Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review (PS5)

Since its launch in 2005, Yakuza became one of SEGA’s best known franchises gathering a devoted community around it. The adventures of Kazuma Kiryu spawned numerous off-shoots and spin-offs that even took us back to medieval Japan or demonstrated that being a private detective can be even more rowdy than the life in organized crime. But is there still a story worth telling after all these adventures and more importantly can Like a Dragon soar again?

For those who don’t know, in traditional Japanese style, the developers from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio complicated the franchise to a point that it almost looks like a skill tree. With the launch of Yakuza: Like a Dragon they introduced a new main character, Ichiban Kasuga, Kiryu taking more of a role of backseat driver NPC, until the recently released Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

Infinite Wealth brings a glorious reunion of the two former Yakuza members, and the end result is nothing short of spectacular. We can say upfront that the new game is good, very good, and it shows that the developers poured their soul in it. I have to admit that I was a bit worried seeing that the developers ambitious plan included the release of three games in just a year, but they all come out very good, and between Ishin, The Man Who Erased His Name and Infinite Wealth, the latest shines the brightest.

The latest Like a Dragon main game picks up the story right after the dissolution of the organized crime families, seeing Kasuga continuing the wishes of his former boss by working as a public servant in a labor placement office. His main goal is to help ex-Yakuza to find a way forward and become productive members of society. The setting of Yokohama will seem familiar, but his newly developed ponytail replacing his almost afro hairstyle makes Ichiban hard to recognize.

+4more

Shortly our hero will learn the hard way that you cannot really outrun or shed off your past. After losing his job, making a fool of himself in front of the woman he fancies, he gets a chance to rethink his life choices and leave Japan. Dusting off his former outfit and trustworthy baseball bat, our hero finds himself on the shores of Hawaii, that turns out to be less of a paradise than you would think. He is scammed, robbed and finds himself back naked on a public beach. Thankfully, he runs into Kiryu who is sent to the American island searching for the same mysterious woman as Kasuga.

The two join forces and start together on an 80+ hours long adventure filled to the brim with memorable moments, crazy substories, a ludicrous number of collectibles and countless battles that are thoroughly satisfying. A core theme throughout Infinite Wealth remains redemption that is woven in almost every aspect of the story, most notable in the fact that somehow Kasuga befriends and even ends up as teammates with most people that try to take advantage of him.

Although the fans are used to intricate story arcs with unforeseeable twists, they are not prepared for the complexity of Infinite Wealth. During the 13 chapters you will often jump months or even years ahead, allowing the developers to extend the scope of the story. Combined with the slow and intentional buildup the result is a world bursting with life, full of possibilities and activities, that feels just fantastic to be lost in.

Tying together the two very different worlds and personalities of Kiryu and Kasuga may seem strange at first, but as things evolve it works out very well. The only true weird thing is to see the Dragon of Dojima play second fiddle to Ichiban, but the story explains this through one of the many cutscenes of the game. Be prepared for an enormous quantity of cut scenes and dialogue, since Infinite Wealth is the largest iteration of the series so far.

This is also true when it comes not just to narrative content, but also gameplay mechanics. From the collectibles to the combat system, from taking pictures of perverts while riding sightseeing bus lines to delivering fast food in a daredevil manner, from collecting fighters like Pokémon creatures to exploring the dangers of dating apps, there is always something to do. And on top of it all there is an unbelievable number of objects littered around the map: you literally cannot take two steps without seeing something shiny around you.

+3more

Be ready to spend a preposterous amount of time picking up herbs from any green surface, opening suitcases placed in the most unexpected nooks and crannies, dumpster diving, searching through toilet boils, kicking down sand mounds, diving in the ocean, shaking palm trees or going through newspaper stands hunting for magazines. Some of the objects will be highly coveted equipment pieces including armors, accessories and weapons, but most of the time you will find moldy burgers or fruits like the watermelons that grow on trees or all the paper, bronze, iron, silver and gold plates the humanity ever produced.

There are also items, like magazines and books, which are tied to the development of our heroes. Infinite Wealth once again includes next to the character level also job proficiencies. Most of the characters can have different jobs, each of them directly influencing their moves and their combat styles. The combat system also relies on you to deepen your connection with your companions, thus allowing you to pull off various combos, follow-up moves or special attacks.

Overall, the new combat system is very well tweaked and feels very satisfying, giving you a real sense of accomplishment as your characters grow in strength and overcome obstacles that seemed unsurmountable in the beginning. The end result is also very spectacular, our heroes parading moves worthy of the most creative Jackie Chan movies. If by any chance you are defeated, the game takes a five-finger discount from your in-game wallet making you fill the sting of the defeat.

The latest iteration continues the tradition of the series and is full to the brim with side activities. The game includes a new social system, that allows you to befriend what seems like the entire population of Hawaii. You can buddy up not just to other fellow humans, but slo to various animals, to the point that you will feel solely responsible for feeding almost every animal on the island. We got a new dating app that is supposed to bring Kasuga out of his shell but will produce unexpected results. You can improve your weapons, invest in shops and even become a master Sujimon trainer.

Play Video

Actually, there are so many things to do and see in Infinite Wealth that at first glance it can feel overwhelming. But due to the measured pace through which gameplay elements are introduced, it never actually becomes a sensory overload. Instead, it feels like a well thought out game world in which the various mechanics coexist harmoniously. Taking into account the size of the game and its complexity this is no small feat to pull off without major bugs, but the people from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio managed to do it. And when you think you saw it all you discover Dondoko island that feels like a whole game stuffed into Infinite Wealth.

This is the biggest change and maybe the most brilliant innovation of the series: a theme park built on a private island. You will be in charge of managing and developing it, giving you something serious to sink your teeth in after finishing the story. Not connected to the main events, and easily overlookable as an added bonus, Dondoko is a very catchy mechanism that allows you to decorate the island to your liking. You will lose track of time while taking part in all the secondary activities like crafting houses, rooms, furniture, throwing parties, catering to the whims of the tourists and many more.   

The change of scenery brings a breeze of fresh air to the series, although the graphics remain true to the style of the series. The game looks generally good, but the HDR seems unnatural in most situations. From producing unreal skin tones to burning the colors like in an overdeveloped photograph, or on the contrary being way too dark and missing details of the scene, this aspect needs to be corrected. The voice acting is brilliant as usual and the music is a perfect fit, the game offering the possibility to collect CDs and build your own personalized playlists. Loading times are not instantaneous, but they are pretty short.

Despite all this praise there is one negative aspect that we cannot leave out. Hopefully, it is just a one-time act of greed and not the start of a new industry trend: the NewGame+ feature of the game is hidden behind an extra paywall, being served to the players as extra DLC content. Even if the publisher hid it behind the pompous name of Premium Adventure and saddled it with some extra DLC style trophies, this is a practice that is not fair towards gamers.

+4more

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion