Like a Dragon Ishin! is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It is a spin-off of the Like a Dragon series, formerly and commonly known in English localization as Yakuza. It was released in February 2014 exclusively in Japan, serving as a launch title for the PlayStation 4. A remaster, Like a Dragon: Ishin!,[b] is set to release in February 2023 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It is being developed using Unreal Engine 4, and will receive a worldwide release unlike the original game.
Set in the chaotic Bakumatsu (1853–1867) phase of the Late Edo period, players take on the role of Sakamoto Ryōma, who is distressed resulting from conflicting pressures and uncertainty about one's self and role in the society. Being embroiled in the middle of a Tosa coup d'état and bent on finding the murderer who assassinated his mentor, Ryōma burrows himself with a hidden identity in the streets of Kyo and joins the grim Shinsengumi.
Despite being the second Like a Dragon series spin-off set in the samurai era instead of modern-day Japan, this game is unrelated to Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!, which was released in 2008 on the PlayStation 3. Kenzan is set two centuries before Ishin!, hence the plots are not related with each other. Each game focuses on a different character, the historical figures of Miyamoto Musashi (1584–1645) and Sakamoto Ryōma (1836–1867) respectively.
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