Compared to the number of hours invested in the game, this Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth review is but a piss in the wind in the time it’ll take me to compile it. Why? Firstly, it’s been out forever (a year), and secondly, there’s too much to unpack.
For those just joining us in the world of shady suits from the Land of the Rising Sun, you play Ichiban Kasuga – a former yakuza who’s gone straight and narrow, helping ex-yakuza find work the legal way, fumbling through hack romances, and becoming the hero of Yokohama while armed with a bat.
The plot is straightforward: head to Hawaii to track down your estranged mother. The execution isn’t as straightforward as the amount of double-crossing, and third parties with their fingers in the organised crime pie make Game of Thrones seem tame. Apart from the incest.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review
Like its predecessor, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an open-world experience with abundant mini-games, secrets, and seemingly meaningless trophies to acquire. The core narrative is compartmentalised into chapters, but Kasuga and chums can waddle off and procrastinate or learn how to fight on the mean streets of Hawaii. Unlike the earlier Yazuka/Like A Dragon games, except Kasuga’s last adventure, combat is turn-based and uses fundamental RPG techniques.
Said battles feature a variety of classes (a.k.a. jobs) that focus on high health, hit points, support, and all that other malarky. At first, the number of jobs seems overwhelming, and levelling up each to unlock their skillsets can take an age. However, once you find the elemental spells you’re likely to spam throughout with Earth, Wind and Fire – sorry – fire, water, electricity, blunt, gun, blade, etc. it becomes clear that you needn’t grind as much as anticipated. That depends on how much you want to unlock.
Having just completed it with 96 hours on the clock and obtaining the Platinum on the PS5, it was worth it. That said, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth has been one of the most verbose narrative adventures yet. To the point where I skipped a lot of dialogue. Sacrilege! You wouldn’t be saying that if you had to stop-start-stop-start every five seconds for another cutscene. It was excessive and, at times, arduous. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is also one of the most immersive games.
Playing Around
Fans of the series will meet and greet a wealth of characters from previous adventures, even visiting classic haunts such as Kamurochō. Up until this point, Yakuza 0 was the pinnacle. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a close second, and Kasuga is a much more likeable lead with more depth than Kiryu, though the latter is an undisputed gaming legend.
If you ask people who play open-world RPG games, most will tell you how much time they spunk on the side quests first slaves to the mini-games. Sega’s early foray into this was Shenmue, where most of my time on the Dreamcast was hanging out in warehouses practising my moves or loitering in the arcades on Super Hang-On or playing the gatcha-gatcha. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is essentially the same, as one could spend the entire time playing the UFO catchers, Sega Bass Fishing, scooping up seaweed, getting honked, or making Super Crazy Deliveries. Nobody does arcade gameplay as consistent as Sega.
Back to the game, we lead a group of reprobates in Hawaii with Kasuga and Japan with Kiryu, biffing criminals, mascots, and greased-up wrestlers and showcasing a healthy amount of drama and mini-arcs. Throughout, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth doesn’t reinvent the series and instead regurgitates all the charm from the other games. Just as you think you’re nearing the end, another character is introduced who you’ll have to wine and dine to be more active in a battle, unlock new job classes for them, and kit out all your female characters in bikinis as if playing DOA Volleyball. Just me? Surely not…
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review Summary
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth was a joy to play these past three months, and having unlocked practically everything, there’s no desire to go back, so it’ll be archived with the rest of the games. If you’ve played the other titles or miss masterpieces like Shenmue, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a no-brainer. Expect to lose much of your life if you’re a completionist, but it’s time well spent. Next: Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. See you in July.
