You know how it goes. One minute you’re on a mission to stop a shady government organization from doing something nefarious, and the next, you find yourself whisked away to a dream-like island by a dolphin. It’s all in a day’s work for former yakuza associate Ichiban Kasuga, whose journey to Hawaii in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth blends pulpy, soap opera-like drama with pure whimsy in a way that only developer RGG Studios has mastered. As the sequel to the best game in the Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) series, Infinite Wealth has a lot to live up to and I’m happy to say that in almost every regard, this surpasses its predecessor.
Like every RGG game, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is best experienced by taking in everything and enveloping yourself in the heartfelt, action-packed, and wacky world the studio has created. If you’re mainlining Ichiban’s story, you’re doing it wrong. After all, this is a game with a button dedicated to throwing up the Shaka symbol to the residents of Hawaii. If you’re not diving in and vibing with everything Infinite Wealth has to offer, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
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Infinite Wealth Has Enough Content for Multiple Games
Thankfully, almost everything here is, at worst, good. Between adding an entire battle system to the Pokemon-like Sujimon mechanic, dropping in an entire set of Kiryu-specific side quests called the “Bucket List,” and the Animal Crossing-like Dondoko Island adventure, there’s more than enough to sink your teeth into. That’s not even getting into the smaller games, like Ichiban’s dating app, the Crazy Taxi-inspired delivery game, or all of the standard minigames that the series is known for (Darts, Mahjong, the arcade, etc).ย
The developers said Hawaii is the biggest map they’ve ever created and they have stuffed that thing full of content. I’m around 80 hours in and there’s still so much more for me to see. I’ve barely scratched the Sujimon tournaments and there are still 10 or 15 substories left to dive into. If you’re looking for a game that’s going to occupy your brain for a month or more, it’s hard to recommend a better one than Infinite Wealth.
Of course, that side content is only half of the game. The main storyline and the core combat is where Like a Dragon (previously Yakuza) games often live and die. Granted, I think there’s only been one game in the franchise that’s not at least good (Yakuza 5), but when LaD’s combat and story are working, there’s nothing like it in video games.
Fortunately, I’m here to report that both aspects live up to the previous entry Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The main story is full of the usual twists and turns that players have come to expect from the series. There are a few instances where events happen that don’t really make sense and are then used to set up something down the line. We’re not stepping into rubber bullets territory with this one, but it’s worth saying that there are a few odd choices. In many ways, the main tale is the only thing that I felt was a downgrade from Yakuza: Like a Dragon. That game had one of the biggest gut punches in video games to top off an excellent story. Infinite Wealth is very good but didn’t have that same level of payoff at the end for me.ย
Infinite Wealth also suffers from a similar problem as its predecessor. There is a noticeable jump in difficulty toward the end of the game that will leave some players frustrated. However, the team has found a way to split the difference and make this difficulty spike much more palatable. There’s no lengthy run-up to the fight. If you lose (and this was the only story mission where I died), all you have to do is skip through a few cutscenes and you’re right back into the boss battle. RGG is essentially having its cake and eating it by keeping in the bumped-up difficulty, but providing players with plenty of checkpoints before major fights. It’s an excellent change that really does make Infinite Wealth’s toughest moments much more palatable.ย
However, even if the main story is slightly lacking compared to the last game, the character moments between Ichiban, Kiryu, and the rest of the crew are some of the best work RGG has ever done. Your entire party is much more fleshed out than they’ve been in the past, and series newcomers Eric Tomizowa and Chitose Fujinomiya get more than enough time to shine. In fact, I found myself wanting to dive into Tomi and Chi-chan’s stories even more than my old friends. RGG knocked all of those little character moments out of the park, making for what is sure to be one of the best ensemble casts of 2024.ย
This extends to the side characters and villains. I’m not sure if he’ll continue to be involved in the game going forward given what happens, but it seems like Ichiban might have found his version of Goro Majima in Hawaii. I won’t spoil who that might be, but let’s just say that it would not be surprising to see one of the antagonists join your party in the next game. The Like a Dragon series has had some great villains over the years, and I think this group is another exceptional collection of guys you love to hate. I switched over to the English translation just to hear Danny Trejo talk about his machete and I was not disappointed.
Like a Dragon: Combat Evolved
On the combat side, this feels like a major upgrade from Yakuza: Like a Dragon and it’s all thanks to one change. Now, you can control where each character moves in battle. You don’t have free roam like in the action-focused Like a Dragon games. Instead, you have a circle of movement around your character that you can work within. As you level up, that circle gets a little bigger, but learning how to use your limited movement to give yourself the advantage is key to most fights.
With the ability to move around the battlefield, RGG has opened up several new possibilities for taking out foes. The most important of these is backstabbing. No, this isn’t the Dark Souls-ification of Like a Dragon. If your opponent is focusing on one of your other party members, you can circle to their backside and get off an attack that deals a ton of extra damage. You can also get a proximity bonus if you get up close and personal and, as you improve your Bond with the characters in your party, you can unlock even more combat options, but the backstab was the attack that got me out of more than one sticky situation.
Outside of the movement options, combat is very similar to Yakuza: Like a Dragon. You’re still using abilities to gain a type advantage over your opponents, switching to different classes to open up new attack options, and bringing the story into the mix through the previously mentioned party Bond mechanics. However, because Kiryu is now involved, the developers have given him a few options to unleash his action-focused moveset.ย
From the jump, you can switch between three of his most famous combat styles while in the thick of things to suit your needs. For me, this mostly just meant flipping to Beast when an enemy was guarding to break through their defense. As you progress, you’ll also unlock the ability to turn on the Dragon of Dojima style and, for a few brief seconds, use Kiryu’s trademark combat skills in their full glory. It’s not nearly as robust or fun as an old Yakuza game, but it does give you a fun nostalgia hit every time you flip the switch to turn it on.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth isn’t without issues. Some weird story moments don’t make a ton of sense, and while I didn’t really get into it, some of the stuff happening on Kiryu’s side might not hit as hard if you haven’t played his games before. That said, it is tough for me to imagine liking a game more this year. Infinite Wealth got me out of my seat during several momentous story moments and sucked me into its grips with all of the outstanding side content. I’m not ready to say this is the best game RGG has ever released, but it’s very close. This is a master fine-tuning its craft to the point of near perfection and one of the first must-play games of 2024.
Score 5/5
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthย was reviewed on a PC courtesy of a review copy provided by the publisher. The game was released on January 25 across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms.ย ย ย
