Like a Dragon: Ishin!, originally released under the title Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! Is an action-adventure video game that is a spin-off of the famous Japanese Like a Dragon video game series. This game was originally released for Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 in Japan but saw an international re-release including consoles Playstation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
The game takes place in the Bakumatsu phase of the late Edo period in the mid-nineteenth century. The story revolves around samurai Sakamoto Ryoma who gets caught up in a bloody coup d'état and goes undercover to find out who murdered his father figure.
A strength of this game is that it appeals both to fans of the Like a Dragon franchise since it includes alternative historical versions of the beloved characters and complete newcomers who might simply enjoy this video game for its accurate references to Japanese culture, history and mythology while promoting a beautiful, contemporary and open-minded message at the very same time. The video game's graphics are stunningly realistic. Its sounds are perfectly immersive. The settings have obviously been researched with much care. The main story line is challenging, intriguing and mysterious. Numerous side stories offer interesting options such as becoming a farmer with a helpful adoptive daughter.
There are almost no flaws that deserve to be pointed out. Please be aware that you need to be fascinated by Japanese history to embrace this game to its fullest. Last but not least, the story line is interesting but fails to come around with truly surprising twists for franchise fans in my humble opinion.
Still, Like a Dragon: Ishin! Is an action-adventure video game that fluidly combines historical elements and contemporary video game standards. This game is a welcome alternative to shorter and simpler genre games such as Trek to Yomi and Shifu as well as to overlong open-world releases such as Ghost of Tsushima and Ronin. Fans of the Like a Dragon franchise and occasional gamers intrigued by Japanese culture, history and mythology alike should give this excellent game a fair try and will be rewarded with many hours of wonderful gameplay.
