During our visit to Berlin, we were able to approach Like a Dragon: Ishin!, the next game from Ryu Ga Gotoku studio. In addition to having played it for a few hours in order to deliver our first impressions, we were able to ask a few questions to Hiroyuki Sakamoto, the game’s producer.
- Can you first tell us about the choice of historical period for Like a Dragon: Ishin! ? Have you considered other options?
Of course, we had a lot of ideas from different time periods that we could have chosen for this game. You know, we wanted to make a samurai game, there are all kinds of different time periods and places that could do the trick. There are many films that take place in this Bakumatsu period but also outside it. But when it came to our main concept with an all-star cast, it really came down to what might fit. Ok, we have the Shinsengumi and they are kind of, in many ways, very similar to the Yakuza. So we thought that would be a really good way to take characters from our show, bring them into that historical setting with some consistency. That’s why we ended up choosing this.
- Will we have elements in play that allow us to better understand this period for those who discover it through the title?
We have indeed included elements for people who are new to this series and the period of Japanese history to understand the terms and the context used. This translates into a hint system that allows players around the world to quickly learn and understand things about this time period.
- Compared to the original version, what additions are you most proud of?
Probably the thing we’re most proud of is the fact that there’s a big gap in hardware. Having our game playable on both PS5 and Xbox Series X as well as the older generation (PS4 and Xbox One). It works great and it looks much nicer than it did before.
- Can you tell us more about the card system that has just been officially introduced? How are they used and how are they obtained, for example?
There are several ways to get new cards in the game. This includes certain stories by playing through the game. There are also achievements that you can somehow complete to unlock new characters. And there’s even a kind of system where you can spend money (Editor’s note: in-game currency) in the Shinsengumi to recruit people and even get very rare characters.
- Are you considering other spin-offs of the same caliber located in the past or in the future using characters from the Yakuza license or even Judgment?
At this point we don’t have any plans for more games in this genre, we have a bunch of new titles in the works. Our main goal as a studio is to fully focus on these projects.
- As you did with Hokuto no Kenwhat would you choose as a license to adapt with the Yakuza formula if you had the choice?
Creating original games is our livelihood as a studio. So we don’t really think about using other licenses. I really have a lot of ideas and even making a game like Hokuto no Ken: Lost ParadiseI’m trying to think of something I’d like to do in our style.
We thank Hiroyuki Sakamoto for giving us some of his time. Like a Dragon: Ishin! will be released on February 21 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series.