Review — Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Two legendary heroes come together in an epic journey that takes us beyond the borders of Japan.
While the Yakuza franchise was once a niche product that was mainly popular in it’s home country and beloved by a select group of gamers in the West, it saw a stellar rise in popularity with the release of Yakuza 0 and the Kiwami remakes of the first to games. The story of Kazuma Kiryu became one of the most beloved stories in recent gaming history and with Yakuza 6: The Song of Life we were given a bittersweet ending to his saga. Soon after, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio would launch the seventh game in the franchise with a brand new protagonist named Ichiban Kasuga.
The boldest move they did, was change the gameplay from a real-time action brawler to a turn-based RPG. While the change was a big gamble, it certainly paid off and together with the loveable dimwit Ichiban and the goofy nature of the game, it offered an unforgettable experience in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. When the next game was announced, the studio had another surprise for us. In Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the two heroes of the series would finally team up and we would also get a spin-off that elaborates what happened between Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. This spin-off, called Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased his Name, came out late last year and earlies this year we finally got our hands on the latest main instalment in the series.
Aloha!
The story of Infinite Wealth takes place after the events of The Man Who Erased His Name. The dissolution of the Omi Alliance and Tojo clan left a power vacuum in the world of organized crime and many former Yakuza-members are having troubles reintegrating society. Kasuga is now working at the Hello Work employment agency, helping out ex-Yakuza getting a job, until he gets framed on social media. Wanting to expose the truth, his investigation leads him to uncover that the Seiryu clan has been secretly recruiting new Yakuza members. This leads him to finding out that his mother Akana is still alive and is living in Hawaii. And if you played The Man Who Erased His Name, you’ll know that Kiryu also happens to be in Hawaii and it turns out he is also looking for Akane on behalf of the Daidoji.
What follows is a wild ride filled with intrigue, drama and intense action in the grandest tradition of the franchise. And while you’ll still be visiting Yokohama, the biggest surprise was that Infinite Wealth would be taking the franchise outside of Japan for the very first time. The choice for Honolulu, Hawaii might seem weird at first, but if you know that the country has the biggest community of Japanese people outside of Japan, it makes perfect sense of course. The tropical scenery of Honolulu certainly offers a nice change in environments, even if I love locations like Kamurochō, Ijincho and Sotenbori.
Fun-filled Experience
In terms of gameplay, Infinite Wealth offers a nice continuation of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Battles are still turn-based but they feel more flashy and engaging, creating one of the most fun-filled turn-based battle systems in recent years. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio really expanded on the RPG system this time, adding things like randomized dungeons, a crafting system, summons and a new relationship system. They even included a Pokémon-esque mechanic called Sujimon you need to capture enemies known as Sujimon. Next, you can have them fight it out in 3v3 matches with you as their “trainer”.
The fun doesn’t stop here of course, as the Yakuza franchise is basically known as the king of mini games. This latest instalment certainly lives up to this name of course. Infinite Wealth offers a whole array of side activities, from food delivery and building your own resort to classic Arcade games such as Bass Fishing and Virtua Fighter 3, but also karaoke, poker, darts, baseball and so on. Chances are you’ll lose as much time, if not more, with the various side activities as with the main story. And the developers certainly didn’t tone down the craziness level, something you’ll quickly find out if you undertake the various substories the game has to offer.
Tour de Force
While the game still runs on the studio’s Dragon Engine, it is by far the best looking game running on this engine. The quality of the graphics is truly amazing, especially if you play on a current-gen console or pc. I played the game on PlayStation 5 and it runs very smooth on this console. I didn’t experience any technical issues, something that is very rare for a triple A game these days. Combined with the amazingly detailed environments and stunning cutscenes, it creates a game that is really a joy to play. This is by far the biggest and prettiest game the studio has put out so far!
If I were to mention a negative element to the game, it would be related to the voice overs. The game features both a Japanese and an English voice-over option, where you’ll also be treated to the presence of Danny Trejo for example. Unfortunately, the English dub is somewhat disappointing, so you really might want to stick to the Japanese voice-overs. Another issue I have to mention is that they decided to put a key feature, New Game+, behind the paywall of the Deluxe and Ultimate Edition, which feels like a really greedy move. This upgrade can also be bought separately for $ 19.99, which is very expensive if you just want to experience the New Game+ mode, something that is usually included in the base game or added for free in an update in some cases. So I really can’t condone what SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku did here and it somewhat puts a stain on an otherwise excellent game.
4/5
Reviewed on PlayStation 5.
Download code provided by the publisher.
