New Yakuza game revealed as PS5, PS4 remake Like a Dragon Ishin

Like a Dragon Ishin! is a PS5, PS4 remake of Sega's 2014 Japan-exclusive Yakuza title Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! and it's got a western release window of February 2023. The game has been remade from the ground up in Unreal Engine 4.

Like a Dragon Ishin! was announced at Sony's September 2022 PlayStation State of Play with a trailer showcasing previously retired Yakuza star Kazuma Kiryu in the role of Sakamoto Ryoma during the late Edo period in Japan. Developers Rya ga Gotoku Studio and publisher Sega are finally allowing this Japan-only Yakuza remake to come to the west for PS5, PS4 in February 2023.

Ah, the friendly face of *checks notes* Sakamoto Ryoma!

Like a Dragon Ishin! trophies already online in Japanese

We learned a few more details about Like a Dragon Ishin! from the PlayStation Blog, like how the game will feature four combat styles — similar to other PS4 titles like Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami — letting you swap between the sword-heavy Swordsman style, the gun-heavy Gunman style, the classic swaggering Brawler style, and the dual wielding sword-and-gun Wild Dancer style. That Sakamoto uses weapons by default will already clash heavily with the standards of any fan who have spent more than half a day brawling for those Yakuza series trophies.

The Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! story stars Sakamoto Ryoma, based on a real-life samurai, as he embarks on a mission to avenge his murdered mentor and goes undercover in the special police force Shinsengumi, which may as well be a stand-in for the usual Yakuza clans for all the violence and internal feuds the group will face. No need to worry where in the Yakuza series order this one falls — unless we're talking about similarly Japan-only Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!, an earlier PS3 Japan-only Yakuza title set in an earlier time in the Edo period, presume Ishin! comes first.

Like a Dragon Ishin! follows news of the Yakuza series coming to PS Plus Extra and Premium, which was kicked off by the inclusion of Yakuza Like a Dragon in PS Plus Essential's monthly games of August 2022. While we're sure this new title won't be jumping on PS Plus Extra straight away, it does mean players can continue to play the entire series on PS5 and PS4.

Like a Dragon, indeed.

For those with a little more knowledge of the Japanese language, you might not even have to wait around long to find out what trophies Like a Dragon Ishin! has — the Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! trophies from 2014 are already online! The list is definitely subject to change, however; but feel free to play the game and let us know if it qualifies for one of the Best PlayStation JRPGs list (or its inevitable action-RPG equivalent) in the comments below.

PlayStation 5

Written by Lee Brady

Staff Writer Lee loves to write about classic PS1 games on PS Plus, examining the game design of upcoming PS5 games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Like a Dragon Ishin, and his shameless love of Sonic, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts games. He's also your resident PlayStation Stars guy.