The Yakuzas set sail for Hawaii
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Japanese RPGs or JRPGs are an acquired taste – the more you play, the more you like them. Take Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, for instance. The slow start, long cutscenes and random street fights at every corner make you wonder about its playability. But do this for hours and the game grows on you.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth takes you on a 75-hour-plus journey filled with innumerable fights, an engaging story and detailed side activities. It tells the story of Ichiban Kasuga who lives an honest life after The Great Dissolution of the Yakuza factions and now works at a recruitment agency. Kasuga also works to rehabilitate ex-Yakuzas into normal lives but things turn south when a video showing Kasuga goes viral. With nothing left for the Hero of Yokohama – as he’s referred – Kasuga finds himself on the shores of Hawaii for his next adventure, which is to meet his mother. But he soon discovers she’s missing and initiates an island-wide search.
The premise seems simple, but the twists and turns keep you invested in the story as we progress through the game. Add to it, the different characters you come across through the game. Some are likeable, some are not but they get their detailed backstory that ties nicely with the overall setting. For example, Kazuma Kiryu aka the Dragon of Dojima returns as a playable character with a humbling backstory as he counts his final days.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth adopts a turn-based combat system and the experience is far more refined this time. You can move the characters to be closer to the enemy, take advantage of the objects around like a chair, bicycle etc. for additional damage, or use combo attacks with a party member to gain an upper hand. Despite the breaks that turn-based combat systems give, we thoroughly enjoyed fighting and taking our time to strategise the move for the biggest impact.
The open world of Infinite Wealth is highly detailed and in true Yakuza fashion, you can spend hours doing different things before progressing through the main story. Not only are there side missions or substories to complete, the game takes up a notch with lots of minigames. For instance, you can be the Zomato guy in Hawaii delivering food to earn some extra dough, sing karaoke, play arcade games, or collect Sujimons to train and fight them. However, our favourite is where you can spend time at Dondoko Island and improve it from a desolate island to a high-end resort. Some of the things you do in Infinite Wealth are weird but fun.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an excellent game despite the absurdity and over-the-top action. Sure, gatekeeping the New Game+ mode for extra money is controversial, but the game shines with its narrative, detailed open world and refined turn-based combat system, making it one of the best RPGs you can play this year.
WE’RE IMPRESSED Turn-based combat, Story
WE’D IMPROVE Random street fights
THE LAST WORD Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an entertaining addition to the series with its immersive story and turn-based combat.