New Game+ Differences

Starting a New Game+ in Like a Dragon: Ishin! offers a unique experience, allowing you to carry over significant progress from your previous playthrough while introducing new challenges and opportunities. This section details what transfers, what changes, and how to best utilize your New Game+ run for 100% completion or simply to enjoy the story with an edge.

What Carries Over

One of the primary benefits of New Game+ is the retention of many of your hard-earned resources and progress. This significantly streamlines subsequent playthroughs, especially for those aiming for completionist goals or higher difficulty runs.

Money (Ryo): All your accumulated Ryo will carry over. This is incredibly useful for purchasing expensive equipment early on or investing in your farm.
Items (excluding key items): Most consumable items, crafting materials, and general inventory items will transfer. This includes valuable resources like Platinum Plates, Gold Plates, and various crafting components. Key items essential for story progression, however, will be reset.
Equipment: All weapons (swords, guns), armor, and accessories you've acquired and upgraded will be available from the start. This allows you to tackle early-game encounters with powerful gear.
Trooper Cards: Your entire collection of Trooper Cards, along with their levels and abilities, will carry over. This is a massive advantage, as powerful cards can trivialize many combat encounters.
Ability Upgrades: All skill tree progress, including unlocked abilities and stat boosts, will transfer. This means you'll begin with a fully developed Ryoma, ready to unleash devastating techniques.
Completion List Progress: Any progress made towards the Completion List (e.g., minigame scores, substory completion count, food eaten) will be retained. This is crucial for unlocking the "Master of the Bakumatsu" trophy.
Another Life Progress: Your farm's level, crops, and any upgrades made to your Another Life homestead will carry over, allowing you to continue generating income and resources efficiently.
Friendship Bonds: All established friendship bonds with various NPCs will carry over. This means you won't need to re-establish relationships to access their benefits or complete their associated substories.

What Resets

While much carries over, certain elements are reset to ensure a fresh narrative experience and to prevent breaking the game's progression too severely.

Story Progress: The main story will, naturally, reset to Chapter 1. You will need to play through the narrative again.
Substory Completion: While your *count* of completed substories carries over for the Completion List, the individual substories themselves will be available again. This allows you to replay them or complete any you missed.
Dungeon Progress: All progress in the Battle Dungeons and other combat challenges will be reset, requiring you to clear them again.
Heat Gauge Upgrades: While your general abilities carry over, the specific Heat Gauge upgrades obtained through story progression will need to be re-earned as you advance through the chapters.

New Game+ Exclusive Content & Strategies

New Game+ isn't just about replaying; it offers unique opportunities and challenges.

Legend Difficulty

Upon starting New Game+, you'll unlock the Legend difficulty. This significantly increases enemy health, damage, and aggression. It's recommended for players who have mastered the combat system and are looking for a true test of skill. Utilize your carried-over powerful equipment and Trooper Cards to stand a chance.

Completionist Run Advantages

New Game+ is the ideal time to aim for 100% completion. With your money, items, and abilities carried over, you can focus on:

Missing Substories: Easily revisit areas and complete any substories you might have skipped in your first playthrough. With strong gear, even challenging substory fights will be manageable.
Minigame Records: With ample Ryo, you can freely engage in minigames like the Chicken Race or gambling without worrying about financial setbacks, making it easier to achieve high scores and unlock rewards.
Crafting & Upgrading: Use your carried-over materials and money to craft and upgrade all remaining weapons and armor. This is essential for certain Completion List entries. Focus on obtaining rare materials like the Dragon's Eye or Sacred Wood from Battle Dungeons, which will be easier with your powerful build.
Another Life Maxing: Continue to expand your farm and relationships in Another Life. With a steady income, you can quickly purchase all upgrades and unlock all recipes.

Efficient Progression Tips

Rush the Story (Optional): If your primary goal is to experience the story again or quickly reach a specific chapter for a missed substory, your powerful character can breeze through most early and mid-game encounters.
Prioritize Unfinished Business: Before diving deep into the main story, take some time to clear up any remaining Completion List items that are accessible early on. This prevents backtracking later.
Experiment with Styles: With all your abilities unlocked, New Game+ is a great opportunity to experiment with different combat styles or refine your preferred one without the pressure of learning new mechanics.