Like a Dragon Ishin Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Speedrunning Tips

Like a Dragon: Ishin! is one of those video games that has been a long, long time coming as a cult hit for a passionate subset of fans.

Originally a spin-off of the main Yakuza series released in 2014 on PlayStation 4 and never brought over to the United States, Ishin! is finally arriving in the west courtesy of developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and publisher Sega.

Recognizing that the landscape for video games and especially the Yakuza series has dramatically shifted since the original release, this is actually an Unreal Engine 4 remake brought forward to modern sensibilities.

Still very much in the spirit of a spin-off, Ishin! faithfully captures the tone and gameplay of the series while the remake portion of the package delivers the ideal experience for western gamers.

Graphics and Gameplay

Ishin! was different for the series, even in 2014. A mashup of samurai-western styles, players swapped out automatic weapons and suits for traditional samurai garb and katanas, with the main character able to wield a powerful revolver for good measure.

Like back then, Ishin! is a great-looking game with a knack for attention to detail. It features densely-populated cities with storefronts to enter and explore, minigames, packed-in alleys, food vendors to purchase from and bond with, and citizens to help with various things through substories.

Lighting, shadows and all of the dazzle of gory sword-based combat players might expect shine through here. It's a nice modern showcase wrapped around the core of the original package, with voice acting still a strong suit.

Of major note are the facial animations for prominent characters that especially impress given this is only brought up to modern standards from 2014. Don't undersell that either—expressions and emotion are incredibly important in a story that tells its major beats through sometimes very lengthy monologues.

Gameplay is now very different from modern Yakuza offerings too. Where the newer release leaned into turn-based gameplay as a mixup for the series, Ishin! is proudly action-oriented in real-time.

Players can switch between Brawler, Gunman, Wild Dancer, and Swordsman Styles and it's a blast to do so given the situation and enemies present. Diving deep into the bag of slashes and parries with swords is fun, but whipping out a revolver and blasting away melee-based enemies is sometimes even more thrilling.

Brawler is just what it sounds like, as players engage in fisticuffs. Wild Dancer will likely be the most popular though, because who doesn't want to wield a katana and a revolver at the same time while artfully dodging around enemy attacks?

A fun wrinkle are Trooper Cards. Players can have four equipped, which through combat charge up for special attacks or other boosts. They add nice depth and player agency over the experience as players craft out their preferred playstyles.

Controls-wise, Ishin! has some clunky things going on here and there, like sprinting tied to the "A" button and other non-standard-feeling inputs in combat. But it doesn't take overly long to adjust, though trying to get the targeting system to stay on a desired enemy when confronted with a group of foes can be a source of frustration.

As a whole, it's really fun to run through the wealth of combat options against a variety of enemies. Running around like a samurai in that era with access to everything one would expect—plus a big, bad revolver—is as fun as it sounds.

Story and More

Ishin! is a period drama set in the Bakumatsu Period, so roughly 10 years ago, it makes sense that those behind it were unsure if it would do well in places like North America.

Fast forward to now, with resounding success like Ghost of Tsushima to Sekiro, it's pretty clear the tale Ishin! weaves and the gameplay it presents should do just fine with players.

This is very much a Yakuza game, walking an oft-funny tightrope between a very serious, bloody tale of revenge and off-hand humor at every turn. When a player steers main character Sakamoto Ryoma into a town, it's sometimes hard to tell whether he'll get swarmed with enemies and paint the streets red or join a line of dancing citizens kicking up dust while everyone claps on from afar.

It's this serious-funny balance that makes Yakuza so compelling as a whole. Players join Ryoma on a very serious tale that is narratively gripping and worth the ride, yet at every turn it never feels inconsistent to switch gears and hop into something silly like racing chickens.

The density of the explorable world and some of the side content, though, really steals the show. This series is the master of immersive open worlds for many players for good reason.

While the map isn't big like some open-world games like to advertise, it is dense. Many storefronts players see actually feature an interior with things to do. And the immersion massively gains its lived-in feeling because buying and chatting with certain vendors means building relationships with them. It's a little thing, but actually progressing interactions with NPCs who do as little as sell the player some food means something.

Minigames include things like shogi, karaoke and poker (plus a rock, paper, scissors challenge with high stakes!), or more broadly, fishing and races. Substories (aka sidequests) range from super serious with unforgettable characters and narrative beats to super ridiculous and somehow equally unforgettable.

Progression settles on the expected and modern-feeling balance of leveling up through combat and otherwise while equipping certain gear pieces for stat bonuses.

For the loremasters or players who really want to dive deep on the era setting, a helpful Bakumatsu Archives is a glossary of characters, events and terms worth a look. There's also a replay system to re-view cinematics.

Also included is a solid photo mode with plenty of filter options so players can stop the grind and get to photograph some of those wacky (or gory) moments.

The game boasts droves of settings and options, too. Players can fine-tune little things like presentation of cutscenes (subtitles, whether a character wears a weapon, etc.) and tweak some of those aforementioned controls.

This quality extends to the accessibility menu, including the automation of skill and style juggling. Of note is "Distance Assitance," which will manage the gap between player and enemy automatically to player attacks connect. What the game calls "Action Assitance" will execute abilities automatically while the player holds a button.

On the performance side, Ishin! seems to run smooth throughout the experience without any notable dips or glitches, as anticipated.

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Speedrunning Tips

Understandably, Ishin! doesn't have a massive speedrunning following—yet, at least.

Given the game launched long before speedrunning's popularity boom and the difficulty in obtaining copies of the game, it wasn't going to have a blossoming community in this area.

The good news? Yakuza: Like a Dragon from 2020 has a healthy community still going strong with world-record times under the four-hour mark. That time and popularity should extend to Ishin! quite well, especially given its real-time action and overall fun gameplay.

Standard tips apply. Would-be runners need multiple practice runs just to route the game properly. Buzzing through conversations and cutscenes will chop down times, as will skipping most side content.

In combat, buffing into Wild Dancer is likely the best route to go because its versatility lends itself well to any time of foe encountered.

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Conclusion

Ishin! was always a fun sidestory in a beloved universe and that doesn't change here.

It also doesn't mean longtime series fans or newcomers should avoid it.

In fact, it's almost worth running to—the breath of fresh air it presents in combat and the deep cultural dive makes for an awesome experience. It speaks to the power of the original release that this is an offering with depth that extends in many different directions, be it an engaging story, sheer fun factor and outright learning about an era.

While the popularity of other Yakuza games paved the way for this massive release, Ishin! is a superb standalone with many modern trappings that were clearly ahead of its time.