Sega and RGG Studio have announced Like A Dragon: Ishin!, a remake of Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! which will be coming to western audiences for the first time in 2023. Previously released only in Japan on Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 in 2014, this looks to be a complete remake using RGG Studio’s new Dragon Engine. Yakuza series producer Daisuke Saito mentioned back in 2021 that he would love to bring Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! and Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! to the west, but they would require a remake rather than a straight port. Now it seems that he has delivered on his word.
This spinoff of the popular Yakuza series places players in the Bakumatsu phase of the Late Edo Period in Japan. In this entry of the action-RPG franchise, you play as Sakamoto Ryōma, an influential figure of the Edo Period. After being involved in a bloody coup d’état and seeing his mentor murdered, Sakamoto takes up a hidden identity on the streets of Japan and ends up joining the Shinsengumi, the infamous special police force that served as the protectors of the shogunate.
While actual historical figures are shown in this game, the story is very much one of fiction. While loosely based on the life of Sakamoto Ryōma, this game embellishes many elements of his story and takes cues from the main Yakuza games for its characters and narrative, such as Sakamoto having the same face and voice as protagonist Kiryu Kazuma.
Like A Dragon: Ishin! is currently due sometime in February 2023 for Playstation 4 and Playstation 5. No news as of right now is known about a PC version, or if this is a console exclusive. More details about Like A Dragon: Ishin! will be shown on September 14 during Sega’s RGG Summit 2022.
