Like a Dragon: Ishin serves as a comprehensive remake of a 2014 title that was initially only available to Japanese audiences. This recent release crucially brings the game to global audiences, and offers lots in the way of new content as well as its increased graphical fidelity.
As is the case with many installments to the franchise, Like a Dragon: Ishin boasts a massive breadth of content that can differ dramatically in difficulty, tone, and purpose. The title's "Another Life" mode is perhaps the mode that is most removed from the emotionally heavy motifs of the main narrative, interestingly offering game mechanics that are reminiscent of relaxed simulation games such as Stardew Valley.
Like a Dragon: Ishin's Another Life Mode
Like a Dragon: Ishin's Another Life mode is unlocked during Chapter Four of the game's story, opening up a form of side-narrative that takes a much softer and relaxed approach when compared to the overriding themes that the game otherwise explores. The basis of the mode concerns the game's protagonist Sakomoto Ryoma taking custody of a recently orphaned child, who uses the same name and likeness of Haruka from the mainline series of franchise titles.
As well as parenting Haruka, Ryoma shoulders a significant debt that the child has amassed regarding her family home, with the player then having access to the countryside homestead. From this location, the player can farm vegetables, fish, cook, sell goods, trade, rear animals and pets, and more to eventually pay off this aforementioned debt. These tasks often take the form of engaging mini-games, offering short boosts of addictive gameplay that are far removed from the usual combat of Ishin.
The player's progress can also be quite tangible, with upgrades being available for things like farming and cooking to improve the equipment available to the player and the level of reward that mini-game completion offers. These upgrades can even take a more aesthetic approach within Another Life, and, for example, allow the player to customize and improve the interior of the homestead to give an added level of personalization to the Another Life mode.
How Like a Dragon: Ishin's Another Life Compares To Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is considered to be one of the best releases to ever come from the simulation genre, possessing and maintaining a strong cult following since its original 2016 release. Similarly to Like a Dragon: Ishin's Another Life mode, Stardew Valley's core gameplay concerns farming, trading, and even interacting with NPCs.
In this way, the two games feature surprisingly similar elements of gameplay, despite how so far removed from one another they may outwardly seem. Both games even share the same level of gradual progression that can manifest itself cosmetically, with the houses in both Stardew Valley and Like a Dragon: Ishin's Another Life having several levels of aesthetic upgrades that the player can eventually choose from.
As well as farming, Stardew Valley also possesses its own take on cooking as a core game mechanic, further adding ot the significant level of shared gameplay-beats that the title shares with the Another Life mode. While a relaxed domestic simulator may be the last thing that fans would expect to experience within Like a Dragon: Ishin's intense Samurai-era gameplay, the Another Life mode shares huge similarities with some of the most dominant titles within the simulation genre, and offers a comprehensive and addictive experience of its own.
Like A Dragon: Ishin! is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.