Like a Dragon: Ishin!

 PC
Like a Dragon: Ishin! Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

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  • Summary: In 1860s Kyo, a solemn samurai's fight for justice stands to change the course of Japan's history forever. Draw your blade and join the revolution in this heated historical adventure.

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Like a Dragon: Ishin! | Combat Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Movies Games and Tech
    May 9, 2023
    90
    It’s important to remember that this is a remake, so sure, it has some awkwardly outdated NPC pathing and interaction and graphically, some textures look a little flat. Though these are minor issues, I’m nit-picking as a reviewer. I can’t deny that I loved being transported to late-Edo Japan and embarking on this epic story, playing all the little minigames, exploring the world, engaging in katana swordfights and more. The care, attention, and enhancements this game received set it above every other game in the Yakuza franchise. It’s a must-play.
  2. Gamersky
    Feb 21, 2023
    86
    Like a dragon: Ishin! is a blood-soaked battle feast. Not only does it have the historical weight of the Bakumatsu period in its plot, but it also features many classic characters from the Yakuza series. The game's combat system is arguably the best in the series, with an impeccable feel, rich and deep styles, and few parts that affect the gameplay experience, apart from some minor numerical issues. The sandbox-style open world of Kyoto still has plenty of playable content, but there is nothing innovative about it. In addition, its weapon enhancement and crafting system lacks practicality and fails to provide enough fun for players.
  3. GameStar
    Feb 17, 2023
    83
    Very atmospheric trip to ancient Japan, where graphical flaws are compensated with vast content and plenty of gameplay.
  4. GameSpot
    Feb 17, 2023
    80
    Like A Dragon: Ishin is a fascinating part of the RGG Studio catalog, creatively blending the characters and drama we know and love across the Yakuza lore with a period piece set during a turbulent time in Japanese history. By virtue of its brand of storytelling, Ishin forgoes some of the tropes that have glorified samurai but rides that line ever so closely. If the series is one thing, it's consistent--because despite the shift to Edo-era Japan, there's an unmistakable familiarity. The days of asking Sega to bring Ishin to the West are thankfully over. And although this revision uses an older foundation that shows its age, it's nice to finally have a version of the game that has been tidied up for modern platforms. Like a Dragon: Ishin brings an all-star cast back together for a story that's bigger than any one character, and it makes for a fine addition to the series’ deep history.
  5. Shacknews
    Feb 17, 2023
    80
    Though Like a Dragon Ishin! is rough around the corners, its complex story and rich world with an abundance of side adventures are well worth the cost of admission. The game’s reinterpretation of Japan’s Bakumatsu period is a transporting experience that explores a moment in history that is not often available to Western audiences. Ishin has some trouble upgrading the combat system and camera controls to today’s standards, and it’s not a graphical powerhouse despite some visual upgrades. But anyone who is a fan of the Yakuza Kiwami series will likely forgive these faults to a degree. Like a Dragon Ishin! may be just a remake of a spin-off, but its blades are sharp enough to ignite your inner samurai.
  6. RPG Site
    Feb 17, 2023
    80
    Like a Dragon: Ishin is an excellent revitalization of an already solid entry in the Like a Dragon series. It has a compelling story that somewhat falls apart in the last stretch, but the journey that leads to it is captivating. Adding in new likenesses from recent Like a Dragon / Yakuza series from several iconic characters was a change I welcomed, because I loved so many of those characters. The gameplay feels refreshing thanks to Ryoma’s unique arsenal and there is just a sheer amount of optional side content to dive into that all feel fun, partially due to the Bakumatsu time period it’s set in. I ultimately finished my playthrough in 34 hours, but I still have a ton of optional content left that will easily consume dozens of more hours.
  7. Eurogamer Germany
    Mar 7, 2023
    70
    Technically, the remaster shows its age. In terms of content, it is a successful spin-off with a cool battle system and motivating mini-games.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. Inuyasha1
    Mar 4, 2023
    10
    오오!! 용과같이 유신 극 공식 출시!!
    용과같이 유신 극의 검들이 다 간지나는듯.
    특히 화염 칼날인 호네바미와 바람의 검 사미다레가 가장 간지최고인듯    오오!! 용과같이 유신 극 공식 출시!!
    용과같이 유신 극의 검들이 다 간지나는듯.
    특히 화염 칼날인 호네바미와 바람의 검 사미다레가 가장 간지최고인듯
  2. yikjr-yujr-ttur
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    Yet another RGG Studios gem, an easy reccomendation. best game ever in my personal opinion
  4. GOTYEldenRing1
    Mar 5, 2023
    10
    근접전투 타격감이 확실히 엄청 좋아졌습니다. 그리고 스토리도 진짜 멋있음.
  5. locm
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    another RGG Studios gem, imo this is the best game in the series outstanding world gameplay and music
  6. danteisthegoat
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    another RGG Studios great game,. best game ever in the series great music gameplay story and world
  7. Sholva
    Mar 9, 2023
    9
    Another fantastic game in the Like a Dragon series.

    Like a Dragon: Ishin! has been quite a surprise because, a priori, looking at the    Another fantastic game in the Like a Dragon series.

    Like a Dragon: Ishin! has been quite a surprise because, a priori, looking at the setting, it looked like a completely different mood compared to other games from RGG Studio, in this series but, right at the start of the game, we can already see that this will, in fact, be a great game within this franchise.

    I’ll start talking about PC performance, on my Ryzen 5 3600 and RTX 3060 Ti system, this game performs amazingly, it’s pretty easy to run it way above 60 FPS at 1620p DLDSR downsampling (from 1080p native, my main resolution), Max Settings, and no need to use Upscaling at all.
    I choose 1620p DLDSR over 4K DSR because I find it looks better in this game, but 4K is also doable at 60 FPS, might need some Upscaling though (in which case I suggest XeSS over FSR 2.1, the former looks a bit cleaner overall, particularly at Ultra-Quality, but both can experience some temporal shimmering artifacts though, be aware, minor ones…but they exist).

    In the PC port we can find the expected settings from previous RGG games, so it’s all in there, including an FOV setting and pretty Customizable Controls.

    With the 1.03 Update, the game is free from any Shader Compilation Stutters, it runs pretty smoothly now, except very small hiccups right when a loading screen happens, nothing major there.

    When it comes to Characters, this half remaster, half remake of Ishin brings back some good old favorites from previous games in the series, which is really nice to see because I really like their actors’ performances, both here and in those other games, of course.

    The Soundtrack is the usual high quality from RGG games, with some character specific tracks from previous games coming back but with new arrangements fitting the era this game takes place in, a nice touch indeed.

    Gameplay wise, I mostly found the combat to be pretty decent, this is after all a PS3 game with some improvements and the combat feels it’s from that era, but it’s not too bad once you get used to it, definitely it’s not the worst in the series.
    I played on Hard Difficulty and the game felt relatively balanced, except in a couple encounters here and there.
    The more skill points we get, the better the combat becomes, that’s for sure, and that’s a good thing. Again, not the best in the series, but I enjoyed it for what it is.

    Speaking of balancing, I found the Crafting system to be the weakest link here in this game, it’s nice that we have it, but it creates an unnecessary grind, if we want to level up the Blacksmith to a decent level to take advantage of discounts, or to unlock all the crafting variants.
    Surely, it’s meant to be combined with the rest of the “Another Life” activities such as Farming, but it’s a grind, nonetheless, and some people may not like that.
    Optional, for sure, because you don’t really need to craft anything in order to complete the game, you still get decent weapon drops and other items when defeating some bosses, but if you want more cool items and such…yeah, you either use certain money making exploits, or grind.

    All in all, I’ve enjoyed this game quite a lot, the story is pretty moving, with many epic moments and boss fights, it’s full of characters with so much charisma and the ones that got changed, from the OG release, to this remaster/remake, fit in so well in the story, because their actors are top tier.

    After playing this game I am now more eager to know about the next game in the series, Like a dragon: Gaiden, and of course looking forward to the day where Like a Dragon 8 arrives, likely next year.    … Expand
  8. Smoothhands
    Feb 23, 2023
    0
    The Pc ports for the Yakuza remasters are always garbage. And this one is no exception.

    But this is about more than just being a lazy port.    The Pc ports for the Yakuza remasters are always garbage. And this one is no exception.

    But this is about more than just being a lazy port. Lazy ports don't just get a 0.
    The reason why i'm review bombing this game is because they are actually charging extra for a difficulty setting.

    Is this going to be the new standard for the Yakuza Franchise? If so they just lost a long time fan.    … Expand

See all 12 User Reviews

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94
#94 Best PC Game of 2023
75
#75 Most Discussed PC Game of 2023

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