Like a Dragon: Ishin combat trailer shows that, yes, you should bring a gun to a sword fight

On February 21, 2023, Western fans of the Like a Dragon series can finally play Like a Dragon: Ishin without having to buy an imported PlayStation 4 copy. Featuring a stylish blend of sword, hand-to-hand, and firearm combat, Like a Dragon: Ishin offers a distinct action experience from the mainline games that longtime fans will undoubtedly want to experiment with. For those unfamiliar with how the combat system of Like a Dragon: Ishin works, Sega just dropped a new trailer to keep players up to speed.

The original release of Like a Dragon: Ishin occurred about a year before the release of Yakuza 0, or Ryu ga Gotoku 0, in Japan. With this in mind, fans of Yakuza 0 will no doubt notice that Like a Dragon: Ishin features a major mechanical similarity to that game in the form of the style system. In Ishin, protagonist Sakamoto Ryoma, the game’s Kazuma Kiryu lookalike, has access to four combat styles that he can switch between at any time.

What are the styles like?

The first of these styles, dubbed Swordsman, naturally sees Sakamoto slicing up bad guys with his katana, whereas the Gunman style allows him to pick off enemies from a distance with his “feudal-era firearm.” Players looking for a more traditional Yakuza combat experience can opt for the Brawler style, which features moves and abilities similar to those of Kiryu’s trademark Dragon of Dojima style from the mainline installments. If you really want to go crazy, though, you can switch to the Wild Dance style, which sees Sakamoto using his katana and gun in tandem to overwhelm foes.

This combat trailer offers just a taste of the different moves and techniques that players can pull off in Like a Dragon: Ishin. Players who enjoyed Yakuza 0‘s style-centric combat system will likely find a lot to love about what Ishin has in store.