Like A Dragon: Ishin! can’t outrun the Yakuza series’ past

polygon.com:

As recently as four years ago, the prospect of a North American and European localization for Like a Dragon: Ishin! might have seemed like a pipe dream. But then, in 2019, series producer Daisuke Sato mentioned that such a project was “under consideration.” To say that this quote caused a stir among fans would be an understatement.

Here we are in 2023, and that very localization has come to fruition. The historical drama marks a return to the Yakuza series’ traditional roots, after 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon (yes, the names can get confusing) implemented turn-based combat and a somewhat lacking core cast. And while the remaster of 2014’s Like a Dragon: Ishin! brings much of the franchise’s bombast to bear, in a compelling microcosm of 1860s Japan, it doesn’t avoid the narrative pitfalls the Yakuza games have long fallen into.

Ishin doesn’t stray too far from what the Yakuza series has established as its core gameplay loop: semi-open-world exploration in which you bare-knuckle brawl your way through encounters with unruly thugs on your way to a variety of story quests. Like previous entries, plot points are laden with long cutscenes that contain loads of exposition about individual character goals and motivations, often betraying a fixation on shocking reveals. It’s effectively the same kind of game that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has been making for upwards of 10 years, just with a different coat of paint.

Similar toYakuza 0 andYakuza Kiwami, players have access to four different fighting styles in combat: With one, protagonist Ryoma Sakamoto relies on his fists; with another, he uses a katana; for the third; he uses a gun; and last, a gun and katana at the same time. Each style has its own unique benefits — the katana