Like a Dragon: Ishin!

 PlayStation 5
Like a Dragon: Ishin! Image
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81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 70 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 49 Ratings

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  • Summary: 1860s Kyo is plagued by widespread inequality, and one samurai will change the course of history in his search for justice. Take up the sword of Sakamoto Ryoma and venture to Kyoto to find your father’s killer, clear yourself of a framed murder, and restore your honor. In doing so, you will1860s Kyo is plagued by widespread inequality, and one samurai will change the course of history in his search for justice. Take up the sword of Sakamoto Ryoma and venture to Kyoto to find your father’s killer, clear yourself of a framed murder, and restore your honor. In doing so, you will bring an end to the samurai era and forever change the future of Japan. Draw your blade, load your revolver, and join the revolution in this heated historical adventure that only the creators of Yakuza: Like a Dragon could produce. … Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 70
  3. Negative: 0 out of 70
  1. VG247
    Feb 17, 2023
    100
    Like a Dragon: Ishin in my eyes earns the lofty score I’m giving it. The game is the most fun I’ve had with a single player game in years, and getting a review code for it the same day as Hi-Fi Rush left me spoiled, incredibly tired, and astoundingly happy. It’s worth your time and your money.
  2. Twinfinite
    Feb 17, 2023
    90
    It’s an exemplary Ryu Ga Gotoku title. Fans of the older Yakuza games and Judgement will feel right at home amidst its familiar gameplay mechanics and story beats, and the polish applied to these facets will ensure they’re well rewarded for the time they invest in the game. It’s a welcome return to the series’ past, and a good sign of how well the series will hold up moving forward.
  3. GamersRD
    Feb 28, 2023
    85
    Like a Dragon: Ishin! It is a very Yakuza-like game but in a Feudal Japan setting. It's great to see familiar faces in another setting and interpreting a story based on true events. It maintains the playable bases of the series as well as its mechanics that will keep us busy for a long time.
  4. Hey Poor Player
    Feb 17, 2023
    80
    While not the best game in the series, Like a Dragon: Ishin! offers great fun to long-time fans while also delivering an excellent opportunity for those interested in these games to jump in and see what all the fuss is about. While it’s a different take on the classic formula, there’s enough here that still feels like a Like A Dragon game to provide an idea of whether this series is for you.
  5. Gamereactor Finland
    Feb 20, 2023
    80
    A cool trip to the past is worth checking out.
  6. Checkpoint Gaming
    Feb 17, 2023
    80
    Like A Dragon: Ishin! has a bit of ironing out to do before it becomes the amazing game it deserves to be. Players may notice it is the least polished game in the series in some time, and be tested by a slow start to the narrative and rolling out of mechanics to engage in chaotic fun. It’s worth sticking it out though. It’s one of the better stories to come from the franchise, with gripping inner and political conflict, where steel collides and wounds (both physical and emotional) cut deep. Kyoto too is home to some of the better instances of minigames and sub-stories, getting good mileage out of its feudal Japan setting. Living out your samurai life is palpable and thoroughly enjoyable as you cut down anyone who stands in your way in engaging combat. Like A Dragon: Ishin! may not be an all-timer for the series, but it’s definitely the title with the best vibes.
  7. IGN
    Feb 17, 2023
    70
    While its half-baked gunplay should probably have remained holstered, Like a Dragon: Ishin!’s stylish sword fighting and over-the-top Trooper card attacks successfully pair the Yakuza series’ brand of hysterical action with the historical fiction of its 19th century Japan setting. Unfortunately, its step back in time also presents a slight step down in quality for its substories and side activities, which have each been eclipsed in entertainment value by the other Yakuza and Judgment games in the years since Ishin’s original Japanese release, and the blander areas of its low-tech environment can’t quite compete with the flashy charms of Kamurocho when it comes to exploration. Even so, its high stakes story had me hooked throughout, and it was fascinating to get an insight into a period of Japanese history I knew very little about previously, albeit through a heavily fictionalized lens.

See all 72 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 26
  3. Negative: 6 out of 26
  1. SolidGoodman
    Feb 22, 2023
    10
    Common RGG W. Must play for anyone with good taste, with absolute **** like atomic heart dropping nonstop these days this is a rare gem thatCommon RGG W. Must play for anyone with good taste, with absolute **** like atomic heart dropping nonstop these days this is a rare gem that only RGG can make.… Expand
  2. danteisthegoat
    Feb 26, 2023
    10
    another RGG Studios great game,. best game ever in the series great music gameplay story and world
  4. Inuyasha1
    Mar 4, 2023
    10
    크... 용과같이 유신 극의 검들이 다 간지나지만
    특히 붉은 화염 칼날인 호네바미와 바람의 검 사미다레가 제일 간지나는듯    크... 용과같이 유신 극의 검들이 다 간지나지만
    특히 붉은 화염 칼날인 호네바미와 바람의 검 사미다레가 제일 간지나는듯
  5. Zanfers
    Feb 23, 2023
    9
    A fun and colorful game in the franchise, it is definitely a worth buy for RGG fans.

    The story is cool, though I avoid it most of the time in    A fun and colorful game in the franchise, it is definitely a worth buy for RGG fans.

    The story is cool, though I avoid it most of the time in favor of substories, that are countless.

    The minigames are some of the coolest ones in the series, and there is always something to do in Kyo.

    Also the combat for me personally is the most satisfying one in the entire series so far. Styles are and feel different, fights are very fluent.

    My only issue with the game so far is the complete lack of Dualsense support, no adaptive triggers, which would have been awesome for a hack n slash fighting game. It has both guns and swords which both have great adaptive trigger support in several other games.    … Expand
  6. crowstastegood
    Mar 4, 2023
    9
    pretty amazing game overall, although it isn't as strong as other titles, it's definitely worth playing.
  7. 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    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
  8. Mogmog000
    Feb 24, 2023
    0
    The action is monotonous and unexhilarating.
    There are few fast travel points, and moving around is tedious.
    Actors who were in the original    The action is monotonous and unexhilarating.
    There are few fast travel points, and moving around is tedious.
    Actors who were in the original film are no longer present.    … Expand

See all 26 User Reviews

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13
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