Like a Dragon: Ishin! Reviews
This is a special story, away from modern Yakuza gangs, instead focusing on a period drama with a strong samurai "flavor".
Review in Greek | Read full review
While Like a Dragon: Ishin! definitely feel at times like a PS4 launch game with odd animations and extensive load times, the gameplay and story still hold up today.
Like a Dragon: Ishin fulfills the promise: better later than never. It would be pity to miss such different part of series drawing lot of freshness from 19th century and different drama. The familiar faces and combat system is put into the new perspective in attractive environment.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
It's essentially a classic Yakuza game, but the samurai theme added a completely different flavor. Arguably one of the best games in the series.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
This prequel a suitable start for new players, but is mostly geared to fans of the series, as it shows the favorite characters from Yakuza, with a new historical mold, full of exciting events and surprises, while also preserving the essence that characterize the series while introducing some different elements in the gameplay, but it lacks it The smoothness of dodging and switching between fighting styles and some aspects don't measure up to a re-released game.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Like a Dragon Ishin is a captivating and entertaining video game that combines exciting gameplay with an over the top presentation of Samurai history.
While Like a Dragon: Ishin! Might not be the strongest entry in this venerable franchise, its emphasis on weapon combat and an interesting take on historical characters and events makes it one worth experiencing all the same.
Like A Dragon: Ishin at it’s core is still very much Yakuza/ Like a Dragon title despite being completely separated from the mainline series. It has a grand story and characters that will captivate you from beginning to end, incredible action, great over the top moments that will make you laugh out loud, some that will make you question why they’re so weird and of course plenty of mini games and systems implemented that will keep you entertained aplenty when not completing the main missions.
While it doesn’t feel like it quite reaches the heights of Yakuza 0 or 7, it still stands out as another fun romp through an insane story with an entertaining batch of characters.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is absolutely another Yakuza/Like a Dragon game. If you love this style of game, and are ready for the sometimes slow pace the story moves as well as some of the more frivolous side activities and stories, you’ll get exactly what you were hoping for plus plenty of fun surprises. However for those who either haven’t tried the franchise or have dipped in before only to bounce off, this game doesn’t offer any evolutions on the formula which might tempt new players, beside the historical setting itself. But if you even have a passing interest in Japanese history, you can learn a surprising amount from it.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! does the series justice, however it's definitely not one of its best. The story is a bit too convoluted and shot and the newer entries in the series simply have more variety to the content.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
A great addition to any fan's game collection, and sure to turn the heads of newcomers looking for some samurai action.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is the most fun I’ve had playing a Yakuza game since Yakuza 0. Any fan of the series or fans of samurai games, in general, should check it out.
Like a Dragon: Ishin is a historically-rooted drama with enough to explore to keep players busy and there are not many experiences like it. This series is unique and absolutely worth trying. Ishin is also a pretty solid entry point to an extremely unique series but it might be too serious for some.
In sum, Like A Dragon: Ishin! is a cool game with a lot to offer for those curious about the series or those who love it but want a fresh take on the characters, setting, time period, and combat. Much of what makes RGG Studio games so great is here, and there is no shortness of characters, story, and content for players to sink themselves into if they so choose. I enjoyed my time with Ishin!, and while I prefer the more modern settings the series is known for, I tip my hat to RGG for stepping out into this time period to take a fun look at a piece of Japanese history.
The story may be a bit derivative of other Yakuza titles, and yes an NPC may get caught on the corner of a wall and just keep running on the spot. This game has a couple of issues. But honestly, they’re so few and far between
Incorporating most of the highs from the mainline games, Like a Dragon: Ishin! delivers a compelling “Yakuza with samurai” standalone experience.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! blends the real-world history with the franchise's signature charm in a way that shouldn't work but just does. Resulting in one of the most memorable Like a Dragon experiences so far, this is a must-play game for long-time fans.
While the storytelling is fabulous and the substories are legendary levels of insane, there are definitely parts of Ishin that could have used a bit more refinement, such as the combat and location design.