Like a Dragon: Ishin! Reviews
Like A Dragon: Ishin is everything I expected it to be and more. While it is not exactly a Kiwami version of the original, it is a significant upgrade. Its city of Kyo is brimming with life and is filled with countless highly engaging side activities that will easily get you side-tracked from its great main story. The beat-em-up action of its wild dance of swords and pistols puts up an engaging display of grotesquely gory action that never loses its steam, that shares the same DNA with Yakuza Zero and Kiwami.
It’s been a long time coming but Like a Dragon: Ishin! is finally out for western audiences in remade form. While the game is starting to show some of its age mechanically, the redone visuals and quality-of-life changes also give it new life. The storytelling is also solid, especially for newcomers but can feel a bit too similar to past games for longtime players. Add a plethora of quirky mini-games and Like a Dragon: Ishin! is still worth the long wait.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! feels more like a remaster than a remake, with an updated technical aspect but not up to modern standards and with the major novelty, Troops, proving to be far too invasive. At the same time, though, the game represents the end of an almost 10-year-long wait for one of the missing chapters in the series, thus turning out to be an almost obligatory purchase for any fan and for newbies alike, as it doesn't require any prior knowledge of the series.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Like A Dragon: Ishin! doesn't reach the same heights as previous titles, but the new mechanics bring a different feel to the series.
Anyone itching for a game with the samurai aesthetic should consider adding Like a Dragon: Ishin to their shelves.
Taking an objective look at what the franchise has already achieved with its most recent titles, selling Like a Dragon: Ishin! as a remake may have been a wrong strategic decision, since several of its systems were not revitalized to the point of living up to the nomenclature, remaining archaic under a modern look. In addition, the slower and more bucolic tone of both the atmosphere and the narrative makes us understand why the original Ishin was ignored for a Western release. With that in mind, it becomes a little difficult to recommend it for newcomers to the franchise, but for those who are already familiar with all of the series' recurring flaws, it's a solid enough experience.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Like a Dragon: Ishin! sticks very closely to the Yakuza series' formula. Which means it'll bring its players both fun combat, ridiculous side content and some great character moments... and also exceeding amounts of expository dialogue and filler story beats.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Like a Dragon: Ishin has some great characters, an immersive world, and a lot to love. The main plot may not stand out, but the smaller stories of the characters that inhabit the world do. With combat being a highlight, and tons to do, the few issues don’t stop me from recommending this. Just be sure to take it in slowly and experience the world.
If I were to sum up the game’s pros and cons, Like A dragon Ishin is good. I personally recommend this game to all action RPG fans and especially to the Like A Dragon community to play this game if they want to see how different it is from its original version. Plus, if new players are interested in trying this out, I also recommend that they should try out the demo version of the game on their consoles as well.
Like a Dragon: Ishin is worth the wait, and fans of the series are in for a real treat. However, it is a niche entry in the series and not one I’d recommend for beginners. In fact, the more of the main games you’ve played before tackling Ishin, the more you’ll get out of it. Nevertheless, it’s a great spin on the Yakuza formula, and I’m glad Sega took the risk and finally brought it overseas.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! has finally arrived and I am more than happy to report that it brings exactly what all fans of the long-running franchise want to the table: more Yakuza.
Whether you are a fan of the Yakuza series or you are really into Samurais, Like a Dragon: Ishin! won't disappoint you. It might not be a perfect remake and some gameplay mechanisms, especially the gunplay could have been better, but it offers enough action to satisfy anyone obsessed with the far east.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Fans of the Yakuza franchise will definitely love this entry and even those who haven’t played a game will find this is a great entry since it’s not connected to any other title.
Like a Dragon: Ishin offers an entertaining adventure that maintains the high series standard, even IF the storytelling isn’t quite as engrossing as the mainline titles.
Was this title worth the near-decade wait? Absolutely! Like a Dragon: Ishin! delivered on story, gameplay and replayability.
And despite some skepticism about how its historical period would be portrayed, the early turns of its story hooked me thanks to its marriage of murder-mystery, subterfuge, and deeply felt brotherly bonds. Unfortunately, these points of familiarity eventually proved incompatible with the kind of politically charged tale it was trying to tell. While most of my time with Ishin! was a delight, its closing hours are a mess due to its inability to reconcile the series' naivety and optimism with the complexities of history, resulting in a sanitized portrayal of the past that is both bewildering and somewhat troubling.
Sure, a full-fledged remake of Like a Dragon: Ishin! would have been the better deal, but finally being able to play a localized version of this ludicrous Yakuza spinoff is still great. Even though it’s a bit dated for those used to the Dragon Engine, the controls are still excellent, the sheer amount of content is staggering, and the combat styles at your disposal are some of the best the franchise has ever seen. This is what we’ve been asking for years, and Sega delivered. I can’t complain that much.
While Like A Dragon: Ishin! is a good addition to the Yakuza series, it still suffers from its cartoonish humour and jarring ending. The game is a comforting breath of fresh air regardless while it maintains your typical Yakuza mechanics but in a completely different time and place. It's like coming back to your home town after 10 years and seeing how much has changed; familiar but different all at the same time.
Like A Dragon: Ishin! it's like all Yakuza in a sense: it will blow you away for knowing how to combine a serious and solid narrative with completely absurd moments. On the other hand, it differs a LOT from other installments of the franchise, to the point that it becomes a video game that can be a great wink for the most familiar, or a very curious entry point for those who dive for the first time.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is an excellent spin-off that manages to please Like a Dragon fans and newcomers alike. Once again, there’s a seemingly endless amount of activities to do and stories to experience. Combat is fast and exciting and the narrative is dramatic and memorable. This is one remake that is entirely worth your time, as it’s everything Like a Dragon.