When Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin! came out in 2014, the world wasn’t so grand for Western fans of the Yakuza games. They’d have to wait another year to get 2012’s Yakuza 5 (and only via a digital release), but Ishin would stay Japan-side, as Sega wasn’t sure a samurai game involving a lot of Japanese history would do well internationally.
Then the series took off in the latter 2010s, with Yakuza: Like A Dragon, the Judgment games, and re-releases of the classic games doing much better in sales. Enough for Sega to remaster their samurai game as Like a Dragon: Ishin! New looks, new mini-games, same sword-slinging fun! But what can players do once they’ve finished this long-awaited game? If they enjoyed Ishin, they should also enjoy these recommendations.
8 Yakuza 0
The game takes place about a century and a half after Ishin in the much less feudal 1980s. Yet, this entry is why the series went from a cult classic to a classic. Yakuza 0 largely perfected its open-world gameplay, packed in a ton of entertaining mini-games, and balanced the combo of drama and comedy with a ton of charm. Its popularity sounds overstated, yet the proof can be found in the Ishin remaster itself.
Characters from the original game got reskinned and re-voiced by their equivalents from the post-0 games. The most notable ones being Japanese actors Hitoshi Ozawa, Riki Takeuchi, and Hideo Nakano, who previously played 0 villains Kuze, Awano, and Shibusawa respectively. The hype is real, and their performances are part and parcel of it.
7 Ghost of Tsushima
Yakuza 0 making big bucks is just part of the reason why Ishin escaped Japan. Another part may be the success of Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch Productions’ game about a samurai defending Tsushima Island from the Mongols. It stands out because it’s a Western-made samurai game that feels authentic. Or, at least authentic enough with its characters and setting to impress Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi.
The game is also open-world, but it’s more akin to Assassin’s Creed with its broader spaces, and mix of direct assault combat and "Ghost" mode stealth attacks. The side quests aren’t as wacky as Kiryu’s, but the main story’s tale of revenge and honor is an engaging adventure that makes it worth the journey.
6 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
If players like the feudal Japan setting of Ishin and Tsushima but want more of a challenge, they’ll know what to expect from this game. Made by FromSoftware, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is essentially Dark Souls with a samurai twist.
It lacks the Souls series’ multiplayer and custom character options, as players control Wolf, a warrior who seeks vengeance for his murdered master.
However, the game makes up for this with an extensive skill tree and gear upgrades. Plus, it has a unique approach to gameplay where the player has to knock the enemies off-balance to lay in some lethal blows. After the medieval musings in Dark Souls and Elden Ring, Sekiro may be a breath of fresh air from the formula.
5 Nioh 2
After bringing Ryu Hayabusa back from the NES in Dead or Alive and the Ninja Gaiden reboot, Team Ninja gave the samurai a shot with the Nioh series. While the first game has its fans, the sequel improved on its Action-RPG formula. For one, the new yōkai-human protagonist Hide can be customized by the player, and they can access new abilities by collecting "Soul Cores" from fallen foes.
The story is better, as Hide seeks to stop Kashin Koji and his yōkai accomplice Otakemaru. It’s also a pretty hard game and has three extra DLC campaigns. It’s both full of content and offers a challenge for those who don’t want their games to go easy on them.
4 Muramasa: The Demon Blade
This one is perhaps a bit rare, given it’s a 2009 Wii game with a 2013 PS Vita port that didn’t set the world alight. Even then, this brawler got good reviews on release, and it would likely do better now than on its original release. Why? Because Muramasa is a 2D side-scrolling beat ‘em up, and the genre has seen a resurgence in the past few years.
The game focuses on Momohime, a princess possessed by a samurai, and an amnesiac ninja called Kisuke as they try to stop Tsunayoshi Tokugawa from gathering the titular Demon Blades. It spices things up with RPG elements, like side quests, cooking dishes for stat boosts, and a skill tree for forging newer, stronger weapons. If the newer wave of brawlers hasn’t scratched that brawling itch, Muramasa: The Demon Blade may be worth powering up the old Wii for.
3 Onimusha series
Capcom really left this series by the wayside. The first game got an HD remaster as Onimusha: Warlords for the PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch. However, its more refined sequels have yet to escape the PS2. Originally planned as a Sengoku-era Resident Evil game, the series consists of third-person hack and slashers about a swordsman taking on demonic creatures called Genma.
Unlike Devil May Cry, players have to take a more methodical approach with Onimusha’s leads Samanosuke, Jubei, and Sōki. They’re more about solving puzzles and careful strikes than Smokin’ Sick Style combos. Still, they have access to a wide variety of weapons, from katanas to broadswords, to keep the action going, and they can grab plenty of genma souls to perk them up.
2 Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
For those who like their action to be even more methodical, Shadow Tactics: BotS uses the Sengoku setting for a stealth-based RTS game. It’s up to the samurai Oshiro Mugen, ninja Hayato, thief Yuki, sharpshooter Takuma, and Mugen’s kunoichi lover to save the newly unified Japan from a mysterious warlord known only as "Kage-sama."
The player has to direct their units around the level, avoiding enemies to gather key intel, steal important documents or items, rescue trapped allies, and kill or capture targets. They can hide in the shadows and use the environment to their advantage. However, it can also work against them if they’re not careful. There are birds and civilians who can blow covers if they’re startled, and any bodies (dead or unconscious) have to be hidden to avoid alerting the other guards.
1 Ryu Ga Gotoku: Kenzan!
Finally, Ryu Ga Gotoku: Kenzan! was the series’ first foray into Japan’s past, and into HD gaming in general, as it preceded Yakuza 3 on the PS3. It followed the famous warrior Miyamoto Musashi living out his postwar life under the pseudonym "Kazumanosuke Kiryu." Things take a turn when a young girl asks him to carry out a hit on a man claiming to be Musashi. He accepts her request, if only to find out why someone’s impersonating him.
Considering its age, fans expected this game to get a remaster before its spiritual PS4 successor. Sega could’ve gotten away with translating Ishin and leaving it at that. Kenzan would require a bit more polish to live up to the rest of the series, given its difficulty and story elements. However, if players know Japanese or have a translation guide, they’ll still have plenty of old-school Yakuza fun with its mix of brawling and slicing.