Like a Dragon: Ishin!

 PlayStation 5
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 81 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 81
  3. Negative: 19 out of 81
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  1. Nmaa18
    Sep 11, 2023
    7
    I loved yakuza like a dragon, so i decided to buy this game. I am disappointed, even though I can see that the game has potential, and i find its setting interesting (end of the Edo period).

    What could have been improved: for a ps5, 2023 game, the graphics did not blow me away. They were fine. The music did not stand out to me like trek to yomi, blades of the shogun, total war shogun 2,    I loved yakuza like a dragon, so i decided to buy this game. I am disappointed, even though I can see that the game has potential, and i find its setting interesting (end of the Edo period).

    What could have been improved: for a ps5, 2023 game, the graphics did not blow me away. They were fine. The music did not stand out to me like trek to yomi, blades of the shogun, total war shogun 2, or ghost of tsushima. The animations for the wells and pot looting were cutscenes (hence: slow), and Ryoma always does the same noise while consuming food. Ryoma also did not display a lot of emotions or ambitions or opinions. All of these I can ignore.

    The bad: a lot of lines are not voiced. this is problematic for three reasons. 1.) They come unexpectedly, and this results in the game being unsettlingly quiet at times 2.) There is a lot of dialogue, so it was important to voice it fully in order to maintain the immersion. 3.) You only had one language to voice anyway. Secondly, something which baffled me: the camera automatically centres when u look up or down (um - why? we can disable auto camera for horizontal movement but not vertical? what???) and it is jittery when the character is in tight spaces. Thirdly, the parrying was very hard and the pistol did very little damage. I also did not like how it was always 5v1 or something. Feels so unfair. The combat in Ghost of Tsuhima was great: It was refined, fun, felt precise, and most of all fair.

    Conclusion: After a few hours into the game, I knew this game was not for me. I enjoyed briefly dipping my toes into a Japan that is shifting from the sword to the gun, from feudalism to republicanism. The story itself was mildly interesting. why is a kid randomly dying right when important people walk through town? and why couldnt she have waited a few seconds or hidden somewhere? Something sad happens early on but you dont really have the time to care about them. Ryomo is pretty stoic and reserved. The first "villain" seems like a generic anime bad guy. The list of narrative woes goes on. The gameplay was also not my cup of tea. It is with much regret that I must say I cannot recommend this game to anyone, unless they are a massive fan of yakuza games or the vagabond manga or samurai champloo anime, but even then... there are simply games more deserving of my time out there. it seems like a repetitive and unrewarding game. Its only redeeming qualities are perhaps the story and mini games later on, but i do not even have the will to reach those points. 70/100    … Expand
  2. Killerpummkin
    Aug 17, 2023
    9
    This is still a wonderful game and well worth playing, although not as strong as some of the others.
  3. chokorettoo
    Jul 29, 2023
    6
    loved the gameplay, but i wasnt a fan of the trooper cards, i thought it would be so random whe random guys would shoot fireballs out of their hands ........ i wish the camera was fixed and there were some delays in battle. the graphic improvements were stunning but i wish they improved the graphics where it came to the sidestories , but hey they did this game in 6 months, i wish they tookloved the gameplay, but i wasnt a fan of the trooper cards, i thought it would be so random whe random guys would shoot fireballs out of their hands ........ i wish the camera was fixed and there were some delays in battle. the graphic improvements were stunning but i wish they improved the graphics where it came to the sidestories , but hey they did this game in 6 months, i wish they took longer with it, to make it more hyped than it orignially was… Expand
  4. Maradum
    Jul 19, 2023
    8
    LaD Ishin is a Remake of Yakuza Ishin which was released in 2014 but never made it to the West. Graphically it looks good, but it is definitely not its strength. However, the art direction, the world design and the open world are some of the best out there. You feel like you are exactly in 19th century Japan.

    The strength are by far the characters, the story and the amazing side    LaD Ishin is a Remake of Yakuza Ishin which was released in 2014 but never made it to the West. Graphically it looks good, but it is definitely not its strength. However, the art direction, the world design and the open world are some of the best out there. You feel like you are exactly in 19th century Japan.

    The strength are by far the characters, the story and the amazing side content. Subquest are still extremely fun, tell amazing stories or are just there to make you laugh. Mini games like karaoke, dancing, chicken racing and many more might take even more time than the actual main story!

    The gameplay offers a variety of fighting styles from brawler, to sword fighter, to gunman, to wild dancer – a combination of sword/gun that is just fun to play and looks amazing. Overall it feels like an evolution to the classic, non dragon engine games.

    The main story is focussing on actual historical events, so getting familiar with these before playing might help a bit – but is not necessary at all.

    Overall I would rate it as a middle of the pack Yakuza game. It doesnt reach the excellent games like 0 or 7, but it is a great game on its own!    … Expand
  5. TheBigTicket
    Jun 28, 2023
    9
    Out of all RGG games Ive played this one probably had the best story and characters. I was 100% invested in it during every cutscene. The voice actors really did an amazing job.

    Outside of the masterfully written main story you also have a million things to do and I spent prolly about 10-15 hours just doing the farming minigame. Only reason this isnt a 10 is the outdated graphics    Out of all RGG games Ive played this one probably had the best story and characters. I was 100% invested in it during every cutscene. The voice actors really did an amazing job.

    Outside of the masterfully written main story you also have a million things to do and I spent prolly about 10-15 hours just doing the farming minigame.

    Only reason this isnt a 10 is the outdated graphics (outside of cutscenes) and the combat does get a little tedious after 30 hours or so.    … Expand
  6. Conget
    Jun 4, 2023
    8
    Have been waiting for this game for a long time since japanese release. Some model changed in this version pure for fanbase which I still preferred the original model. Storywise is quite yakuza-level worthy, but the grinding of some collectibles like crafting is really over the top. Took me about 160 hrs to platinum it (My 2nd longest is kiwami 1 which was about 120 hrs, mostly due to Car chase)
  7. sincequake3
    May 29, 2023
    4
    a mix of dynasty Warriors and devil may cry. its dated in every way. if someone is looking for a game to replace dynasty Warriors this is it. the combat is 30% slower and more tactical but doesn't feel sluggish.
  8. frederik1478
    May 8, 2023
    7
    this is just another good Yakuza game is not the best but it's certainly one of those you gonna remember

    the game played took some time to get used to my biggest problem was that this is not a game about getting skilled it's a game about getting the good stats and I didn't want to grind so it was really hard in the beginning but the game begin to throw good weapons at you and did become    this is just another good Yakuza game is not the best but it's certainly one of those you gonna remember

    the game played took some time to get used to my biggest problem was that this is not a game about getting skilled it's a game about getting the good stats and I didn't want to grind so it was really hard in the beginning but the game begin to throw good weapons at you and did become a breeze

    the game looks really good and the characters are likeable all around even if the main character still has that stoic face

    just another good game and play if you are interested in this series    … Expand
  9. Daniel0809
    Mar 28, 2023
    8
    If your a fan of yakuza then you will enjoy this game. Graphics look pretty good and the game play is exactly like all the yakuza games . Set the accessibility setting to your benefit because it makes the game even more badass. I love these games from RGG studio and will ALWAYS buy RGG games. I love seeing these characters in this games. Great story also from this game. I dont like the wayIf your a fan of yakuza then you will enjoy this game. Graphics look pretty good and the game play is exactly like all the yakuza games . Set the accessibility setting to your benefit because it makes the game even more badass. I love these games from RGG studio and will ALWAYS buy RGG games. I love seeing these characters in this games. Great story also from this game. I dont like the way I have to press X so much to hurry the dialog . The pace is to slow when interacting with NPC's & picking up objects. Fun game and worth buying in my opinion.… Expand
  10. niko433a
    Apr 3, 2023
    7
    The story is enjoyable for the most part except for the plot twist that can be seen from a mile away.

    Grindy mechanics = EWW

    The ending is somewhat bad since there's no redemption for all the lives lost at a specific person's hands.
  11. DongNiko
    Mar 18, 2023
    8
    Great yakuza spin-off, but same flaw as every RGG games: too much boring side content...
  12. dark0153
    Mar 12, 2023
    1
    Top quality trash mini games and boss fights.

    Really hope whoever designed, tested and signed-off on the Anna minigames stub their toes daily, till the end of times
  13. AxonYT
    Mar 10, 2023
    0
    Charging for a difficulty setting is despicable. Is this going to be the new standard for the Yakuza Franchise? If so they just lost a long time fan.
  14. NimbleOnion48
    Mar 9, 2023
    0
    I stopped at a fight so broken that it wasn’t even funny. After 8 RGG games, won’t buy a single entry from now on.
  15. PayneChaos
    Mar 6, 2023
    8
    If you like the Like a dragon/Yakuza series then you'll like this game. Wouldn't say it's the best in the franchise but it's pretty great.
  16. Inuyasha17
    Mar 5, 2023
    10
    Like a Dragon: Ishin! was very good for dealing with Japan's Meiji Restoration, one of the most important periods in world warfare.
  17. GOTYEldenRing1
    Mar 5, 2023
    10
    용과같이 시리즈 중 가장 높은 역대급 근접 타격감을 자랑함. 강추합니다.
  18. crowstastegood
    Mar 4, 2023
    9
    pretty amazing game overall, although it isn't as strong as other titles, it's definitely worth playing.
  19. Inuyasha1
    Mar 4, 2023
    10
    크... 용과같이 유신 극의 검들이 다 간지나지만
    특히 붉은 화염 칼날인 호네바미와 바람의 검 사미다레가 제일 간지나는듯
  20. Jt0429
    Mar 2, 2023
    8
    Good-
    Incredible sense of time and place established via its great setting; combat is spectacular, and probably the best (or most visually satisfying, if nothing else) brawler combat in the series; retains all of the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series' strengths, including a LOT of addictive content, great setting, compelling characters, dramatic storytelling, and more.
    Bad- Retains a lot of    Good-
    Incredible sense of time and place established via its great setting; combat is spectacular, and probably the best (or most visually satisfying, if nothing else) brawler combat in the series; retains all of the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series' strengths, including a LOT of addictive content, great setting, compelling characters, dramatic storytelling, and more.

    Bad-
    Retains a lot of the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series' weaknesses too - the length of the game may be a put-off to many, for example, as might be the lack of an English dub; its technical PS3 era roots are often clearly visible.

    Thoughts-
    Ultimately, Ishin is a great game to hold us over until Like A Dragon 8, which continues the mainline story, eventually releases. It retains pretty much everything that made the original game a fan favorite among those who did play it, while also smartly modernizing what was necessary with a light and deft touch. It’s hard to think of any fan of the saga who will come away from this release unhappy. If you wanted more Yakuza, you have it. If you were starting to get fatigued, but weren’t completely off the train, then this game is just fresh enough to re-engage you, and just familiar enough to scratch the itch.    … Expand
  21. Oneiricnoir
    Mar 1, 2023
    9
    The Yakuza series exists on a unique wavelength. It’s not for everyone, but if it’s for you then you’re a fan for life. Like a Dragon: Ishin is no exception. I’ve wanted a Western release for Ishin for years and what a treat to have it remade in UE4 instead of a mere port. While it forgoes some of the more modern amenities of recent RGG games it is still so damn charming and addictive. IThe Yakuza series exists on a unique wavelength. It’s not for everyone, but if it’s for you then you’re a fan for life. Like a Dragon: Ishin is no exception. I’ve wanted a Western release for Ishin for years and what a treat to have it remade in UE4 instead of a mere port. While it forgoes some of the more modern amenities of recent RGG games it is still so damn charming and addictive. I love the sub-stories lurking around every corner. A tremendous credit to the localization work on these games that the writing lands nearly 100% of the time. Combat is satisfying even if it feels mildly aged. Really I can’t help but feel astonished that with such an incredible main story, I find myself primarily occupied with growing produce, cooking dishes, and taking care of my homestead. Oh and chicken races. Love the chicken races. Hopefully this paves a clear path for Kenzan to be released in the west as well!… Expand
  22. ViliusRepublic
    Feb 28, 2023
    10
    Good Ol Yakuza game experience. Mix good elements of new Yakuza games and older ones like Yakuza 0. The combat system might be the best in the series. Has a lot of content too. Still overwhelmed with all the things I can do in this game.
  23. mangelrogel
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    Me flipa me encanta me fascina lo amoooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! Ryu ga gotoku los mejoreeeeeesss
  24. danteisthegoat
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    another RGG Studios great game,. best game ever in the series great music gameplay story and world
  25. locm
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    another RGG Studios gem, imo this is the best game in the series outstanding world gameplay and music
  26. yikjr-yujr-ttur
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    Yet another RGG Studios gem, an easy reccomendation. best game ever in my personal opinion
  27. debile56500
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    this is easily in my top 10 favorite game of all time i fcking love it great job RGG
  28. kiryu6666666666
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    Yet another RGG Studios gem, an easy reccomendation. 10/10 score!!!!!!!!!!!
  29. PickleNCP
    Feb 26, 2023
    4
    Worst Yakuza title since Yakuza 0.
    The outdated combat system + extremely low drop rate of materials make the weapon crafting system a real pain in the ass, and most of the side missions are repetitive and boring(providing some kind of item several times)
  30. Worldwideclass
    Feb 25, 2023
    10
    Yet another RGG Studios gem, an easy reccomendation. 10/10 score!!!!!!!!!!!
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Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2023
32
#32 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 77 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 77
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 77
  3. Negative: 0 out of 77
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 23, 2024
    80
    But for its atmosphere alone, it shouldn't leave fans of the Yakuza series or casual fans of Japanese culture in the dark. It's solid entertainment and a great way to fill a hole in your gaming education, as there's a good chance you missed the original 2014 installment. [Issue#326]
  2. Player 2
    May 8, 2023
    75
    Showing age through design rather than visuals, Ishin’s period setting and historical elements help elevate it above being ‘yet another remastered Yakuza game.'
    Read full review
  3. Games.cz
    Apr 17, 2023
    90
    Like a Dragon: Ishin! manages to combine the mechanical familiarity of the Yakuza series with a unique historical setting. The combat is fun, the story is thrilling, the content is rich enough to last dozens of hours. Technically speaking, though, it could’ve been much closer to a true remake instead of getting stuck halfway between there and a remaster.
    Read full review
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