Like A Dragon Ishin Review: blades and shots, is Yakuza in ancient Japan

There are many projects currently under development related to the world of Yakuza, or Like a Dragon, if you prefer. Before letting us experience the future of Kiryu Kazuma and Ichiban Kasuga, however, the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio looked to the past of the saga , to re-propose a 2014 spin-off in a restored form that has never reached the West before and has long been requested by fans. for several reasons. To begin with, Like a Dragon Ishin is set in the Bakumatsu era , around 1870, and therefore allows you to explore ancient Japan “according to Yakuza” (here our interview with the chief producer of Like a Dragon Ishin).

As if this interesting perspective weren’t enough to have intrigued the fans, the story told by the game sees the participation ofa myriad of familiar faces from the series and, mind you, not just those who appeared in iterations prior to the original Ishin. For the occasion, in fact, the insiders have operated a partial recast, and characters from Yakuza Zero and even the sixth and seventh chapters have been involved in the adventure. We have spent dozens of hours in the city of Kyo and we are ready to tell you about what has been an atypical and fascinating journey but not for this without roughness or playful stylistic features belonging to the PS3 era of Yakuza.

Of intricate investigations and clashes between legends

The events of Like a Dragon Ishin begin when the warrior Sakamoto Ryoma – an alter ego of Kiryu Kazuma – returns to Tosa to reunite with his loved ones. Increasingly ambitious and hungry for justice, his brother Takechi Hanpeita joins Ryoma to help their adopter realize an important dream: to end the rigid social divisions in the region, to allow its inhabitants to live in equality.

The plan of this foster father, magistrate Yoshida Toyo , is shattered in a pool of blood when, while discussing the future with his two sons, he is brutally murdered by a masked figure. Surprised at the crime scene, Ryoma is blamed for the horrendous crime and after rescuing Takechi he is forced to abandon Tosa, with the idea of ​​taking revenge on the warrior who killed his father. We therefore find him in Kyo (today’s Kyoto) with the false name of Saito Hajime, on the trail of the Tennen Rishin fighting style , practiced by an organization that should conceal the ruthless assassin among its ranks.

These are the beginnings of an intricate investigation, which will call Ryoma to live among the wolvesand to take a path fraught with pitfalls and covered with corpses, in which political machinations, ideas of revolution and betrayals find space, but also firm principles, brotherhood and indissoluble bonds. In short, we are talking about a classic story in the Like a Dragon style (entirely subtitled in Italian), which has its touching moments and – overall – manages to excite and intrigue, net of some forcing and a rhythm that in the second half of the adventure suffers from noticeable declines.

For the purpose of fully understanding the events, we have found the presence of a Glossary full of historical notes and explanations very useful, as well as a map of the organizations and relationships that bind the supporting actors together. Charismatic and excellently characterized, accomplices of the always remarkable acting performances, the characters at the center of the narrative are not always exploited to the fullest , for a factor which, although connected to the 2014 game, has become even more significant in this re-edition.

In fact, there are so many figures involved, perhaps too many, and many of these have limited screentime , with all that this entails. For example, precisely because of bonds strengthened in history but not in front of the eyes of the viewer, some dramatic moments fail to generate a strong emotional impact, as happens in the main chapters of the series. On the other hand, seeing so many legends of the Like a Dragon universe together will make longtime fans jump on more than one occasion, you want for the soundtrack that accompanies certain clashes – and we don’t say anything else to avoid spoilers – you want precisely for specific battles that Sakamoto Ryoma will have to face. Net of a few pleasant exceptions, the boss fights are not particularly memorable on the playful front but the fact that they often see two much loved and iconic warriors oppose each other, in line with the substantial fan service that permeates the journey of our samurai, certainly makes them more compelling .

On the streets of Kyo

The street vendor who runs far and wide, the smiling woman who cleans the entrance to her business, the innkeeper who throws confetti as we pass: these are the people of Kyo, who enliven the streets and structures in a playful context unusual for Western fans of Like a Dragon, which we had a lot of fun exploring. In her wanderings Ryoma will be able to come across different individuals with whom to forge bonds , doing them all sorts of favors.

An insatiably hungry sumo wrestler will always be curious to try Japanese delicacies, while an old woman with frail legs will ask us to spend some time with her, to soothe a loneliness she has felt since her husband died and the children left the nest. Strengthening these friendships, an important component of the Register of Bonds (which also includes challenges related to the game world), leads to the accumulation of Virtues , which we could define as a real currency on a par with money.

Spending it at the Sanctuaries will allow us to facilitate every aspect of the protagonist’s life, from the growth of his reputation in the various neighborhoods, up to his skill in the kitchen or with a fishing rod, not to mention the ability to unlock a shop full of rare items.

In short, Virtue is an excellent gimmick that pushes you to fully enjoy everything this remastered Kyo has to offer , even in terms of shots with the photo mode. The wooded path that leads to the Shinsengumi barracks, the market area, and the Mukurogai, a degraded area where the very poor live and cutthroats roam, are just some of the faces of the city, which has benefited from a painstaking restoration the Unreal Engine 4 .

We want to be clear: net of the good cleaning of the image and the visual improvements in relation to the texturing and the faces of the protagonists, Like a Dragon Ishin shows on several occasions the nature between PS3 and PS4 of the. The presence of uploads (albeit short) between one area and another or when entering and leaving a room, once again reveals the “true age” of the experience, because it indicates the return of those limits that the saga was now left behind.

On the other hand, the good lighting system, both indoors and outdoors, genuinely improves the graphic profile, supported by a level artistic direction , which gives its best on full moon evenings. Various and well-assorted, the models of the supporting NPCs are characterized by a rather meager detail, while the faces of the many supporting characters – albeit with results of variable effectiveness – have generally proved to be expressive and credible . Just as happens in the numbered iterations, Like a Dragon Ishin allows you to come across extravagant individuals, the protagonists of substories as simple in form as effective in content: knowing the secrets behind a protest dance, listening to a kind-hearted but terribly talkative lady and even helping a little boy say goodbye to his girlfriend, are the perfect interludes between one fight and another, the portions of that which, as usual, is a significant component of the play offer. Between a drink and a meal in one of the many clubs of Kyo, the good Ryoma will be able to pass the time in the most disparate ways, from bets on chicken races , through the fan dance, up to performing with his deep voice at the so-called singing bar.

And then there are the arenas filled with fearsome challengers, the scarecrow courses – in which you accumulate points by breaking the wooden figures – the possibility of training reflexes with gun or sword in hand (by destroying or slicing cannonballs) and even collecting lottery tickets to try your luck. Simple and mostly successful, these and other activities join a couple of “older sisters”, starting with Another Life . At one point in her journey, Ryoma runs into the Bakumatsu-era version of Haruka, the adopted daughter of her modern alter ego, and for reasons we prefer not to reveal, she chooses to live under the same roof as her.

While the relationship with the girl will begin to strengthen, our samurai will find himself cooking ever more delicious recipes for his acquired niece, managing the crops in the garden through an agricultural plan and even sending Haruka to deliver products to earn money. While not as exciting as Yakuza Zero’s pivotal secondary activities, Another Life is another pure fanservice component of the package and if nothing else offers a breath of fresh air between tense combat and intricate investigation.

The commander of the Third Company

Without going into detail, when Sakamoto Ryoma joins the Shinsengumi under the name Saito Hajime, he also accepts the burdens that such a position entails . In fact, he has to administer a large number of soldiers connected to the Trooper Card mechanic , which in this updated version is no longer limited only to the dungeons of the secondary offer. But let’s go in order. Impressed by his strength in battle or moved by his kindness, many individuals will choose to enlist spontaneously, while many others will be “convinced” with hard cash or added to their collection through DLC.

Divided by rarity, classes and capable of leveling up, these soldiers form small “card teams”, each linked to one of Ryoma’s four fighting styles . Not particularly interesting on the aesthetic front or varied in terms of structure, the dungeons are full of brigands to be eliminated and precious objects to be found, including weapons, equipment and useful pieces for the crafting system. By amassing the corpses of the thugs, a final challenge will be unlocked for each type of path, which will call the protagonist to face an imposing boss resistant to blows and with a high destructive power.

Both in this and in other situations, using the Trooper Cards means not only receiving a saving amount of life at the right moment or a defense boost – clearly based on the class of the soldier who is helping us – but also a decidedly more support.. “concrete”. Often coming from the various episodes of Yakuza, Ryoma’s most powerful subjects allow the use of devastating skills, clearly regulated by a cooldown system like all the others.

From electric shocks that spread among nearby enemies, to floating swords and real energy waves , the warrior under an assumed name can inflict huge damage on the unfortunate but frankly it’s good that the adventure can be completed without using at all of these attacks: that of Like a Dragon is a saga that lives (also) on excesses in combat, this is true, but always with a certain underlying coherence . In essence, all too flashy and over the top moves, closer to a fantasy dimension, could annoy a good group of historical fans, which is why we find their optional nature to be centered.

Exceptional theaters for the executions of the spectacular Azioni Fervore (the old Heat Action), the clashes at granite 60 fps are accompanied by rhythmic sounds capable of recalling the flavor of ancient Japan. In this regard, the combat system could only have embraced the historical period and provided us with the possibility of using both katanas and firearms, which were increasingly popular in the country at the time due to the growing Western influence. Improved with spheres that are obtained by leveling up and expandable by continuing to train with special mastersto which small subplots are dedicated, the styles work very differently from each other but over the course of the dozens of hours in which we have used them they have shown that they do not all have the same effectiveness. Very useful for unlocking the ability to quickly switch from one offensive stance to another, Free Fight is less attractive than the moves used in the present by the Dragon of Dojima, both for the limited damage it inflicts and for its methods of use, which require having to get very close to opponents often armed with spears, katanas, maces and more .

Removed the boosted ammo, which depletes quickly, Firefightit allows you to give free rein to the gun without limits or the need to reload, in a storm of bullets which however inevitably breaks the dynamism of the fight. In fact, it often takes many hits to knock down an enemy with this solution, which we tend to use very little in favor of the two most intriguing structures of all: Game of Swords and Crazy Dance . Belonging to an era before the advent of the Dragon Engine, with its fights based on more fluid and graceful animations, these two styles fail to rival the best of their time for overall success – those of Yakuza Zero (here the review of Yakuza Zero), so to speak – but in any case they remain fun and well structured.

Game of Swords is based on the katana alone and on a series of combinations that can be completed with various loaded attacks , but also with perfect parries, and lunges. Danza Folle, on the other hand, is all about crowd control and allows you to easily switch from one opponent to another with sequences of rotating blows and showers of bullets.

Between a gush of blood, the activation of a Fervor Action and a well-aimed combo, the clashes are enjoyable and sometimes more exciting than usual, net of the somewhat plastered movements typical of the Like a Dragon past. To expand the range of offensive possibilities we think a bulky two-handed blade, the spear and even … a cannon, which can be used after acquiring the relative skill in the upgrades menu.

For those wishing to continue entertaining in Kyo after the approximately 30 hours necessary to complete the adventure , know that there is a blacksmith in the city that guarantees access to a wide selection of swords and guns to be crafted, both using weapons less valuable than items obtainable by engaging in various activities in the game world.