The Like a Dragon franchise returns with its biggest-ever game, titled Infinite Wealth, which sees the series leave Japan for the first time in its history. The sunny shores of Hawaii are a fantastic playground for protagonists Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu to get lost in, and the game packs in more content than you can swing Ichiban’s baseball bat at. Incredibly, despite the story’s pacing being far from perfect, Infinite Wealth never manages to outstay its welcome. The plethora of side content never feels like a chore, even in a game that could easily take upwards of 80 hours to fully finish.
Developer & Publisher // Rya Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega
Platforms // PlayStation 4|5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
MSRP & Release Date //$69.99, Jan 26th, 2024
Reviewed On // PlayStation 5
Over the past few years, the Like a Dragon series, formerly known as Yakuza, has experienced unprecedented popularity in the West. Each new entry in the 19-year-old franchise is gaining further traction outside of Japan, so it was no real surprise to learn that Infinite Wealth would primarily take place in Hawaii. This new setting is a perfect change of scenery for the series and replaces the usual urban Japanese architecture with blue skies, beaches, hotels, and surfboards. Parts of the story also take place in the familiar areas of Yokohama and Kamurocho from previous games. When combined with Hawaii’s sizeable map, this means that Infinite Wealth is easily Like a Dragon‘s biggest game, even by map size alone.
Not content with only using large maps as its playground, however, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth doubles down on pretty much everything else it attempts to do. The game features dual protagonists. Fan-favorite from the previous installment, Ichiban Kasuga, returns, but has to make do with sharing the spotlight with series veteran Kazuma Kiryu. Kiryu returns here older and wiser, ready for his swansong outing. The pair are joined by a host of party members, from returning favorites such as ex-cop Koichi Adachi, to new characters like Eric Tomizawa, a cab driver with a score to settle. While the game begins with one group thrown together, it isn’t long before Kiryu takes half of the cast with him to Japan, splitting out the story into two distinct segments, with fans switching between the two after each chapter. This is an almost identical format to the one used in Yakuza Zero, which is the only other Like a Dragon title to feature dual protagonists.
Danny Trejo joins the fold in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Story Suffers From Pacing Issues
To say the plot in most Like a Dragon games can be difficult to follow would be a little bit of an understatement. A combination of subtitles (before English dubs were a thing for these games), and multiple twists and turns involving characters who aren’t always easy to remember. This meant that often it can be hard to keep up with what’s going on. Infinite Wealth, despite trying to keep things relatively simple, suffers from a different problem. The pacing is poor, and a proportion of its 50-hour length feels like filler. Particularly in the game’s first half, it feels like the characters are often running around like headless chickens, with no real purpose. The story does crescendo in typical Yakuza fashion, though. The final few chapters are an exhilarating adrenaline rush, as both Kasuga and Kiryu look to finish their story arcs in style. Kiryu in particular, should this be his last appearance as a playable character, is given the sendoff he deserves.
Thankfully, the pacing issues are somewhat forgiven due to the mightily impressive side content that comes to the fore. This includes a Crazy Taxi-inspired food delivery game, a couple of homages to Pokemon titled Sujimon, in which players battle other trainers using human fighters, and Sicko Snap, a decidedly more ‘adult’ version of Pokemon Snap. As well as a full-on Animal Crossing-style building simulator called Dondoko Island. These games, particularly the latter, could easily be expanded on and released as their own standalone projects. The fact that they are all included here, and can be explored at the player’s leisure, is a testament to developer Ryu Ga Gotoku’s determination to give players value for money.
Once players are done with these side activities, which also include all of the old Yakuza favorites like mini-golf, darts, pool, and karaoke, they can also develop bonds with their party members by visiting numerous locations around the map and triggering conversations. Sprinkle in a solid helping of mini-bosses and optional encounters, and Hawaii, as well as Japan, can keep players busy for a significant period.
Of all the games on offer, Dondoko Island is the one that stands out the most. So much detail has been poured into it. Players can literally build their own dream vacation island which they can return to whenever they need a break from the main campaign. Dondoko Island’s gameplay loop is addictive. Its premise is simple enough that players don’t need to be building simulation experts in order to play and enjoy it.
Like a Dragon’s Combat has Infinite Possibilities
Yakuza: Like a Dragon‘s departure from real-time brawler-style combat came as a shock to fans at first, however, the new turn-based system and mechanics were very quickly embraced. Infinite Wealth dials this up to 11, building on the already solid foundations laid by its predecessor. There’s a huge array of offensive options, from physical attacks to magic and summons (the latter once again taking the form of ‘Poundmates’, which expertly uses Yakuza‘s signature style of humor), with elemental and status effects playing a huge part too. New elements added include positional awareness, allowing players to move around a specific area and place themselves in a more advantageous spot on each turn, allowing for grouped attacks and such. The Jobs system from Yakuza: Like a Dragon also returns. Players can select different classes for each of their party members, with fun gimmicks such as Samurai and Host helping to mix things up.
In another new, clever addition, players are awarded with a small amount of MP (magic points used to do magic attacks) every time they perform a physical attack. This helps encourage players to use basic attacks as a form of recouping lost MP and keeps the combat versatile, which is its strongest point. Using items can be a little cumbersome, however, as once the player has built up a large amount of assorted items, it can be a pain getting to the ones you need quickly during the heat of battle.
Infinite Wealth‘s Job system is not without its drawbacks. Most of the party members come with their own unique jobs, which are more often than not the strongest available jobs for them. This begs the question- why bother changing it? Other than for the cosmetic differences, there isn’t always an obvious need, or more importantly- point, to actually change the party members’ jobs. Combat starts out easy enough, and indeed, many players may find themselves approaching the halfway stage of the game without being seriously challenged. Thankfully, though, this is rectified by the time the end credits roll, with the last couple of chapters, as well as the two optional dungeons, suitably dialing up the difficulty.
Infinite Wealth- Performance, Visuals, and Audio
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is said to be Ryu Ga Gotoku’s biggest-ever game, and this shows in every facet. The game is highly polished, and the vibrant colors of Hawaii are brought to life beautifully. The game’s unique and innovative selection of enemies are all animated well, and playing on PS5 is as smooth as you’d expect. No loading, no bugs or glitches to note, and an engine that uses the power of the PS5 perfectly, all screams of a game that was released exactly when it should’ve been. In an era of games releasing prematurely only to be patched later down the line, this deserves immense credit.
Since introducing English dubs to its games, the Like a Dragon franchise has tried to cater to audiences from East and West, eliminating the need for subtitles. Infinite Wealth‘s English voice acting feels natural, and each character is brought to life with the appropriate amount of personality. Kiryu’s English voice acting is probably the weakest overall. His pitch and tone don’t quite sound the way you would expect them to, but this issue is nowhere near big enough to make a difference. The game’s soundtrack is appropriately adrenaline-fueled, and the battle music keeps the action ticking over nicely.
Final Thoughts on Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth feels like the culmination of developer Ryu Ga Gotoku’s efforts over the past decade to create a bombastic franchise that is rich in personality and action. The game’s engaging combat, stunning locales, and a dense assortment of side content and mini-games, all help to ensure Infinite Wealth is a good time from start to finish. Some issues with the story’s pacing are quickly forgotten when players begin to immerse themselves in the game’s world, and not a minute of time spent feels wasted.
It’s not easy for a franchise to continuously reinvent itself while keeping things fresh and modern, but Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth does exactly that. The series is going from strength to strength, and Ryu Ga Gotoku’s biggest problem right now is likely trying to figure out how exactly it will raise the bar even further next time.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is available now on PC, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Note – A PlayStation 5 code was provided by the developer for the purpose of this review.
