Like a Dragon: Ishin!

About

Like a Dragon: Ishin! reimagines the Yakuza formula with a historical twist. You play as Sakamoto Ryoma, a character inspired by series mainstay Kazuma Kiryu, navigating 1860s Japan’s political chaos. The game blends swordplay, gunfights, and brawls in a world filled with side missions, minigames, and period-specific set pieces. Combat feels weighty and varied, letting you switch between weapons and fists mid-fight. The story follows Ryoma’s quest for revenge, weaving in familiar cast members from the franchise with new roles in a fictionalized Edo-era setting. The game stands out for its bold recontextualization of the series’ tone and setting. Player communities highlight the 100+ hour runtime and the clever use of historical events as a backdrop for classic RGG storytelling. While not as polished as recent Yakuza entries, it’s praised for its ambition and the return of beloved characters in fresh, sometimes jarring, ways. Metacritic scores hover around 90, with fans noting the game’s ambition and divisive historical shift.

Storyline

Like a Dragon: Ishin brings in familiar faces to tell this epic historical tale. Fans will recognize our protagonist as Kazuma Kiryu from earlier entries in the franchise. In Ishin, Kiryu is cast as Sakamoto Ryoma and brings the rest of his crew along too. Goro Majima and other Yakuza celebrities join Ryoma as friends and foes in this fictional world that trades the flashy streets of Tokyo for the chaotic bustle of 1860s Kyo. These new character dynamics are as thrilling as they are unexpected, with a series of mind-blowing twists and turns in a story only RGG studio can tell.