25 things to know before playing 'Like a Dragon: Ishin'

The events of Like a Dragon: Ishin take place in Japan in the year 1860, during the Edo period of the country. This is a significant departure from the series' typical use of modern settings. Therefore, rather than yakuza and hostesses, you can anticipate seeing samurai and feudal lords.

All of the game's characters, including Sakamoto Ryoma, Hijikata Toshizo, and Okita Souji, are based on historical figures. While these characters follow real-life historical motivations, they also have fictionalized personalities and roles. This combination of fact and fiction adds depth and intrigue to the game's plot.

The dual storylines in Ishin allow players to switch between Sakamoto Ryoma and his alter ego, Saito Hajime. Both characters have unique narrative arcs, skills, and objectives, resulting in a varied gameplay experience. This novel narrative structure encourages you to engage with the game from multiple viewpoints.

Like other titles in the Yakuza franchise, Like a Dragon: Ishin features an open world for players to explore. There are numerous activities, side quests, and opportunities for interaction in the game. This open-world design encourages exploration and fully immerses you in the game's world.

The game features an innovative combat system based on four distinct fighting styles. Each play style has its own skills and abilities, allowing for various gameplay experiences. You can switch between styles to adapt to different situations and foes during combat.

By the game's historical setting, swordplay is an integral part of the combat system. Players can master a variety of sword techniques, allowing them to engage formidable foes with precision and skill. This emphasis on swordplay contributes to the game's historically immersive atmosphere.

Like other Yakuza games, Ishin features cinematic Heat actions that can be activated during combat. These flashy, powerful attacks deal significant damage to foes and highlight the game's impressive graphics. Heat actions are a visually stunning and gratifying aspect of the combat experience.

Like a Dragon: Ishin offers a variety of minigames, such as fishing, cooking, and gambling. These activities provide enjoyable diversions from the main storyline and can help you earn rewards in-game. Minigames contribute to the overall appeal of the game by adding variety to the gameplay.

Numerous substories and side quests provide additional content and character interaction opportunities in the game. These optional quests frequently feature unique stories and challenges that enrich the world of the game. Completing substories can also result in valuable rewards and the unlocking of new abilities.

Your character's abilities, weapons, and equipment can be upgraded as you progress through the game. This advancement system allows you to tailor your character to your preferred play style and encourages exploration to find the necessary resources. The upgrade system adds depth and replayability to the game.

The dynamic day and night cycle of Ishin impacts the availability of certain events and activities. Certain quests or encounters may only occur at certain times of day, requiring you to schedule your actions accordingly. This dynamic setting enhances the immersive qualities of the game.

The game's reputation system reflects the repercussions of your actions. Depending on their decisions, non-player characters may react differently, affecting the story's progression. This system adds a layer of complexity to the game and encourages deliberation.

Throughout the course of the game, you can recruit various allies to assist you in combat and other activities. Each companion's abilities and personalities contribute to the overall depth and appeal of the game. Relationship development with allies can result in new storylines, quests, and rewards.

Like a Dragon: Ishin enables you to train your character in various disciplines, which helps unlock new abilities and enhances combat skills. By devoting time to training, your character can become more formidable in combat and better equipped to face formidable foes. This aspect of the game highlights the significance of personal development and mastery.

The game features a crafting system that permits the creation of new weapons, items, and equipment from in-game materials. Crafting provides a sense of accomplishment and allows the character's arsenal to be customized. This feature adds a new level of customization and strategy to the game.

You can undertake bounty-hunting missions to pursue and vanquish dangerous criminals in exchange for rewards. These missions provide an exciting and challenging diversion from the main story while providing valuable resources and experience points. The addition of bounty hunting increases the game's replayability and complexity.

While Ishin takes artistic liberties with its depiction of the Bakumatsu period, it strives for historical accuracy. The game's designers have researched the era extensively and incorporated historically accurate attire, architecture, and culture. This dedication to historical accuracy enhances the immersive qualities of the game.

The game is voiced in Japanese and explores numerous distinctive aspects of Japanese culture. As a result, you may wish to conduct additional research while playing to gain a better understanding of the situation.

By playing Like a Dragon: Ishin, you can gain insights into Bakumatsu-era Japanese culture and customs. From traditional attire and architectural styles to social norms and etiquette, the game provides a fun way to learn about this historical period. These cultural insights enhance the gameplay experience and offer a unique educational element for those interested in Japanese history.

Like a Dragon: Ishin has a lengthy playtime, with the main story and side content requiring 50 to 60 hours or more to complete. This extensive playtime ensures that players receive a high return on their investment and have ample time to explore the game's world.

Exploration of the game world may reveal hidden items, secrets, and easter eggs. These rewards encourage thoroughly exploring the environment and discovering all the game's content. The element of discovery contributes to the game's allure and depth.

Relationships with other characters in the game can unlock additional content and alter the narrative's progression. These connections add depth to the plot and provide an incentive for interacting with NPCs. Replayability is increased by the influence of character relationships on the story's development.

Like a Dragon: Ishin presents moral decisions that can affect the story's outcome. These options require you to consider the repercussions of their actions and make difficult choices.  The addition of morality choices adds to the game's complexity and encourages multiple playthroughs to discover all possible outcomes.

Although Like a Dragon: Ishin is a spin-off, it shares many gameplay elements, themes, and the general atmosphere of the main Yakuza series. Fans of the core series will appreciate Ishin's familiar elements, while newcomers can enjoy the game independently. This connection to the main series helps the game maintain its popularity and identity within the Yakuza franchise.

Like a Dragon: Ishin's mesmerizing soundtrack enhances the game's atmosphere and complements its historical setting. During action sequences, the music ranges from traditional Japanese melodies to more contemporary, dynamic tracks. The soundtrack contributes to the game's overall immersion and the emotional impact of key story moments.