Infinite Wealth is a direct sequel to the very successful Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Ichiban Kasuga, the lovable and dopey ex-Yakuza is back and he’s struggling to make it in the regular world, working at an employment agency and becoming normal. He’s quite good at it but as you might expect, things don’t go his way. The plot and scripting are immersive and spectacular so it would be wrong to spoil much, but Ichiban and his friends will spend a fair bit of time around Yokohama helping people, catching up on work, and of course, beating up a few thugs! By now, you’ve probably already heard that the majority of the game is not in Tokyo however, but in sunny Hawaii!
That’s right, it’s time to take a vacation in Hawaii and the plot of Infinite Wealth takes you directly to the heart of the island state’s seamy underbelly. It turns out it doesn’t entirely matter where you go in the world, a couple of things are absolute. One of them is that crime is everywhere and another is that Ichiban is going to end up stumbling directly into a whole lot of trouble. Fortunately there’s an old friend to help Ichiban out and a few new friends to make along the way! Now if people would only stop attacking them all everywhere they go…
The world of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is dauntingly huge at first. The cities (both Honolulu and Yokohama) are gigantic and you can literally spend hours hunting through them, fighting bad guys, and picking up a remarkable array of collectible items that can be traded for currency or used to make weapons and armor. Remember, at its core, Infinite Wealth is a traditional JRPG much like the original Like a Dragon. That means that grinding is a thing and you’ll definitely need at least some of the random items you find strewn around in briefcases and bushes and the stuff you get off of the thugs you pummel.
Fortunately there’s a map full of icons directing you where to go and what’s around at every turn. Enemies have helpful icons too, showing red when they’re around your level, pink when they’re way too strong for you, and blue if they’re much weaker than you. Blue enemy groups are beaten by a simple tap of the left trigger on XSX to streamline gameplay, a wonderfully useful inclusion that’s entirely optional. Sadly, you’ll still have to go through a combat sequence but it’s faster than fighting them outright!
Once combat starts, you’ll select menu options for attacks like any other JRPG. Eventually you’ll develop team attacks as well, doing noticeably more damage. It pays to take enemy weaknesses into account and maximizing your attack strategies to use enemy physics to damage other enemies is a solid strategy too. Upgrading equipment and talking with your team makes them all more powerful in combat and levelling and ranking up adds to your permanent stats so don’t go sitting around on a bunch of gear or ignoring optional conversations.
In addition to the standard RPG stuff there’s also a job system that slowly works its way into gameplay. As you complete various missions you’ll acquire new jobs for Ichiban. Going on various tours teaches him new things that he and his companions can do such as Samurai, Desperado, or Housekeeper. These jobs give additional abilities and characters use different weapons than they normally would, allowing you to rebalance your party as you see fit. Naturally, it’s all entirely optional but there’s a deep class system here that will really let you experiment and go wild.
But there’s more than just a compelling story, well-written and realistic characters, and a high fun factor with a well-designed GUI that makes the Like a Dragon games great. There’s also the unmatched amount of additional content in these games that’s all remarkably entertaining! The Yakuza series is known for its inclusion of a wide variety of mini-games and Infinite Wealth is no exception. There are side quests galore in the game and many of them have mini games where you swim, run, dodge cars, or try to text potential dates. There are honestly so many of them that we won’t even try here. Some of the biggest ones are certainly worth mentioning however.
First off is a Crazy Taxi analogue called Crazy Delivery. Ichiban needs some money (and whatever is in his pockets doesn’t count, even if it’s enough). That means a part time job with the local delivery service. However, Crazy Delivery is a bicycle delivery service and it’s your job to do the most tricks possible on the way to each delivery. It’s easy to do front and back flips and side to side spins all in the service of making burger and pizza deliveries more awesome. There’s a timer too so don’t mess about! Do well and you’ll get a little bonus, but just like real life, the lion’s share of the profits go straight to the business. It’s incredibly fun to collect food icons by jumping around on a bike and screeching to a halt in front of customers, so chances are you’ll be getting back to this game before too long!
Of course, Crazy Taxi is just the start. There’s also a Pokemon game here called Sujimon. Sujimon (the word) is a bastardization of Pokemon and the Japanese word for thug. Yup, you collect actual people instead of monsters! Street thugs to be exact! It’s your job to summon your selection of street thugs and have them face off against other Sujimon trainers in a battle to be the very best! The Pokemon tones are beyond clear here and just short of litigation material but the game itself is actually quite fun! It’s also very time consuming so expect to while away the hours playing Sujimon if that’s your thing. To get new Sujimon, you’ll have to either get them out of a gatcha machine (yes, people are in a gatcha machine…sort of) or you’ll have to woo them with Suji gifts by kneeling down and presenting them to the thugs and them slamming buttons to beg and plead with them to join your team. You can also feed them Sujimunch to level them up outside of combat and feed the same type of Sujimon to each other to improve their stats (things get a bit weird…). This is a massive, fully realized sub-game with trainers all over the island and a ton of goals to fulfill.
If that wasn’t enough, there’s one more major game and it’s even bigger than Sujimon. Dondoko Island is Infinite Wealth’s version of Animal Crossing. That’s right, you’re on a separate island cleaning things up, collecting shells and bugs and the like, and building furniture and accessories to make people happy! Of course, there’s a Like a Dragon spin on everything. The island is being used as a waste dump and you’ll have to fight off the thugs trying to ruin this wonderful island full of random stuff to collect. Your goal is to turn Dondoko Island into a five star resort, but it’s going to take a really, spectacularly long time. It’s surprisingly addictive to grind through this weird sub-game and smashing trash and catching bugs is remarkably relaxing. It’s honestly shocking that this and Sujimon aren’t separate digital-only releases at this point because it’s clear that more work went into them than goes into other studios’ full releases.
For the old school Sega fans there are a few arcade games you can play as well, so if you’re into that, keep an eye out for arcades and have some fun! Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (and by extension the series) is unique in that there’s an honestly ludicrous amount of additional content included in the game but it all feels so well-designed and integrated that nothing ever feels overwhelming or tedious. There’s something for everyone here and to do that effectively without getting bogged down in the minutia of gameplay is a tough task, one that RGG consistently manages to excel at. That doesn’t mean the game is perfect by any means though. There are certainly a few flaws here and there that stand out.
While the story is fun and the maps are huge, that size can cause some graphical bugs where characters occasionally get caught on background items and jerk about a bit. It isn’t all the time, but it’s definitely noticeable. Overall there are very few visual issues however and it’s a relatively minor problem. A bit more irritating are some of the pacing concerns. In most RPGs, side quests are optional but in Like a Dragon, as soon as you get near one, you automatically trigger it and must complete it. With Sujimon and Dondoko Island, that’s just the introduction to them, but with other, shorter quests, you have to stop focusing on the main story and pick up items or help someone or go somewhere repeatedly and there’s no way to opt out. Sure it gives insight into Ichiban and his crew but after a while, it does start to get irritating if you want to just keep moving.
There are also some balance issues with the game. It’s hard to find proper weapon upgrades and time consuming to go and get your weapons upgraded for example. Doing things you want to do outside of the main quest are all time consuming and can throw off the flow and pacing of the main storyline. It’s a constant balancing act to decide if you want to try everything there is to do or keep going with the main story and if you do keep going, there are some consequences. By the time you get near the end of the game, if you haven’t been fighting heavily and trying out lots of optional activities, chances are you’ll be underpowered. This can result in a kind of forced grind at the end of the game to level up enough to actually finish things off and unless you’re an MMO gamer, grinding isn’t all that fun. It’s also important to note that New Game Plus is DLC for Infinite Wealth. This is the first time that the post-game content has been a paid add-on and not everyone is happy about it, even if the game is so big that most people won’t get that far.
On the other hand, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an absolutely gorgeous game. The visuals are almost always incredibly polished and the cinemas are spectacular. The GUI interface is well designed and easy to read and the unique and varied people and enemies throughout the game keep things fresh and interesting the whole way through. It’s honestly hard to describe how good Infinite Wealth looks in action because most games never manage to sustain levels of detail this high in such a complex game. It’s not just the visuals either but the sheer amount of interactivity that goes along with them. You can bump, toss, and smash almost anything that isn’t nailed down and using it in combat is fluid and beautiful as well. Everywhere you go, there are places to just stop and admire the artistry that has gone into the game.
That detail work feeds right into the soundtrack for Infinite Wealth as well. There are over 130 tracks and a solid three hours of music here and it all fits in so perfectly with the gameplay that you’ll just be bobbing along with it as you play. The range of the music shifts from serious to playful to sad and back as you work your way through the plot, subtly pulling at heartstrings at just the right moments to emotionally engage players. You can earn additional music in the game too including music from other Sega franchises as you complete various tasks and hunt through the city for CDs. Making music fluid and optional and including an excellent score, tons of customization, and even a fair bit of karaoke makes for a soundtrack that just doesn’t stop and one that both fans and newcomers are going to enjoy! Then there’s the English voice acting, which is nothing short of spectacular as well. A lot of love and care went into making every character as memorable as possible in Infinite Wealth and the amount of voice acting is staggering. It’s all very well done as well and none of the voices ever become tedious. This is a game where the sound is a lesson to other studios as to the heights a title can achieve.
You can see by now that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a complex and nuanced game full of a wide variety of things to do and fun to be had. The main game is a solid 40+ hours if you rush through but the additional content is so vast that completing everything would take well over double that, easily in excess of 100 hours or more. That’s a hell of a lot of content and the vast majority of that is really quite fun too. This is a AAA game and it comes with a AAA price of $70 for the base game and $85 and $110 respectively for the Deluxe and Ultimate versions which add New Game Plus, a huge music collection and a lot more depending on which one you choose. Regardless of your preferences, there’s no question that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a delightful and ridiculous romp that will appeal to a massive audience base. It also manages to tell a complex and touching story with a fair bit of emotional investment so be prepared for pretty much anything. There’s no question that this is a game that should be in almost any gamer’s collection so don’t even consider skipping it!
This review is based on a digital copy of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth provided by the publisher. It was played on an Xbox Series X using a 55” 1080p Sony TV. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is also available for Xbox One, PS4/PS5 and PC on Steam.
Nate Van Lindt has been a gamer since the days of yore (aka Commodore 64), and has played a bit of virtually everything out there. He's also an avid comic book collector, both vintage and current, and reads a fair amount of sci-fi and fantasy. On top of that, he watches a fair number of movies and TV shows as well. Oh, and he has a family, a full-time job, and lives somewhere in the urban wilds of Southwestern Ontario, Canada, foraging for old video cables and forgotten game soundtracks.