![]() This isn’t the kind of remake that reexamines its own past. Having never been translated for English-speaking territories until now, the end product feels like uncovering a lost window into the past – not just in its centuries-old historical setting and subject matter, but to a different time in the history of the series itself. Yakuza series characters essentially serve as actors, playing roles in these stories that suit their established demeanours. Like A Dragon: Ishin! is one of them.Ī remake of a 2014 spinoff from the mainline Yakuza series, Ishin! is one of two series entries that reimagines the stories of real historical figures from Japan’s past. The latest mainline game boldy switched out the longtime protagonist and combat system, but developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has since created multiple opportunities for itself to backtrack on those big moves, and keep tinkering away at a formula that is now almost 20 years old. Ryoma’s story has finally come west, and it’s well worth experiencing if you’re a fan of Ryu Ga Gotoku’s brawlers.The Like a Dragon series (formerly the Yakuza series) is in a bit of a strange place at the moment – it’s simultaneously looking both forward and backward. While there are some setbacks, it’s fair to say Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a good entry in the series, hitting the same highs you’d hope for and filled with just the right balance of heart and laughter that made the series stand out in the first place. Long-time fans will still find the things they like about this series in Ishin, too. If you’re a newcomer, you’ll probably appreciate just the zany mix of comedy and action that defines the series, and is still present here. Overall, this was a title well-deserving of a remake, and it got a solid one. Cutscenes especially had me surprised, as little details like the rain falling on characters or a tear running down one’s cheek floored me. ![]() It feels more thematically appropriate, you know? But levelling and building up those Trooper Cards feels like one of LIke a Dragon: Ishin‘s main post-game sinks that I could fall into.Īnd while there are some hitches, the Ishin remake can look absolutely splendid at times too. They weren’t insta-win effects, but I did prefer to use my own weapons to win fights. I never even managed to find some of the rare ones, let alone any celebrity-themed cards, but the ones I had felt like trump cards in the right situation. Even just the starter cards Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio hands to you are solid through the game, from the quick healing and damage-boosting effects to a chain lightning move that would tear through big groups.īuilding these abilities and fighters up is one of the side activities I’d like to have spent more time with, though it ultimately felt like a way to quickly out-pace the game’s difficulty curve. It’s an interesting system with some powerful results. The real shake-up is in the Trooper Cards, which you can build up over the course of the story and act as a second inventory of boons to draw from in fights. It’s The Muppets Christmas Carol take on history, but instead of Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, it’s Kazuma Kiryu’s likeness portraying Sakamoto Ryoma / Saito Hajime. But it does so by obviously dramatizing events, intertwining and supposing characters in the ways historical fiction does, and using Like a Dragon (née Yakuza) characters as stand-ins for the figures of the era. Framed for murder, Ryoma flees Tosa and heads to Kyo under the guise of Saito Hajime, seeking the attacker and their unique fighting style.įor those who aren’t keenly familiar with the history of Japan, Ishin does take place in and portray the events surrounding the end of the Edo period. A masked assassin interrupts the events, however. Ryoma is quickly reunited with adoptive father Yoshida Toyo and sworn brother Takechi Hanpeita, as the three collaborate to overthrow the class system of the land. ![]() Ishin follows the story of Sakamoto Ryoma, a swordsman returning home to Tosa from his training in Edo.
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