Like a Dragon: Ishin players are ignoring the campaign to play the Stardew Valley-like farming sim

Like a Dragon: Ishin review
(Image credit: Sega)

Like a Dragon: Ishin players are hanging up their hakamas to enjoy quiet lives as farmers in the game's surprisingly robust Another Life farming sim, which is like Stardew Valley and Yakuza's love child.

If you haven't played the original Japanese version of Like a Dragon: Ishin, and most of you probably haven't because it was never released outside Japan, then you might be surprised to find a full-fledged farming sim in your Yakuza game. However, if you're anything like me and a bunch of people on social media, it's here that you might just find yourself spending most of your time in the game.

Pretty early on, you unlock an area of the map where you can plant and grow crops to turn into a wide array of Japanese dishes or sell for mon, Ishin's in-game currency. You can also decorate your humble abode, develop your relationship with your foster daughter, upgrade cute little houses for stray cats and dogs, and generally just escape from your cutthroat life as a samurai in Edo-era Japan.

Sound appealing? It is. In fact, it's so appealing that some players are finding it hard to return to the main quest and see Sakamoto Ryoma's journey of revenge through.

oh do I LOVE grinding for ryo as a humble ginseng farmer from r/yakuzagames

As yet another Twitter user with an anime profile picture pointed out, Another Life isn't just a way to recharge your battery in-between the game's more action-packed sequences; it's also a great way to earn money and Virtue, which you can use to upgrade your farm in a variety of ways, earn reputation around town, boost stamina,  up your fishing game, and more. Don't sleep on it!

Read our full Like a Dragon: Ishin review for all the other reasons you should be playing it.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.