Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review
Release date: January 25, 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S
Mode: Single-player video game
“Review Copy Provided By Sega”
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Yakuza: Like A Dragon dazzled with its turn-based dynamics, but some RPG elements felt unfinished. 'Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth' arrives as a mammoth sequel, tying up loose ends and enhancing Yakuza's best features into a more gratifying gameplay loop. The game artfully mixes delightful absurdity with less impressive elements. Yet, the true joy lies in following Ichiban and his companions through the sun-drenched Hawaiian escapades, offering an enchanting JRPG experience.
The story resumes with Ichiban's crew transitioning from their crime-ridden past to normal life, only to be unexpectedly drawn back into the yakuza realm. Shifting away from the clichéd jailbreak narrative, it delves into the yakuza's diminishing influence in Japan, centered around a family mystery involving Ichiban's mother, leading them to Honolulu, Hawaii. In Hawaii, Ichiban's journey introduces new characters, each with a backstory connected to his past and potentially his future. Kiryu's return, now battling cancer, adds depth and emotional gravity, serving as more than a mere character addition. His storyline is a poignant farewell, combining elements of mentorship and vulnerability. The Hawaiian setting beautifully complements Ichiban's character. Its vibrant districts, from lively malls to tranquil beaches, contrast with Kiryu's reflective journey in Yokohama, offering a new perspective on familiar locations and showcasing the development of the supporting cast.
'Infinite Wealth' improves upon its predecessor's turn-based formula, enhancing character development and reward systems. Ichiban's traits now have a significant impact on job opportunities and skill inheritance, creating a more engaging progression system. The sequel introduces varied methods for leveling up, although their effectiveness varies. The combat system in 'Infinite Wealth' has been notably refined, adding strategic movement and coordination to battles. This brings variety to combat scenarios, where tactical positioning and team synergy become crucial. Enhanced spells and attacks encourage experimentation with different job skills. Circling back around to the strategic turn-based combat system, compared to its predecessor has been refined and comes with a more balanced approach.
Characters start off with a designated class, which provides them with their initial abilities. However, they're given the flexibility to branch out and acquire new skills and roles by changing their job classes at Aloha-Happy Tours. This system introduces innovative classes such as Aquanauts and Pyrodancer, while also welcoming back beloved classes like Chef and Pop Idol. Kiryu enhances the battle dynamics by offering a choice among Beast, Brawler, or Rush styles, with the added capability of switching between them during his turn. The game further deepens team strategy through the introduction of tag team abilities and a variety of skills targeted at individual enemies, specific areas, or all adversaries on the field, which adds a rich layer of strategy to the encounters.
Character relationships play a pivotal role in combat efficiency. Engaging in social activities like sharing drinks or giving gifts bolsters bonds, unlocking potent support skills that range from combo attacks to follow-up strikes. The deeper these bonds grow, the more significant the benefits become, sometimes serving as crucial game-changers during battles. The introduction of Essence skills offers characters devastating super-moves that can turn the tide of battle with massive damage or debilitating status effects. A Perfect Guard mechanic, when executed with precise timing, significantly reduces incoming damage, addressing previous concerns over defense and combat flow. Although the game has made strides in pacing and responsiveness, persistent issues with environmental collisions during combat sequences remain, occasionally hindering character movements and attacks.
Poundmates return with noticeable enhancements, adding a strategic and humorous element to the combat system. These summons now come with varied benefits, from providing extended offensive or healing support to delivering instant, powerful impacts without consuming a turn. The improved Poundmates system encourages strategic thinking, offering players new ways to navigate challenging encounters.
The game's difficulty curve has been meticulously adjusted, removing the harsh spikes that previously frustrated players, resulting in a smoother and more equitable progression. Infinite Wealth expands its universe with a wealth of side missions and activities. From the intriguing Sujimon collection, complete with its own narrative arc involving the Elite Four, to a fresh take on Crazy Taxi gameplay, there's an abundance of content that's both accessible and enjoyable.
Ok, I gotta talk about the call back to Crazy Taxi as the guy you meet who works for “Crazy Eats” (a play on Uber Eats and Crazy Taxi) looks like Axel from the hair to the attire with the only thing missing is the Crazy Taxi announcer and that iconic soundtrack from Offspring and Bad Religion. As a Sega fan, I greatly appreciate the absolute love for Sega’s history showcased in this game.
I have to applaud RGG for being bold enough to do what no other game has ever done that’s set in Hawai’i (are there any other narrative games set in Hawai’i?), and that’s discussing the reality vs fantasy of what Hawai’I is which it not being a paradise and weaving into the narrative the truths of the social and political issues here such is Hawai’I having the largest homeless population in the US and touching upon the well known (to Hawai’I locals) that the mainland fly’s their homeless here to Hawai’I (which if you talk to the majority of homeless here they will tell you they were flown here), the crime and racism here (especially towards Japanese tourists, violent gangs like SOS (Sons of Samoa) and the underground crime rings run by various groups like the Triad and Yakuza, this game is unafraid of speaking on the tough issues without getting preachy and in your face. It relates these real life issues we locals face in natural conversations between the main cast and NPCs. Hats off to RGG for doing their homework on all this as the game cleverly incorporates Hawaiian culture into its side stories, offering a mix of heartwarming and humorous moments.
Exploring Honolulu is incredible as for the most part some of it is fairly accurate to what it looks like here although it is not a 1:1 of what Waikiki and the greater whole of Oahu (or Hawaii in general) looks like and none of the real street names are used. Waikiki Beach and its landmark statute of Duke Kahanamoku are present however its not the exact same statute per se; this also applies to the beach walk and even the areas outside of Waikiki such as Magic Island, Ala Moana Beach, and more from my backyard are all here yet not exactly faithfully realized. Even Ala Moana Mall is here albeit renamed to Anaconda Mall and is a mixture of the real mall with enough changes to be an entirely different entity to avoid them needing the legal rights to license the likeness of the mall.
Sega and RGG Studios collaborated with several Hawai’I owned businesses and brands such as Matsumoto’s Shaved Ice, Aloha Table, Aloha Beer, 88Tees, Hilo Hattie, ABC Stores, and more. I personally visited every Hawai’I business that is showcased in the game to show you what it’s like in real life of which I’ll show you here.
The voice acting brings the narrative to life, with stellar performances by Kaiji Tang, Danny Trejo and Daniel Dae Kim, among others, significantly enhancing the game's immersive quality. As controversial as it was having Datly Kurelo being replaced by Yong Yea, Yong’s take on Kiryu was not bad, inconsistent in tone and delivery yes, but not OMG HE RUINED KIRYU levels that the internet would have you believe. Players have the freedom to switch between Japanese and English audio, catering to diverse preferences. The soundtrack, rich with dynamic beats, elevates the excitement of battles and effectively underscores the game's more poignant moments.
Graphically, Infinite Wealth presents a dichotomy, with cutscenes showcasing higher quality visuals compared to the less polished open-world environments. Despite some reused assets and occasional collision issues, the game excels in character expressiveness and the vivid depiction of settings such as Ijincho, Kamurocho, and Honolulu. The detailed attention paid to recreating Hawaii, in particular, offers a sense of genuine immersion.
The New Game+ being locked behind a DLC paywall with extra story locked behind it too is…not surprising given the landscape of modern gaming nor is it anything new for Sega to do with their games (see Soul Hackers 2 for example) so I wasn’t mad or surprised, just disappointed.
Overall, the attention to detail along with the respect shown to our local slang known as “pidgin” and more of our culture is simply outstanding….or atleast it would be if we locals were incorporated into the game beyond being NPCs. I would be remiss if I did not mention the biggest problem I have with this game; more specifically my problem with RGG and Sega which is the fact that for all the promotion done for this game and for all the celebrities and influencers that they brought in to promote this game such as Druski, T-Pain, and xQc: NOT ONE HAWAII OR HAWAIIAN CREATOR WAS INVOLVED IN THE PROMOTION OF THIS GAME! This to me is ridiculous as it makes no sense to me how Sega didn’t think it was important to use this game and their platform to give some representation for Hawaii outside of Japanese businesses that are here which they promoted.
Look, I understand that Sega and RGG want all eyes on this highly anticipated game but why is it that a game set in Hawaii has no Hawaii or Hawaiian creators, influencers, or celebrities involved let alone our Hawaiian leaders such as our kumus and more? IS our home nothing more than backdrop for Sega and other gaming companies to use but not incorporate our people? How do you have someone like xQc stream the game to promote it when he has no idea the game is turn-based and how do you bring in Druski to be the face of the promotion of the game when you could’ve given an opportunity to a local or Hawaiian person? This is the second time Sega has done something that I as a Hawaiian find offensive as the first was Sonic Frontiers having an event in on Big Island and not a single Hawaiian or local creator was invited yet people were flown from the world over to attend. How is that right? I’m not saying that I should’ve been invited to that event but some Hawaiian representation would’ve been great especially when I and other Hawaiian creators have worked with Sega covering their titles for YEARS!
Sega, RGG, game industry as a whole: If you use Hawai’I as a location for your game then include some people of Hawaii to promote it if not be included in the events that you host here. Do better because Hawai’i is a melting pot rich with such history and culture that can be lost in the shuffle when you choose to actively ignore incorporating our people in the promotion of your games. Aloha is for everyone, it’s the foundation of who we are here, but our Aloha should not be taken advantage of or for granted for your business bottom lines.
Fifty hours into Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth's story reveals a game that is compelling, humorous, and strategically deep. Its engaging narrative, filled with unexpected twists, along with the addition of new settings like Hawaii, enhances the overall experience. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth successfully builds on 'Yakuza: Like A Dragon', evolving into a sequel that is both extensive and emotionally rich. While it keeps some of the series' quirks and doesn't fully embrace a customizable RPG format, the narrative and adventures it presents are deeply engaging, humorous, and heartfelt. I just wish there was some Hawaiian representation incorporated in the marketing and promotion of the game instead of influencers and celebrities that couldn’t care less about our home.
