It’s finally here. After 9 years of being one of theYakuzaseries’ hidden gems,Like a Dragon: Ishin!has made it to the rest of the world via its flashy new remaster. Made in Unreal Engine 4, the game has received a big glow-up from the original game, which looked more likeYakuza 5and0.
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However, the remaster did more than make an old game look new. It spruced up the controls, cleared up the UI, and threw in a few other surprises for anyone who played the original Japanese game. These are the changes made toLike a Dragon: Ishin!
6Clean Screen
The first change is pretty simple yet hard to miss, as the UI has gotten a touch less cluttered. The Trooper Cards appear in the bottom left when they need to be used, taking up less space on the screen to show more of the action. The mini-map also sits in the bottom right, which might take some getting used to for veterans.
Interestingly, any foe the player fights now show how much damage they’ve taken per hit a laYakuza: Like A Dragon. Perhaps this means its sequel will also be using UE4, and maybeIshinhas some leftovers from it likeYakuza Kiwami 2did forJudgment. That, or it’s just a stylistic choice RGG Studio liked. Only diehard fans digging through the PC version will know for sure.
5Trooper Cards
What are Trooper Cards exactly? Representing the player’s backup, they’re essentially a variety of buffs, skills, and abilities they can use to give them an advantage. In the original game, they could only be used in dungeons and in select encounters. Now they can be used anywhere at any time like the Amulets inFist of the North Star: Lost Paradise.It’s possible to go through the game without them, but there’s no harm in getting an extra perk.
They can heal the player when they’re in a pinch, increase their offense or defense, or give them new attacks. The cards can be upgraded by fusing them with other cards or promoting them. There are also new cards to collect representing characters that came afterIshin’s original release, likeYakuza: LAD’sKasuga Ichiban, or celebrities likeAEW wrestler Kenny Omega.
4Cast Changes
Speaking of post-Ishincharacters, the game’s main cast has seen a few substitutions. The samuraiYakuzagames were essentially characters from the main series playing historical figures. For example, Ryōma Sakamoto and Sōji Okita look and act likeKazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima. While they were in no danger of being replaced, others were.
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Takeda Kanryusai, originally based on Nishikiyama family grunt Hayashi, is now modeled after and voiced by Riki Takeuchi, akaYakuza 0’s Awano. Susumu Yamazaki, once based onYakuza5minor villain Kugihara, now looks likeYakuza6’s Joon-gi Han. Then Kondō Isami, previously an original model, is now based onYakuza: LAD’s Adachi. These are just a few of many changes, and it’s hard to argue against their inclusion as they’re more popular characters.
3Streamlined Blacksmith
Ishinwas the first game to use switchable fighting styles. The player could alternate between the bare-handed Brawler, the katana-wielding Swordsman, the armed Gunman, and Wild Dancer, which used both the sword and gun at the same time. They sound strong, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some good gear and weaponry to tank the enemy strikes and tear through them more easily.
Luckily, players can create new weapons and armor at the local blacksmiths, or reforge old ones to boost their stats. This used to be a more involved process, with more menus to navigate before getting the goodies. Now it’s more straightforward: so long as the player has the right materials, hammers, seals, and cash, they can upgrade their gear. Granted, it’s not the simplest process, as players have to find those items. It just doesn’t take multiple options to add a few more digits to a sword’s stats.
2New Minigames
TheYakuzagames arerife with minigames, andIshin’s no different. But, being set in the 19th century, there’s no Club Sega, bowling, or other high-tech stuff going on. That said, mahjong and the gambling games return, as do the Fishing minigame, Noodle Making, and Chicken Racing a laYakuza 5. Players can also do some traditional Buyo dancing, and sing songs (including perennial favorite “Bakamitai”) for a drunken crowd either solo or in a duo.
On top of that,Ishinbrought in courtesan minigames. Instead of just chatting up the geisha, the player has to take them on at Sake Showdown (drink from a bowl without spilling), Sensual Healing (shoot enemies in a shoot ‘em up to avoid dropping off during a massage), and Rock, Paper, Scissors. Players can also chop wood, destroy scarecrows, and smash cannonballs to learn new skills. So, there’s still a ton to do.
1New Bosses, New Attacks
It might be best to make the most of those training games too, asIshinis trickier than the main series. Players who know Legend difficulty like the back of their hand probably won’t be too bothered. Anyone else will have a learning curve to climb. Even if they played the original via a translation guide (or know Japanese), the remaster has a few new tricks up its sleeves.
The bosses have new attack patterns to work around, alongside new attacks that require the other fighting styles to deal with. It’s not enough to stick to the double-duty Wild Dancer all throughout. They’ll have to know when to stick to the sword, the gun, or their bare fists.
Like a Dragon: Ishinis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
