Like a Dragon Ishin Dub

Is Like a Dragon: Ishin Turn Based? – Answered

A true samurai doesn't wait for his enemy to act

Yakuza games have always been action-focused titles with diverse styles for you to master, but Yakuza: Like a Dragon changed the status quo by being the first mainline title to be presented as a turn-based game. And it was a surprisingly nice change of pace, being also the first title not featuring Kiryu (or a lookalike) as the main character.

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So which treatment the spinoff Like a Dragon: Ishin will be getting? The game is set in an older Japanese period, with characters still resembling our favorites from the main games. Will the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios be using the turn-based approach once again or will they stick to their core gameplay elements?

Is Like a Dragon Ishin a Turn-Based Game? – Answered

Just like most of the Yakuza titles, Like a Dragon: Ishin does not have turn-based combat, resorting to the usual action-based fighting style traditional to the series. The game is a remaster of the original version released back in 2014 that never hit the West. At the time, all Yakuza games were all action games, so they kept the original combat system rolling.

You can have your own look at how Ishin plays by downloading the free Demo on your console or PC. The game features multiple fighting styles in the same manner as Yakuza 0, so you should feel familiar with the movements if you played that one before. You can fight by using a traditional katana stance, a gun-based stance, a mix of both, or simply kick ass with your bare fists.

Related: Does Like a Dragon: Ishin Have an English Dub? – Answered

Due to the good reception to the departure from direct action combat in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the following new titles (read as Like a Dragon 8) will be adopting a turn-based system as their main combat feature. The transition has been nothing far from great until now, so we’re probably bound to see good results in those future games too.


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About the Author

Patrick Souza

Patrick has been working for Prima since 2022 and joined as a Staff Writer in 2023. He's been interested in gaming journalism since college, and that was the path he took once he had his degree in hands. Diligently ignores his ever-growing backlog to keep raiding in Final Fantasy XIV, exploring in Genshin Impact or replaying some of his favorite RPGs from time to time. Loves tackling hard challenges in games, but his cats are still the hardest bosses he could ask for.