Games I Beat in the Year 2025: Like a Dragon: Ishin! (PS4)

Games I Beat in the Year 2025: Like a Dragon: Ishin! (PS4)

Overview:

On my mission to tackle my mountainous backlog, the second game I beat this year was Like a Dragon: Ishin! for the PS4. Along with trimming down my backlog, I’ve been going through the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (RGG) catalog one by one; finishing Yakuza 3 (please read the blog) last year. My personal rule is to play at least one RGG game a year, and this one’s the choice of 2025.

Ishin! is a remake of the PS3/launch-PS4 game of the same name, originally released in Japan back in 2014. The premise? “What if Yakuza took place in samurai-era Japan?” And I’m all for it. I love these games so much that I’d play an open-world Lego Yakuza game if RGG made it… which actually sounds like a great idea.

Story:

The game kicks off with Ryoma Sakamoto (with the face and personality of Kazuma Kiryu) being accused of murder which happens a lot to Kiryu. Ryoma escapes to a new town under a fake name to track down the real killer, avenge his mentor, and clear his own name. His only clue is the killer’s unique fighting style. The story has your standard Yakuza-flair - political intrigue, death-faking, betrayals, group in-fighting, and one man with a boney face changing the world around him through the heart of battle. It’s almost as if the feudal Japan setting doesn’t stop the RGG absurdity from shining through.

That said, Ishin! loosely adapts real people and events from the Bakumatsu period of Japan, even if it takes massive liberties to make it more... Yakuza. Some examples are that Ryoma Sakamoto is a real guy, the Shinsengumi is a real group, tennen rishin-ryu is a real martial art, ee ja nai ka is a real thing, etc… but on the flip side, non-electric karaoke with Baka Mitai is here. Somehow.

For me, the real fun part is seeing familiar faces reimagined in this new era. You join the Shinsengumi alongside not-Majima (from every Yakuza), not-Mine (from 3), and a parade of recognizable characters. You’ll even fight Nishikiyama (from 1) again, and Hana (from 0) has a crush on you. If you’re a longtime fan, the constant cameos and Easter eggs are a treat. All in all, the story is your standard RGG drama wrapped in samurai cosplay. Entertaining, emotional, and honestly a bit fanfiction-y.

Gameplay:

The Yakuza series is best described as a dial-a-combo 3D beat-em-up with light JRPG elements. Combat-wise, you can tell this was originally a PS3 game as it’s slower and clunkier than the Kiwami games. However, Ishin! tweaks this formula with weapon combat and the ability to shoot energy beams.

Like Yakuza 0, it features multiple fighting styles:

• Brawler (fists): Don’t use this. Each punch does like 5 damage.

• Sword: Your go-to melee style. It scales well with better gear and levels.

• Gun: A bit overtuned. Since you don’t need to reload, you can just stand back and spam the basic attack if the enemy can’t block bullets

• Wild Dancer (Sword + Gun): Kinda mid. It’s meant to be AoE-focused but ends up doing less damage overall.

Balancing between styles is... not really a thing. The gun is just too convenient, and Brawler feels like a punishment for trying to play as classic Kiryu.

Now to address the energy beams: once Ryoma joins the Shinsengumi, he recruits allies who appear as cards which you can equip up to four per combat style. These cards give you buffs, heals, and special attacks; from blasting energy waves to making enemies trip. There’s a good variety, and these special attacks really do change up how battles are fought.

Progression works through stat upgrades (classic sphere-grid), learning new moves, crafting stronger weapons, and collecting powerful cards. Unfortunately, the crafting system brings the grind. To make top-tier weapons, you’ll need:
A) Crafting materials. This one isn’t bad, just farm dungeons.
B) A ton of money. Gear can cost 200+ ryo which sucks, but it leads into C which are
C) Blacksmith levels and hammers. Easily the most painful part. Leveling your blacksmith gives him like 1/50th of a bar per job unless you donate rare gear, which you can only get by gambling for hammers. It’s capitalism at its worst, but with katanas. Also, why the hell do I need to level up the blacksmith, isn’t that literally his job?

Content:

Grindiness aside, Ishin! is packed with side content, as any RGG game should be.

For minigames alone, you’ve got: noodle prep, wood-chopping, cooking, (kinda) karaoke, fan dancing, fishing, sword/bullet baseball, drinking, sexually suggestive shoot-’em-ups, and chicken racing.

There are also training missions for each style, scarecrow battles, friendship quests, 40 battle dungeons, arena fights, and bounty hunting which has its own little story arc.

Substories feel lighter this time. There are 72 total, but about 20 of those are quick “friendship starter” events. For the first time ever, I actually completed all substories; something I’ve never managed in any Yakuza game before. After 55 hours, I was 75% through the Diligence Report, officially making this the most “completed” RGG game I’ve played.

Another Life: Staryaku(za) Valley:

Now for something unexpected: Ishin! turns into a full-on farming sim halfway through. I’ve played Yakuza 0 through 3, Fist of the North Star, and Judgment, and never once did I expect to be playing Stardew Valley.

In Another Life, Haruka’s parents die, she inherits a mountain of debt, and you step in to run her family farm. It’s basically Rune Factory meets Cooking Mama meets Animal Crossing. You’ll farm, cook, do DoorDash deliveries, play with dogs and cats, pay down debt, and hang out with Haruka.

Surprisingly, this mode connects back to the main game: DoorDashing earns good money (unlike in real life), and cooking gives the best healing items - so it’s worth going to the farm once in a while. It’s a cozy, slower-paced break from all the samurai brawling.

Funny enough, in my Yakuza 3 blog I said a slice-of-life Yakuza game wouldn’t sell. Then I went and bought one. I got turned into a table.

Conclusion:

Like a Dragon: Ishin! has its flaws, but it’s still an RGG game which automatically makes it good in my book. Even when the combat’s uneven and the crafting grindy, there’s enough charm, humor, and chaos to carry it.

It’s not as beloved as other Yakuza entries, but it’s distinct enough to stand out, especially if you’re playing through the whole series like me. The change in setting and tone makes it a refreshing detour.

That said, it’s tough to recommend to people who have never played an RGG game though, but if you’re interested in playing Ishin… we all know you’re an RGG fan.

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