SEGA’s Yakuza series of third-person beat-’em-ups, which give the open-world elements in series such as Grand Theft Auto a distinctly Japanese flavor, is getting yet another title.
SEGA has previously said there would be a “special announcement” about the series when they revealed the results of a character poll in Tokyo, and here it is: a new game called Ryū ga Gotoku: Ishin. The title can be translated to Yakuza: Restoration, and from the looks of it, it seems to be a spiritual successor to the still-not-released-in-the-West Yakuza: Kenzan, which took place in Kyoto during the Edo period and documented the life of famed samurai Miyamoto Musashi, Yakuza-style.
As for this new game, not only does the title for Yakuza: Restoration look quite similar to that of Kenzan, complete with exclamation mark at the end for emphasis, Restoration also has its roots in Japanese history. The lead character for Yakuza: Restoration has been revealed to be Sakamoto Ryoma, the man who helped overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu, the “final curtain” on the Edo period, and led to the Meiji Restoration.
This is all the information we have on Yakuza: Restoration for now, but more, including the console and gameplay aspects, will be revealed in this week’s issue of Famitsu.
While you Yakuza fans wait for more news on Yakuza: Restoration, why not vote for a Western release of Yakuza 5 or Yakuza 1 & 2 HD Edition in the poll we produced as part of our partnership with Language Automation, Inc.? This poll focuses on showing publishers that niche games like Yakuza really do have an audience, so check it out here, because every vote counts!
