It's built from the ground up for modern platforms, but Ishin is actually a remaster of a Japan-only PS3 game released back in 2014. So the presentation feels a bit dated compared to the Yakuza series' recent releases; but while 19th-century Kyo might not be as bustling as contemporary Tokyo, there's still a liveliness to it.
Merchants hawk their wares on poles and samurai freely roam the streets carrying katanas. Many are masterless ronin, while others maintain order as the feared Shinsengumi paramilitary police. It's this group that protagonist Ryoma infiltrates on a quest to find his patriarch's killer.
There's some fascinating insight into Japanese history here, helped by a glossary in the pause menu, although it's often light on detail...and Ishin is just as guilty as the mainline series of having very wordy cutscenes.
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