Like a dragon: Ishin! It’s finally hitting store shelves and taking the series back in time, but does its gameplay style also lie in the old days, or is it similar to the turn-based combat of the older entry? recent in the series? This question arose because the Like a Dragon series (formerly known as Yakuza outside of Japan) started out as a beat ’em up franchise, before transitioning to a turn-based RPG series in Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
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is like a dragon: Ishin! alternately as Yakuza: Like a Dragon?
Like a dragon: Ishin! is an action game with combat closer to older entries in the series, with the protagonist taking down enemies with his katana, pistol, and fists. Those who want to check out another turn-based RPG entry in the series will have to wait for Like a Dragon 8 to release in 2024, as it will use the same gameplay style as Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
The reason why Like a Dragon: Ishin! is an action game is due to its history, since it predates Yakuza: Like a Dragon by several years. Like a dragon: Ishin! was originally a Japan-exclusive title released for PS3 in 2014, when the series wasn’t as established in the West. The relatively unknown status of the Like a Dragon franchise at the time, coupled with its ancient Japanese setting, meant that Sega had no incentive to translate the game into English.
Fortunately, the Like a Dragon franchise slowly outgrew its cult status, while the success of games like Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice convinced developers that Like a Dragon: Ishin! could be popular with international audiences. This prompted Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio to remake it from the ground up and keep its action game style, rather than porting the original game to modern systems.
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