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Image via Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega

How to Pick the Best Difficulty for Like a Dragon: Ishin

Don't be difficult.

Like a Dragon: Ishin is a dream come true for many Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) fans. It was a game that was only available in Japan. Meaning you would need to import it or have a Japanese PSN account to play it. It would still present difficulties for most since the game would have Japanese text and subtitles. Now, with the remake, players finally get their chance to experience the game in its entirety. But it still may be a bit different than what players are used to thanks to things like Trooper Cards. But the first difficulty is in the difficulty itself.

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How to Pick the Best Difficulty for Like a Dragon: Ishin

Like a Dragon: Ishin comes with three initial difficulty options: Easy, Normal, and Hard. Each difficulty influences combat, either for you, your opponents or both. There’s also EX Hard, but it’s not available immediately. You unlock it by defeating the game on any difficulty.

Differences in Difficulty

Easy: This is for players that want to experience the story more than anything. It has weak enemies with low health that don’t attack as fiercely as other modes.

Normal: The standard difficulty, this is for players that want a good mix of story and combat and is the default difficulty. It’s the recommended option for first time players. Enemies attack more than easy difficulty but aren’t overly strong or hard to defeat.

Hard: This difficulty has tough enemies with enhanced health and strength that will prove a challenge even for veteran players. The attack aggressively, hardly giving players a chance to breathe.

EX Hard: Only for those that wish to challenge themselves. The enemies are relentless, attacking players practically non-stop and being extremely hard to beat. Worse yet, if you lose you will be transported to your previous checkpoint instead of being able to retry to fight. That means that just a single mistake can undo any progress made since your last checkpoint.

There’s also an additional difficulty named “Ishin” that is available in the Shinsengumi DLC. It is the hardest difficulty available.

Related: Like a Dragon Ishin Fighting Styles Overview – Strengths and Weaknesses


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