishin’s city of Kyo (today known as Kyoto), especially if you prefer the classic action beat ’em-up formula that stopped the series when it became a turn-based role-player in 2020 (at which point it also changed its name, from Yakuza to a literal translation of the Japanese title). As you roam the streets, you are routinely hunted down by gangs of enemies that you must take out with flashy and violent attacks.
The main difference is that, rather than your fists, your main weapons are a sword and pistol, with four separate stances offering their own unique move sets and skill trees, though the skill wheel would be more accurate. You can fight bare-handed if you like, but we found it to be the least useful option and since enemies are usually self-armed, you’re clearly meant to prioritize swiping your sword at close range and picking up enemies from afar with gunfire . Or you can wield both weapons at once, which is very useful when dealing with crowds.
The more gun-focused combat might sound like a drastic change since weapons were always optional in the main games, but it works exactly the same as previous entries, with a mix of basic combo sequences and more complex, if sometimes situational, abilities. The swordsman style became our personal favourite, as it’s great for one-on-one encounters, making boss fights against other samurai a delightful dance as you block, counter, and dodge each other’s sword swings.
This slightly revised fight comes at the expense of Ishin feeling more like a numbers game than other entries, and not just because damage numbers pop up during the fight (you can take them out if they bother you). The series always contains role-playing elements, but in Ishin you regularly need to purchase and/or upgrade weapons and armor to survive later battles.
Thankfully, certain bosses do drop new weapons, but even that only deals double the damage, while your opponents’ damage runs into the hundreds, making us fall back on healing items more often than any other Yakuza game.
We would have liked to upgrade our equipment more regularly, but the town’s blacksmith needed a lot of money, and he also needed materials – some of which you can buy in other shops, while others are random droplets from enemies.
Fortunately, combat is rarely boring and there’s a battle dungeon that’s perfect for collecting experience, money, materials and new weapons/gear, as well as acquiring trooper cards (which grant stat buffs and bizarre special attacks such as lightning bolts from your hands ). Still, the fact that sharpening is almost a necessity isn’t ideal.
On the plus side, you’re unlikely to flit through the story as Ishin is filled to the brim with side activities and distractions, providing plenty of opportunities to obtain more of the aforementioned resources. This is normal for the series, but we were almost blown away by how much there is to do and complete.
Even after we beat the main story, after almost 30 hours of gameplay, our completion rate was barely 20%. From mahjong and karaoke (the latter existed about a century before its existence) to chicken races and a mini farming sim, this is one game that can keep you busy all year round thanks to its extensive list of in-game achievements. Not to mention the usual sub-stories where you lend aid to townsfolk and give some crazy levity compared to the more self-serious story.
Like A Dragon: Ishin clearly isn’t trying to fix what isn’t broken, but we wonder if this is to the game’s detriment. Spinoffs are the perfect place to mess around with an established formula and try something different. And yet, when you get down to it, Ishin is fundamentally no different from anything that’s come before, with its historical setting being the only truly unique thing about it.
Nor is the story a selling point. It is certainly unique, as it is a fictional retelling of the life of real samurai Sakamoto Ryoma, but you won’t appreciate that if you’re not already familiar with Ryoma and his exploits. The game makes some attempts to explain aspects of the period’s history with glossaries, but others must be inferred from context, such as the different types of samurai.
What is the difference between a shishi and a ronin? Google it because the game doesn’t explain it. As a result, despite still being fairly easy to understand (ironically a rarity for modern Yakuza games), much of the deeper politics will be lost on the average player.
What doesn’t help is that almost every main and secondary character is ‘played’ by a character from the Yakuza series. For example, Ryoma looks exactly like series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu (it’s even the same voice actor), making it almost impossible to think of him as anyone other than Kiryu.
The same goes for everyone else. For example, Majima substitute Okita Soji is just as unhinged as his main counterpart and they also fill similar roles in the story. This is clearly done for the sake of fan service and, as longtime fans themselves, it’s nice to see this all-star cast come together, but it’s a very shallow form of fan service that only exists to get fans pointing at the screen. and go ‘Oh it’s that one man!’
Had they been completely original characters, that might have made the story more compelling than it is. Early Yakuza games often got too complicated for their own good and were filled with ridiculous moments, but at least that’s what made them memorable. Ishin is disappointingly simple for the most part, only getting a little more complex (and welcomingly bombastic) towards the end. Otherwise, it lacks truly off-the-wall moments like Yakuza 2’s golden castle or Yakuza 4’s hilarious plot twist with rubber bullets.
One final complaint is that we encountered quite a few visual bugs, mainly certain menus not appearing. Even worse is how one particularly challenging boss fight ended with the boss somehow slipping through the floor, killing him instantly and giving us the win. Hopefully all these issues will be fixed with the day one patch.
In the end, Like A Dragon: Ishin, despite its unique setting, is a little too similar to its stable mates. It’s still one of the series’ better spin-offs, though, and these days it’s a welcome return to its roots. If you weren’t a fan of the transition to role-playing and long for a traditional beat ’em-up similar to Yakuza 0, Like A Dragon: Ishin will more than scratch that itch.
Like A Dragon: Ishin review summary
In brief: A welcome novelty and throwback for longtime Yakuza fans, offering everything they love about the series, albeit held back by a rather underwhelming plot and too much fan service.
Advantages: Beat ’em up battles are as fun and varied as ever. One-on-one boss battles are a challenging highlight. Enough fun distractions. You will never run out of things to do.
Cons: Not that much different from previous entries. Subsequent enemy encounters can be brutal without proper weapon/gear upgrades. Very superficial fan service that holds back an already uninteresting story.
rating: 7/10
Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC
Price: £49.99
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Release date: February 21, 2023
Age rating: 18
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