Like a Dragon: Ishin!

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 31
  3. Negative: 5 out of 31

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  1. yikjr-yujr-ttur
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    Yet another RGG Studios gem, an easy reccomendation. best game ever in my personal opinion
  2. locm
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    another RGG Studios gem, imo this is the best game in the series outstanding world gameplay and music
  3. debile56500
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    this is easily in my top 10 favorite game of all time i fcking love it great job RGG
  4. kiryu6666666666
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    Yet another RGG Studios gem, an easy reccomendation. 10/10 score!!!!!!!!!!!
  5. danteisthegoat
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    another RGG Studios great game,. best game ever in the series great music gameplay story and world
  6. 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. 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.
  7. Inuyasha17
    Mar 5, 2023
    10
    Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! Please remake Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! is the best game of my life. When a remake comes out, I want to play that game.
  8. 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
  9. GOTYEldenRing1
    Mar 5, 2023
    10
    근접전투 타격감이 확실히 엄청 좋아졌습니다. 그리고 스토리도 진짜 멋있음.
  10. 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 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    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
  11. phantomromano
    Apr 25, 2023
    8
    Ishin is definitely not the strongest entry in the franchise. For me personally, it was a little better than Yakuza 3. The fighting system is fun, the story is good. What it lacks in my opinion are the diverse and interesting side quests all the other Yakuza games had. The story also doesn´t grip me as much as the other Yakuza titles did for some reason.

    Still, a very good game. I    Ishin is definitely not the strongest entry in the franchise. For me personally, it was a little better than Yakuza 3. The fighting system is fun, the story is good. What it lacks in my opinion are the diverse and interesting side quests all the other Yakuza games had. The story also doesn´t grip me as much as the other Yakuza titles did for some reason.

    Still, a very good game. I enjoyed it a lot and can recommend picking it up.    … Expand
  12. barbagodx
    Sep 1, 2023
    8
    I love you ryu ga gotoku studio, this game is amazing, It is appreciated that it is coming to the west and on PC

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic 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.
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  2. ZTGD
    Mar 23, 2023
    75
    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.
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  3. CD-Action
    Mar 14, 2023
    90
    Historical fiction served as a game full of swordfights, content and design choices straight from the past. Apart from some shortcomings arising from the fact that we’re dealing with a remake of an almost decade-old title, it’s hard to point out any major flaws of Ryu Ga Gotoku’s latest offering. More than just an engaging action game, Like a Dragon: Ishin! lets you experience an incredibly romantic era and a charming story of a warrior with a heart of gold, who’s always ready to put his quest for vengeance aside to go fishing, cook a dinner, pray at a shrine, help someone write a love letter or show kids how to find Japan on a globe. Although it’s a spin-off, it works great as in introduction to the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series.
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