I think this would be a perfect 3.75 rating, but for the sake of my experience with this game I decided to scale down with my rating instead of up.
I did enjoy my time with Like a Dragon: Ishin, but to varying degrees throughout my time with it. I think for the first half or so I thought it was great, with a compelling story and setting and themes within. Like other entries in this series I played, I loved a lot of the side tasks (although the quests were mostly just fine). I liked the new environment and time period this was set in because it felt like fresh territory in the series.
The combat is fine. It allows for variation with different styles and weapons but more often than not I stuck with the same one (swordsman) while occasionally messing with brawler. Boss fights can be fun, but aren't always, and the random enemy encounters really become grating after a while. Some of my favorite games of all time have random battles but for some reason here I would roll my eyes or groan whenever one popped up, especially in my last 5-10 hours with the game.
The narrative I felt became more uninteresting as it unfolded, as I found that I checked out probably around chapter 5 or 6 or so. I can't exactly pinpoint why I stopped being into it. It just wasn't grabbing me I suppose.
A major reason this got bumped down half a star is because of some design decisions I found frustrating, particularly near the end. I won't spoil anything, but there's basically a point of no return (like there is with a lot of games) as you gear up for the final boss. So I utilized the warning and went to go find a vendor that sells Deluxe Vitality Pills so I can stock up and be prepared, only the vendor wasn't there. Welp. That was annoying. So, the final part of the game I would willingly let myself die if certain battles weren't going well, so I could regain my health and start over in hopes that I can manage it next time around, knowing that I must save what little items I have left for an inevitable, tough final boss.
Anyways overall I'd say its worth playing especially if you're a fan of the series, but I wouldn't consider it anywhere near my favorite of the series.
I did enjoy my time with Like a Dragon: Ishin, but to varying degrees throughout my time with it. I think for the first half or so I thought it was great, with a compelling story and setting and themes within. Like other entries in this series I played, I loved a lot of the side tasks (although the quests were mostly just fine). I liked the new environment and time period this was set in because it felt like fresh territory in the series.
The combat is fine. It allows for variation with different styles and weapons but more often than not I stuck with the same one (swordsman) while occasionally messing with brawler. Boss fights can be fun, but aren't always, and the random enemy encounters really become grating after a while. Some of my favorite games of all time have random battles but for some reason here I would roll my eyes or groan whenever one popped up, especially in my last 5-10 hours with the game.
The narrative I felt became more uninteresting as it unfolded, as I found that I checked out probably around chapter 5 or 6 or so. I can't exactly pinpoint why I stopped being into it. It just wasn't grabbing me I suppose.
A major reason this got bumped down half a star is because of some design decisions I found frustrating, particularly near the end. I won't spoil anything, but there's basically a point of no return (like there is with a lot of games) as you gear up for the final boss. So I utilized the warning and went to go find a vendor that sells Deluxe Vitality Pills so I can stock up and be prepared, only the vendor wasn't there. Welp. That was annoying. So, the final part of the game I would willingly let myself die if certain battles weren't going well, so I could regain my health and start over in hopes that I can manage it next time around, knowing that I must save what little items I have left for an inevitable, tough final boss.
Anyways overall I'd say its worth playing especially if you're a fan of the series, but I wouldn't consider it anywhere near my favorite of the series.