How Like a Dragon: Ishin! Departs from the Yakuza You Know (and What Remains the Same)

Yakuza series has never been one to sit still — players explore the vibrant, violent ’80s in Yakuza 0 All the way up to today’s neon-hued in Yakuza like a Dragon. The series continues to move forward. Ryo Ga Gotoku Studios, Ishin, like a Dragon (Heretofore, the to was shortened “Ishin”), takes you back in time — by quite some margin — to the Japan of the 1860s.

The Bakumatsu era couldn’t be more different than flashy, modern day Kamurocho (the primary setting for most Yakuza/Judgement titles) — yet during a recent hands-on with the game, I found that for all that’s different, there is much in IshinYakuza veterans will be familiar with these words. Here’s what Ishin changes… and what it doesn’t:

Is that…?

There’s something very familiar about swordsman Sakamoto Ryoma. I didn’t recognize the name (though apparently, he was a real samurai), but the face is unmistakable. No, Kiryu, Majima, and other members of the Tojo clan didn’t hop into a DeLorean to play out their samurai fantasies — this is more of a “What…if?” situation where familiar faces and personalities are mapped onto a cast from different era of Japanese history.

This also means that everyone is back on the table: if you’ve enjoyed Yakuza 0By Yakuza like a Dragon, you’ll frequently be pointing at the screen, saying ‘is that ___?’  Even if said familiar face met their untimely end in a previous title — or you thought they were dead then it turns out they survived but then they die for real in a dramatic and meaningful scene (it happens in this universe!) — they may show up in Ishin under a new guise. Have fun with the déjà vu

The lights are out

Taking place in the mid-19th century, you’d expect Ishin‘s setting of Kyo (as modern day Kyoto was known at the time) to have little in common with the bustling, brightly -lit Kamurocho of the Yakuza series. Even though the technology and architecture are vastly different, they still work. IshinKyo will be similar in size to the Yakuza, and more importantly as packed with interactivity locations, as other locales. IshinThe world is now open, with karaoke bars, hostesses clubs and beef bowl joint replaced by blacksmiths, fish market and udon stands. Although the set-up has changed, interactions remain very similar to those in Japan today, with Ryoma building a relationship with merchants and barkeeps. There’s even a (Possibly slightlyAnachronistic Don Quijote is available for your shopping pleasure

Act first, strategize later

Turn-based RPG Yakuza: As a DragonThe most recent or only! RGG title you’ve experienced, know that IshinIt plays more like the Yakuza-style action games, as well as recent Judgement titles. Even still, Ishin presents the largest departure we’ve yet seen from the action brawler; there’s significantly more emphasis on weapons, particularly swords — complete with crafting and upgrade elements — and a costarring role for firearms. Yakuza games often limited the use of guns, but in this game there is a significant shift. Ishin you’ll immediately draw your katana and revolver at every provocation.

During my hands-on time, I gravitated to Ryoma’s Wild Dancer style, swinging a sword in wide, one-handed arcs and punctuating slashing combos with a revolver shot to good effect. Ryoma has the ability to conceal and holster his weapons in order for classic unarmed brawler combat. Why would you want to?

The swingin’ (18)60s

One of the hallmarks of the Yakuza franchise is how frequently it careens from intense drama to absurd moments; this probably shouldn’t work, but any fan will tell you that it absolutely does. So it’s a relief to see that IshinBakumatsu era minigames keep it weird. Full-on substories from the series (the series, which is a term for side quests), include cannons, chicken racing and infectious dance crazes. While karaoke may not have existed in the 1860s, make no mistake – there is absolutely a singing minigame, featuring voice actor Takaya Kuroda belting out period-specific tunes set to imagery of Ryoma violently ripping daikon radishes out of the garden. You… have to be there.

And indeed, you won’t have to wait much longer before you canBe there. Ishin, like a Dragon!S February 21, 2023.|S February 21, 2023.