Fans have been waiting a long time forLike a Dragon: Ishinto come out. For those in the dark, this was originally a 2014 PS3 and PS4 game exclusive to Japan calledRyu ga Gotoku Ishin. It’s not the first samurai-based spinoff to theYakuzaseries either. Both games switch the main character, Kazuma Kiryu, for historical figures. This game has him play Sakamoto Ryoma.
RELATED:Games to Play If You Enjoy Like A Dragon: Ishin
There was alsoRyu ga Gotoku Kenzan, which was a 2008 PS3 game. It’s a shameLike a Dragon: Ishindidn’t get bundled in a remastered collection with both games. It’s also a shame that this remaster didn’t receive as many upgrades aside from the visuals. Maybe these things can be added in patches to make it better though.
8Add A Skip Button For Cutscenes
It is wild to imagine players cannot skip cutscenes inLike a Dragon: Ishin. They probably won’t want to skip the main ones as they are full of great action, drama, and comedy. However, there are smaller conversations that should have the option of a skip button as they can drag on.
If adding a skip button is too hard then the developers could always try a fast-forward feature instead. What kind ofhigh-profile action gamedoesn’t allow for cutscene skipping in 2023 anyway?
7Add A Dub Track
The most recent games in this series have featured dub tracks.Yakuza: Like A Dragonhas one, and it was great alongside both Judgment spinoffs. Why then didn’tLike a Dragon: Ishinget one? Dubs are indeed more expensive to do.
It could be too late to add an English track now, but it would be exciting to see it in a patch. Some players just preferdubs over subsall the way even if the native audio is superb, like in the case of this game.
6Combat Upgrades
There are two major upgrades that this game should get for battles. One, and most importantly, the game needs a lock-on camera. This isn’t necessary for common fights in the streets as it is easy to switch between enemies.
RELATED:Most Iconic Yakuza Characters
A lock-on would be nice to have in a boss fight though where things are more critical. The other upgrade would allow photo mode during combat. Right now, players can only use it during non-combat situations which seems off. It’s fun to capture screenshots in other action games in the middle of fights, so it should be featured inLike a Dragon: Ishinas well.
5A Simpler Upgrade Path
This game features four combat styles that are all fun to use. Leveling up will earn players basic orbs they can put in each of these four paths to learn new moves or boost stats. Bonus style-based orbs will be rewarded sometimes as well.
It’s a great upgrade tree foran action RPGbut there is one problem with it. The organization of it makes it look like a board ofChinese Checkers. It’s not intuitive to go through, so a menu-based upgrade path would be ideal to make this less of a hassle.
4Add Better Quest Markers
Some of the best parts of the game arethe side questswhich are specifically called substories. They are rarely marked on the map and players must find them at random by running around. There are also rarely any indications on the map as to how to progress these quests.
Sometimes they are easy to figure out and sometimes the requirements are vague. It would be helpful if missions added more markers to the map to speed these side quests along.
3Add Better Fast Travel
Having more fast travel options is another upgrade the map could use. Players can warp around any given city using rickshaws which were like the taxis of this era of Japan. Fast travel has always been a pain in these games, so it’s not out of the left field thatLike a Dragon: Ishinis bad too.
RELATED:Yakuza: The Best Minigames in the Series
It would be more convenient if players could open the map and then warp to their destination without the need for rickshaws, taxis, or whatever. This is an upgrade that theentireYakuzaseriesneeds.
2Random Battle Upgrades
This is a small complaint, but random battles are simply not random enough. Players often have to grind for money, materials, and experience to get through some of the tougher missions as is the case inmany classic RPGs. They can do this by running into street thugs.
These enemies will appear randomly and there’s no proper way to seek them out faster. It would be miraculous if the map added where these wandering warriors were hiding instead of forcing players to run around wildly wasting time to find them. This would be in addition to adding better map markers.
1Add A Kurosawa Mode
There is a mode in the game that will add screen effects to make it look more like a classic samurai film. That’s the description in the game at least, but the filter is not good. This is odd considering the photo mode has better filters, like two black and white ones, that would fit the era better.
Ghost of Tsushimahad Kurosawa mode which transformed the game into a black-and-white masterpiece. This was done in honor of Akira Kurosawa, one Japan’s greatest filmmakers. It’s odd then thatLike a Dragon: Ishindoesn’t have as clean of a mode, but a quick patch could fix this oversight.
Like a Dragon: Ishinwas released on July 17, 2025, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
MORE:The Best And Worst Things About Hogwarts Legacy
