In the west, samurai stories fascinate us. We won’t lie: in Japan, they are equally captivated. There’s something incredibly alluring about the samurai figure. It’s not just the honor, the swords, or the tales of revenge and loss. It’s the aura that surrounds them. All that exotic and fascinating ambiance, different yet oddly familiar. Something that still surprises the Japanese when we, in the West, appreciate it. Even though, if anything, it would be odd if we didn’t.
Fortunately, that hasn’t prevented one of the most interesting games of the year from reaching us. Because Like A Dragon: Ishin!, the remake of the Yakuza series set in the samurai era, arrived on Xbox Game Pass on October 17th.
Originally released exclusively in Japan in 2014 under the name Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin, it takes characters from the Yakuza franchise to tell a fascinating samurai story with a highly engaging drama and combat that might not match the latest installments but is still satisfying. Being able to fight unarmed, with our katana, dual-wielding katanas, or firearms, the game carries the spirit of a Yakuza game. This means that while the main story will captivate us with unexpected twists, the abundance of hilarious side missions will keep us hooked for as many hours as we want.
That’s why Like A Dragon: Ishin! is perfect as an entry point to the Yakuza series, but also for those already familiar with it. Especially because of all the nods to the franchise and its characters, entangled in a situation that lays the foundation for Japan’s current state. Something you can enjoy right now on Game Pass, whether in the cloud, on consoles, or PC.
