i've been playing this for a few days and while i would usually wait for me to finish a game before sharing my thoughts, i can not contain how elated i am at how much of an improvement it is over the original. almost all of my issues with the original game were addressed and i'm very pleasantly surprised. what stands out the most to me is how interesting the characters are and the beautiful and varied environments, it really feels like a rare instance of a dev learning from not only the issues of the original but the parts of it that worked. would not be surprised if this ended up being my goty. i'm going to be locking comments and ignoring this 'review' once i finish the game and get my actual review out, i just genuinely could not stop myself from gushing about this game

Really clean game with the best kind of fanservice for Yakuza fans. The gameplay is great and all 4 styles are super fun, The engine is definitely a step down from Dragon Engine tho. Story is pretty good, has some great moments towards the end & some raw ass moments throughout. Soundtrack is fantastic. Substories are decent, some great but there are way too many bonds lol. Blacksmith system is disappointing because the investment required is just not worth it for a normal playthrough, and also makes completion extremely tedious and time consuming

"I now realise what I search for is not revenge, but the truth."

A unique title that echoes the heights of the franchise. A Yakuza game to it's core and the first title to be shipped to the West under the Like A Dragon rebrand, Ishin Kiwami (I call it Ishinwami for short) has a lot to live up to., and it does for the most part.

On the gameplay side? I like it, boss fights are slower than the rest of the series but it goes great along with it's swordplay. It's your average day to day enemies you encounter that pose any real issue, enemies with the spear will give you a hard time getting back up and during long fights you're suddenly forced to fight these giant armoured enemies who you can't use heat actions against. While the combat isn't anything amazing, it works extremely well for it's setting.

One thing I do not like Ishinwami's character changes, they sell completely different images of the characters and during my playthrough there was always an itch in the back of my mind about how it doesn't feel right. Replacing fan favorites with other fan favorites was not the way to go, however, it's mostly ignorable and the average person will not mind. I'm just care for details like this. I just hope if they ever decide to release Kenzan here, the changes made aren't as major.

But story is what's always mattered in Yakuza to me, and for the most part it delivers very well. The game uses the Meiji Restoration era as a metaphor for our dual selves. Japan, much like us, projects an image of themselves which is how they want to be seen as. But just like us, it's plagued with infighting and conflict.

The story starts out slow and takes a while to get going but when it does it reminds me of why I love this franchise. The final fight especially is a great set piece about two men fighting over a legacy, their legacy. I just wish the rest of the game could've been like this too, because the cracks start to show very soon.
The ending especially veers so hard into Japanese nationalism out of no where that all it does is leave a bad taste in your mouth. It doesn't break the game but it certainly could've been handled a lot better.

Ishin reminds me of a lot of what I love about the franchise, but I can't deny that it occasionally falls into the same pits as some of the other games. Jarring reveals and awkward pacing, I still love Yakuza, or as it's now called, "Like a Dragon". I'm very optimistic for the future.