Released exclusively in Japan for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 under the title Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!, this was the successor to the also Japan-exclusive (and sadly, still Japan exclusive) Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!, which saw players move from the neon-lit streets of Japan to Samurai Era Japan for a standalone action-adventure beat-em-up experience. SEGA of America used the State of Play 2022 stream from Sony Interactive Entertainment to confirm that Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!, under the localised title Like a Dragon: Ishin, will be headed to western audiences in February 2023.
Like a Dragon: Ishin is pitched as an “action-adventure historical thriller set uniquely in 1860s Kyo, a fictionalized version of Kyoto”, and depicts not the rise of the samurai era, but how it vanished. Players will fill the shoes of Sakamoto Ryoma, an actual historical figure from the era, credited with overthrowing the shogunate and taking Japan into a radical reformation.
But with a fictionalised version of Kyoto, comes somewhat fictionalised versions of the characters. Filling the shoes of Sakamoto Ryoma is long-time Yakuza-series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, with the likes of Goro Majima and other familiar faces filling in the roles of other individuals.
Promoted features of this remastered version of the 2014 original include:
Four killer combat styles and riveting Heat Actions
In Ishin, you can slash through foes with a lethal blade using the Swordsman style or sharpshoot your enemies with a revolver using the Gunman style. Better yet, wield both a gun and sword and enter a fury with the Wild Dancer style. And when you’re feeling extra brutal, smash some skulls with your bare fists using the Brawler style.
But that’s not all. It wouldn’t be an RGG Studio title without epically absurd heat actions. Summon a tiger to maul your foes, shove pickled plums down your enemies’ throats, and wield a whole cannon to blow down opponents. The heat actions in Ishin will leave you itching to uncover new moves at every stage of the game.
On Unreal Engine 4 for the first time
Like a Dragon: Ishin is the first title from RGG studio to be built on Unreal Engine 4, bringing “astounding graphical quality” to the Like a Dragon franchise. Developing on Unreal Engine 4 has unlocked new textures and other graphical details that make Ishin’s gripping story one of the most cinematic tales in RGG history.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is scheduled for release on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC sometime in February 2023. Expect to hear more about this game in the coming weeks.
