Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: SEGA
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth – Review
It has only been a few months since the previous game in the Like a Dragon series was released, and we’re already here with the newest installment: Infinite Wealth. Unlike the action-packed The Man Who Erased His Name, Infinite Wealth promises a more meaty experience with turn-based combat rather than the hack-and-slash brawling from Kazuma Kiryu’s last outing. This time Kazuma returns once again, but it’s actually Ichiban Kasuga who stars in the front and center of this new adventure. While our review may have taken a bit longer than expected, that’s simply due to us being engrossed in the story and the amount of content on offer.
Story
It has been a while since the so-called Great Dissolution took place, disbanding most of the Yakuza clans across Japan. While this is great to make the common folk feel safe again, all ex-Yakuza members are now being shunned and are unable to get a job due to a new law. Ichiban Kasuga, known as the hero of Yokohama, played a big part in the Great Dissolution and has seemingly earned himself a second lease on life. Ichiban now works as a temp at Hello Work, providing job opportunities to many ex-Yakuza members, and allowing them to live an honest life. Things seemed to be going well for him, as well as his friends, until an influencer spread false information about Ichiban, making him and other ex-Yakuza members lose their jobs. Somewhat down in the dumps, Ichiban still tries to look at things positively, until he hears about brewing Yakuza activity in the region. He decides to don the ‘hero’ outfit once more, to discover that things are not what they seem. The story then pursues a totally different avenue where Ichiban learns his mother is still alive and kicking in Hawaii, making the adventure take place in a totally new setting. Knowing the Like a Dragon games, however, you already know trouble is brewing around the corner.
All in all, the story is very enjoyable and does have a proper balance between serious and silly moments. We were motivated to keep pressing onwards thanks to the narrative, and of course, the great gameplay elements. That being said, the story exposition sometimes drags on a bit, to the point that having to go through more than an hour of dialogues and cutscenes isn’t an oddity. If you’re looking to pick and play the game for short gaming sessions, you’ll probably be somewhat disappointed to then find out you might be stuck in a very long story segment.
Graphics
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth graphics left us with mixed feelings. It is clear that this game has also been developed with the previous generation of consoles in mind, and as a result, the game doesn’t always look as polished as it could be. You’ll notice a lot of assets being reused all the time, and the enemy variety is sometimes a bit limited in certain areas as well. Nonetheless, the wacky Japanese creativity is again visible here, making the game get away with many of its imperfections. The main characters all look great, even if they are also affected by wooden animations during some of the game’s segments. What we do have to commend the developers for is how alive the world feels. The areas you’ll roam around in feel lived in, there are small stores you can walk in, the hustling and bustling gambling dens are fun to view, the streets never feel empty, and so on. While the game doesn’t always look amazing, the fact that it feels so alive makes it a joy to truly explore the different environments.
Sound
The game’s sound design is also on point. You’ll be treated to a fairly upbeat soundtrack that changes to more subtle tracks when the situation calls for it. There is also the option to play your own in-game music with the CDs you can find. This is a nice touch, even though we didn’t manage to listen to the podcasts in English or with subtitles for that matter. The voice acting is certainly the highlight here, as many of Infinite Wealth‘s dialogues are fully voiced. The Japanese voice cast does a formidable job bringing their respective characters to life, but so does the English voice cast. The latter does sometimes have that 90s cheesy voice acting quality, but it perfectly fits with the setting of the game.
Gameplay
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an RPG title with turn-based combat that plays itself out after the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon and the recently released Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. The turn-based combat format does feel a lot different than most other titles in the series, but it offers a nice change of pace and it still respects the source material. In the game, you’ll go through lengthy dialogues and cutscenes, while also exploring familiar areas in Japan as well as the new Hawaii location. The adventure itself is quite straightforward, but there is more than enough side content to explore as well, and you’ll also be able to properly manage your party of misfits.
Truth be told, the gameplay aspect of the game is fairly expansive, but it’s also simple to get the hang of. You can opt to go from objective to objective, battling a few enemies along the way, or you can just explore, complete some of the game’s side objectives, and be on your merry way as well. When roaming the streets, you’ll encounter enemies, which you can either avoid or beat to a pulp. Your characters will eventually level up with the experience, but they will also increase their specific job ranks. The latter feels a bit like a simple way to unlock additional skills and base stats. You can, of course, switch jobs later, allowing for even more original character builds. We often enjoyed grinding a bit before bigger battles, as it made some of the story segments a bit easier to plow through. That being said, Infinite Wealth is a time-consuming game. If you’re tackling story content, you’ll probably need a bit of extra time as you will not always be able to save and some of the cutscenes and dialogues are quite long. When roaming around the streets, you can save at any given time via the menu. We would have loved a bit more balance when it came to the cutscenes versus free-roaming, as sometimes you’ll go from one conversation to another.
While Infinite Wealth‘s combat takes on a turn-based approach, it comes with its unique twist. During battles, your active character can still move around freely in a small circle. At the same time, your opponents are also actively moving around. This allows you to line up enemies to hit multiple foes at once, or you can also knock them into your teammates for assists, or you can even use items in your environment to deal additional damage. You’ll also have to pay attention during these battles, as you’ll be able to negate or reduce incoming damage with well-timed blocks. You can also dish out additional damage by pressing specific button prompts when using special attacks. The semi-free approach to the turn-based combat system is a lot of fun, and it does fit well within the Yakuza franchise as a whole.
Playing through the main story will already take you probably more than sixty hours, and if you wish to explore the game’s side content, you’ll probably be able to double that time. Outside of the regular story content, you’ll have the Pokémon parody Sujimon side content, as well as a segment that is very reminiscent of Animal Crossing. You could even go around the city to make new friends or dive into a dating app if you so desire. While the secondary objectives are a bit all over that place, they are worked out well and they do add a bit of additional fun content to the mix. You can skip most of this content, but we do suggest giving it a chance.
Conclusion
Even though the pacing is off at times, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a great game in the Like a Dragon series. We loved the engaging turn-based combat, as well as the story that had enough silliness in it to make us smile a lot, while also being able to capture us during its more serious moments. If you’re a fan of the series, but you’re not sure about the turn-based combat, we still recommend taking the plunge as this game is a lot of fun, and even the side content is worth exploring;
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