SLASH FICTION

LIKE A DRAGON: ISHIN! transforms Yakuza into a period drama

- Dominic Tarason

NEED TO KNOW

WHAT IS IT? Drama, brawler, RPG, life-sim. More Yakuza, basically

EXPECT TO PAY $60

DEVELOPER Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

PUBLISHER Sega

REVIEWED ON Intel i9-9900k, 32GB RAM, GeForce 2080 Ti

MULTIPLAYER No

LINK ishin.sega.com

The Yakuza series (now Like A Dragon, matching its Japanese naming) has always had a flair for the dramatic, featuring digitized actors, expressive facial capture and stories befitting a good mid-budget TV thriller. With the release of Like A Dragon: Ishin!, the series doubles down on its inspirations with a period drama spinoff, recasting Kiryu and crew in a 1860s samurai story and delivering a fresh theme, but perhaps over-familiar fun.

There’s been some buzz surrounding Ishin, most of it from fans who were sure it would never come to the West. Originally a 2014 PS3 Japaneseexclusive, the version arriving now on PC (and simultaneously worldwide) is a largely-faithful remake, making some mechanical tweaks, re-casting some roles and giving it a graphical touch-up but not making any sweeping changes. This puts it in an unusual place. While the series races ahead into new territory (including going turn-based with Yakuza 7), this is a decade-old game dressed up for a modern showing. One foot in the past, but with a few modern niceties.