11/14/2023 0 Comments Like a dragon ishin ps5 review![]() ![]() Images: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / Segaįighting can feel inconsistent and unsatisfying for long stretches as a result. ![]() But with the focus of the combat system so scattered across three completely different kinds of weapons (with various degrees of lethality), it can feel like a strange system, especially given the RPG-like damage and weapon crafting system that it’s integrated with, on top of a card-based support system of that provides passive and active bonuses. Like A Dragon: Ishin! returns to the real-time combat of the series, with Ryōma able to utilise four different fighting styles: Brawler, Swordsman, Gunslinger, and Wild Dancer – the latter a dual-wield combination of sword and gunplay. An exceedingly sharp and entertaining English localisation helps that pill go down very well, too. For all its shortcomings, it’s these aspects, swallowed as one enormous, lumpy pill, that makes the series what it is: incredible. Ryōma, of course, also finds himself getting caught up in the most ridiculous of situations and hobbies along the way – dancing, singing, gambling, and befriending all manner of quirky characters outside the main plot, indulging their bizarre requests and conundrums. Stoic and honourable as ever, Ryōma barely threads the needle as he tries to play both sides, in an effort to attain his own personal goals and unravel a much, much larger conspiracy. Stoic and honourable as ever, he finds himself navigating a very tumultuous time in Japanese history, where the country is wrestling with its traditionalist, isolationist, and xenophobic identity. Yakuza series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu takes on the role of Sakamoto Ryōma in Ishin, who finds himself taking the fall for the death of his mentor (which should familiar), and takes on a new identity in order to track down the true killer. Ishin! was already originally a remix of Yakuza in itself, in a way. It’s an alternate universe where bromances are rekindled again for the first time, and past rivals instantly hit it off as allies. Characters both alive and dead in the series canon return in brand new roles that reimagine their stories in new situations. It’s incredibly nice to see old faces from the mainline series again in Ishin!. The historical setting of Ishin doesn’t change that. But the bizarre and obviously intentional juxtaposition is, and continues to be, strangely and irresistibly charming (once you get past the shock of the initial whiplash). Meanwhile, the substories and mini-games are all either surreal, goofy as hell, or just exceedingly heartfelt and sentimental – and rip you right out. The mix of serious, high-stakes melodrama – a plot filled with double-crosses, macho characters, and highly political themes – completely draws you in. Perhaps Ishin! is an exercise in stepping back and securing fundamentals once more, before hopefully leaping further forward next time.ĭespite its moderately old-fashioned nature (and a few technical quirks), Like A Dragon: Ishin! still manages to leave a strong impression simply because of the inherent heart and soul of the series, which still shines through brightly. Taking the broader context into account, Like A Dragon: Ishin! is the studio’s first attempt at creating a game in a new engine: Unreal Engine 4, as opposed to its in-house Dragon Engine. It might as well be classified as a remaster, despite being reconstructed in a different engine. It’s a strict, faithful, like-for-like recreation of a game only one console generation old (said as someone who fumbled through the Japanese version of Ishin!). 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. 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. ![]()
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