Like a Dragon: Ishin! review: new 1860s Japan, same series problems

Four years ago, there was the possibility of an American or European location. Ishin: Like a DragonThis might have looked like a distant dream. But then, in 2019, series producer Daisuke Sato mentioned that such a project was “under consideration.” To say that this quote caused a stir among fans would be an understatement.

This is 2023. And that localization has finally come to pass. The historical drama marks a return to the Yakuza series’ traditional roots, after 2020’s Yakuza: As a DragonYes, it can be confusing. They implemented turn-based combat as well as a weak core cast. And while the remaster of 2014’s Ishin: Like a Dragon brings much of the franchise’s bombast to bear, in a compelling microcosm of 1860s Japan, it doesn’t avoid the narrative pitfalls the Yakuza games have long fallen into.

Ishin doesn’t stray too far from what the Yakuza series has established as its core gameplay loop: semi-open-world exploration in which you bare-knuckle brawl your way through encounters with unruly thugs on your way to a variety of story quests. As with previous entries plot points contain long cutscenes containing a great deal of detail about character motivations and goals. These scenes are often dominated by shocking revelations. It’s effectively the same kind of game that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has been making for upwards of 10 years, just with a different coat of paint.

Image: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega

Similar toYakuza 0 Yakuza KiwamiFour fighting styles are available to players: Ryoma Sakamoto, the protagonist, uses his fists, while another uses a knife; the third uses a gun, and the last uses both a gun as well as a katana simultaneously. Each style has its own unique benefits — the katana allows you to block enemy attacks and deliver more deliberate strikes, for instance, while the gun and katana crossover style is more focused on dodging and attacking enemies in quick succession. While the brawler can unlock the legendary Tiger Drop ability of the katana, most of my time was spent whirling past opponents, delivering swift strokes of sword and punctuated with quick shots from my revolver. It brought back memories of my love for combat in Yakuza, as well as how much it was fun to fight against other thugs in real time.

The process of leveling up is quite simple. You earn most of your experience from random encounters with roving thugs that trawl through Kyoto — the designated locale for this 19th-century spinoff. Performing better according to Ishin’s rating system, which grades you on your overall offense and defense, nets you more experience and yen. You can also unlock spheres to spend in each fighting style’s respective tree, unlocking more hit points, new abilities, and flashier finishing moves. It’s a fairly straightforward progression system for anyone who has played an action-RPG before, forcing you to spend less time in the menus and more time in Ishin’s vibrant world.

Image: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega

Similar to most Yakuza Series, IshinVirtual tourism is a popular concept. Instead of being a fictionalized Kabukicho, the players will be sent back to see a version of Kyoto in the late Edo period. It is broken down into three sections: the main commercial area (containing stores such as Don Quijote which were not around back then but are a hallmark of the Yakuza series); the red-light neighborhood, where minigames can be played with a courtesan; and finally, the player hub which is the Shinsengumi’s headquarters. Beautifully designed environments with rivers and maple trees running through them, the unpaved roads are punctuated by these streams. You can have fun with other players, such as chopping wood or racing chickens.

This soundtrack is a wonderful mix of electronic music from past Yakuza. Traditional Japanese instruments and games.Ishin, like a Dragon’s arrangements of “For Your Sake” and “Receive You” are probably some of the strongest songs in the series, with the incorporation of taiko drums and the shamisen elevating already incredible tracks. The songs effortlessly cross that fine line of familiarity with novelty, which is a reflection on the music. Ishin’s unique spot in the franchise’s history.

This entry features familiar faces such as Ryuji, Goro Majima and Yoshitake Mine. What’s more, despite their fame from the Yakuza series (now called “Like a Dragon” in the West, as well as in Japan) they serve as stand-ins for actual historical figures, like Okita Soji, Hijikata Toshizo, and Nagakura Shinpachi, to name a few. Ishin is basically a greatest hits of the series’ characters, through the lens of historical fiction. Their gruffness, earnestness and reticence are all beautifully balanced by the localization.

Image: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega

Kazuma Kiryu is the main character of this period piece. His face and voice, however, are substitutes for Ryoma Sakamoto who was an important historical figure, Japanese nationalist and advocate for industrialization. Ryoma returns to Tosa as his father, but he is soon embroiled into conflict after his surrogate father, who was murdered by an unknown suspect. Effectively framed for said murder, Ryoma flees to Kyoto under a new name — Saito Hajime, another historical figure and samurai — where he joins the Shinsengumi police force in an attempt to track down the culprit he believes to be among their ranks.

The game, like previous entries in the Yakuza Series, is filled with narrative twists, which can prove confusing even for the most dedicated fans. It is due to Ishin characters’ propensity to never be who they say they are. The story is gripping for most of it, but the end is not a precise interpretation of history and instead smacks of Japanese nationalist propaganda. This game does not reconcile with its statements about Japanese isolationism, Ryoma Samoto’s increasing popularity as a historical and political figure or the Shinsengumi’s service. This is confirmed by the bizarre footnote which cannot be described as head scratching. For the sake of the review, there won’t be any story spoilers, but the ending is worth examining on its own terms down the road.

Image: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega

Simmering beneath it all, there’s that signature level of absurdity the series has more or less become known for in the West. Sub-stories are where Ryoma runs into an alien white man obsessed with samurai cultures, or meets a strange, unpredictable cult who block off part of a street. The series’ pervasive minigames also make their return; but instead of playing baseball, you can play a buyo-inspired rhythm game, or even plant vegetables and cook meals at your private home after you’ve basically adopted Ishin’s feudalistic version of Haruka — the young, orphaned girl Kiryu adopted in the first Yakuza game. Although the minigames are essentially identical, they have been given a fresh look. It’s serviceable, and a sometimes welcome break from the story.

It has all its weaknesses, Ishin, like a DragonUnfortunately, the cartoonish ending and undercurrent of humor are still too much. On a mechanical and systemic level, it’s a fun jaunt, with familiar faces and more fan service than anyone could possibly ask for, in a vivid historical world. But narratively, it’s a reminder of how quickly the stories in these games can go south. And by the time the credits rolled, I remembered why I’ve had difficulty keeping up with the series over the last few entries. Ishin may be a remake of a 2014 title, but those problems have persisted throughout the interim, and each time it tries to address social issues — current or historical — it takes one step forward, two steps back. Yakuza is a world where things are constantly changing, but they remain the same.

Ishin: Like a Dragon On February 21, the game will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Windows PC), Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 4. Sega provided a prerelease code for PC review. Vox Media also has affiliate relationships. They do not affect editorial content. However, Vox Media might earn commissions for products bought via affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.