Synopsis: 1860s Kyo is plagued by widespread inequality, and one samurai will change the course of history in his search for justice. Take up the sword of Sakamoto Ryoma and venture to Kyoto to find your father’s killer, clear yourself of a framed murder, and restore your honor. In doing so, you will bring an end to the samurai era and forever change the future of Japan.
Publisher: Sega
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Also available for: PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
Cast: Takaya Kuroda, Hideo Nakano, Unshō Ishizuka, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Kazuhiro Nakaya, Akio Ōtsuka, Shidou Nakamura, Hitoshi Ozawa, Riki Takeuchi, Hidenari Ugaki
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Director: Yasuaki Uehara
Producer: Makoto Suzuki
Lead Artist: Daisuke Fukagawa
Writer: Masayoshi Yokoyama
Composers: Hidenori Shoji, Chihiro Aoki
After releasing five mainline entries in their successful Like a Dragon franchise (known as Yakuza in the West), Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio released its first PlayStation 4 title in 2014. A spin-off from their modern-day crime series, this new game shifted to the era of Japanese samurai — but it wasn’t released outside Japan due to a belief that foreign gamers wouldn’t be interested. Cut to 2022: after the success of the latest Like a Dragon and Ghost of Tsushima, a remake, Like a Dragon: Ishin!, has arrived worldwide, giving everyone the chance to experience this samurai story.
Set in Japan between 1853 and 1867, during the Bakumatsu phase of the late Edo period, you play as Sakamoto Ryōma, who returns to his home province of Tosa after studying swordsmanship in Edo (now Tokyo). Framed for the assassination of his father figure, he flees to the city of Kyo in pursuit of the real killer. His journey sees him join the ranks of the Shinsengumi — an elite group of swordsmen commissioned by the military government — in order to find the culprit he believes is among their ranks.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is incredibly dense, with many references and discussions around the politics and state of Japan at the time. There’s little hand-holding for anyone unfamiliar with Japanese history — aside from glossary terms you can look up, like who the bakufu were or which modern city Kyo corresponds to. The lack of an English dub may be a barrier for some, but it drew me in further; I wanted to learn more through this interactive history lesson. While the events aren’t 100% accurate, many characters are based on real people and inspired by real movements, which has definitely piqued my interest in the period.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio crafted an excellent main story that weaves revenge, found family, and betrayal into the time period in a way that had me excited to see what would happen next. Performances can be a bit melodramatic at times, but it works in a game that can switch from super serious to ridiculous at the drop of a hat. Each chapter opens with a recap of recent events — a great refresher if you’ve been away for a few days or got sidetracked by the vast variety of side quests and activities. Those side quests vary in quality (from multi-part stories to monotonous fetch quests), but there’s always something new to try.
Combat lets you switch between four stances: Swordsman (traditional katana), Gunman (pistol), Brawler (hand-to-hand), and Wild Dancer (katana + pistol). Switching takes a beat or two, but it mixes up encounters that might otherwise feel tedious when you just want to explore the city. I used Swordsman most, but it’s worth earning experience in each style.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is chock-full of systems and mini-games of varying quality. The stance leveling and virtue systems are rewarding and fair — you earn points for using each stance to unlock combat buffs/abilities, and completing tasks earns virtue you can spend on other buffs or discounts. I also enjoyed the Trooper Cards, which add supplemental abilities to each stance.
One system I found frustrating and unbalanced was blacksmithing — the only way to upgrade weapons — which requires you to craft to gain experience. Between the high money costs and the materials consumed, I gave up on smithing and just hoped to pick up better gear in combat.
While Like a Dragon: Ishin! definitely feels at times like a PS4 launch-era game (odd animations, noticeable load times), the gameplay and story still hold up today. It’s well worth many hours — an engrossing samurai tale that will hopefully inspire more games from this time period and encourage Eastern studios to bring more of their titles to the West.
