If anyone reading this is interested in trying the original Ishin with the old cast and gameplay, I highly recommend this guide by KHHSubs: https://www.tumblr.com/khhsubs/92228717296/ishin-guide-in-pdf-format
It has everything you need to not only complete the main story, but even 100% complete the game (though I wouldn't recommend it if you don't want to sour your experience).
Moving on, yeah Ishin is pretty great. It has to be one of the most fun gameplay experiences I've had with the series. I was kind of concerned that the Wild Dance style would absolutely overshadow the other styles, but I'm happy to say that's not the case. All the styles are fun to use and they all feel distinct from one another. Though, if I had to choose a favorite.. yeah I'd have to go with Wild Dance. It just feels so good to "dance" around your enemies and deliver a mix of sword slashes and gunshots.
There's also a few changes to the mechanics that I feel are worth pointing out. Since this game revolves around guns and swords, crafting is pretty much essential now. This is something I was kind of concerned about due to hearing from other people that Ishin has a grinding problem. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the grind really isn't that bad, so long as you don't approach it with a completionist mindset. This even brought some positive changes to the crafting system, such as the fact that secondary weapons no longer break like in the other games, so you can use them freely.
A bit of advice; examine every pot and well you come across when exploring and moving around town. So long as you do that, you should be able to upgrade your weapons at least twice. For further ugrades, there's the battle dungeons. You get plenty of materials there much faster, and they don't take long to clear. Though honestly, I wouldn't recommend bothering with weapons above 6 stars, unless you want to become overpowered (or if you want to complete the optional battle arena).
I have to say though, if there's one change I am not a fan of, it's the fact that you need to spend skill points on the skills you learn from the masters if you actually want to use them. That's the only grinding in the game that truly bothered me.
Unfortunately, I can't really talk much about the story for obvious reasons. I mean, I do know what the plot is (thanks to the guide I linked above), and I can say that there's some pretty good plot twists and hype as shit moments in there. But sadly, the majority of the writing, such as characterization, was totally lost on me. This is something I won't really be able to appreciate until the upcoming remake releases, same goes for the vast majority of the substories. However, what I can definitely praise are the excellent boss fights and action set pieces this game has to offer. The final stage in particular is amazing, it's easily one of my new favorites in the series, and I can't wait for more people to experience it.
While I can't say much about the quality of the side content's writing, it's still pretty fun. The most wanted missions were fun distractions, and the minigames I experienced were very enjoyable. This game's interation of the karaoke has got to be one of my favorites in the series so far, and the fan dancing is another favorite.
Anyways yeah Ishin good. I really look forward to comparing this with the upcoming remake, and see which one I like more. I also might update my score once I fully experience the story in english.
It has everything you need to not only complete the main story, but even 100% complete the game (though I wouldn't recommend it if you don't want to sour your experience).
Moving on, yeah Ishin is pretty great. It has to be one of the most fun gameplay experiences I've had with the series. I was kind of concerned that the Wild Dance style would absolutely overshadow the other styles, but I'm happy to say that's not the case. All the styles are fun to use and they all feel distinct from one another. Though, if I had to choose a favorite.. yeah I'd have to go with Wild Dance. It just feels so good to "dance" around your enemies and deliver a mix of sword slashes and gunshots.
There's also a few changes to the mechanics that I feel are worth pointing out. Since this game revolves around guns and swords, crafting is pretty much essential now. This is something I was kind of concerned about due to hearing from other people that Ishin has a grinding problem. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the grind really isn't that bad, so long as you don't approach it with a completionist mindset. This even brought some positive changes to the crafting system, such as the fact that secondary weapons no longer break like in the other games, so you can use them freely.
A bit of advice; examine every pot and well you come across when exploring and moving around town. So long as you do that, you should be able to upgrade your weapons at least twice. For further ugrades, there's the battle dungeons. You get plenty of materials there much faster, and they don't take long to clear. Though honestly, I wouldn't recommend bothering with weapons above 6 stars, unless you want to become overpowered (or if you want to complete the optional battle arena).
I have to say though, if there's one change I am not a fan of, it's the fact that you need to spend skill points on the skills you learn from the masters if you actually want to use them. That's the only grinding in the game that truly bothered me.
Unfortunately, I can't really talk much about the story for obvious reasons. I mean, I do know what the plot is (thanks to the guide I linked above), and I can say that there's some pretty good plot twists and hype as shit moments in there. But sadly, the majority of the writing, such as characterization, was totally lost on me. This is something I won't really be able to appreciate until the upcoming remake releases, same goes for the vast majority of the substories. However, what I can definitely praise are the excellent boss fights and action set pieces this game has to offer. The final stage in particular is amazing, it's easily one of my new favorites in the series, and I can't wait for more people to experience it.
While I can't say much about the quality of the side content's writing, it's still pretty fun. The most wanted missions were fun distractions, and the minigames I experienced were very enjoyable. This game's interation of the karaoke has got to be one of my favorites in the series so far, and the fan dancing is another favorite.
Anyways yeah Ishin good. I really look forward to comparing this with the upcoming remake, and see which one I like more. I also might update my score once I fully experience the story in english.