Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth | Review

Dondoko breaking my heart.

When I played Yakuza: Like a Dragon back in 2020, it was my first real attempt at checking out the Yakuza series. Partly because it allowed a new entry point for people like me who were strangers to the Dragon of Dojima but also because the turn-based combat seemed more my style. What I didn’t expect though, was to be swept off my feet by Ichiban Kasuga and the rest of the crew. It immediately made me a fan of the series upon seeing that emotional story roll out and became one of my favorite games of all time.

So when Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was revealed, I was cautiously excited. Thrilled to get more Ichiban but also terrified it couldn’t possibly live up to the way the first game hit for me. Nonsensical biases bubbling up before even playing the game, but it is my review after all. On the other side of it now, I can say it does live up to my silly expectations in some regards but the so-called Hero of Yokohama’s story doesn’t quite reach the heights of Ichiban’s debut and at points gets caught in the undertow of its own waves.

The opening few chapters of Infinite Wealth are immaculate in their presentation, storytelling, and world building. The setup for why Ichiban and the gang end up in Hawaii, the moments leading up to leaving Japan, and the events that unfold on the island had me genuinely interested and engaged. I was quickly reminded why Ichiban Kasuga is such an endearing character and possibly one of the best new game characters in the last decade. Once again I found myself always in Ichiban’s corner, even when he goes a little too far with his plans and proposals. His resolve and optimism shine bright throughout Infinite Wealth but the shimmer is not his alone to bask in, Kazuma Kiryu shares the spotlight as well in this dual narrative.

The focus on Kiryu is a welcome addition to the story at large in Infinite Wealth but with that giving us essentially two main characters with their own central plot, at times they both took turns being buried under the weight of the main story’s multiple main plotlines. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to say that many games in the series are known for having bloated plots all running simultaneously, but at times Infinite Wealth seemed to maybe have one too many. Certain beats that seemingly should have held more weight would get discarded in lackluster fashion. That’s not to say the narrative flowing through Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is wholly undeserving of praise or enjoyable, because I do think it has some heights it’s just the river has a few too many branching paths and hazards in the way that kept me from kicking my feet back and enjoying the ride.

Many of the moments shared between Kiryu and Ichiban left me spellbound, the struggles of the past crashing into the problems of the present, the passing of the baton to a new generation, and the realities of mortality carried nuanced emotional checks for me as I held the controller. Specific story beats with Kiryu– Chapter 8 was a doozy– had me wiping away tears before they nestled into my beard. Party interactions both in the Bond Bingo and Drink Link portions of the game as well as discoverable party interactions on the overworld in Hawaii and Japan are some of the best storytelling within Infinite Wealth. Fleshing out each character and bringing more grounded, humanity revealing moments to the party. These are some of, if not the best, optional things you can seek out that not only reward you emotionally but bring a bounty of upgrades to the party in combat.

It’s no secret what Kiryu is dealing with in Infinite Wealth if you’ve watched any of the trailers for this game, but if you’d like to be spared this one detail skip to the next paragraph. While Kiryu is reckoning with his battle with cancer throughout the game, there are genuine conversations around grieving your own mortality, reconciling with how to spend your time, and understanding in the end what matters to you. These moments that swirled around this topic were some of the most tear inducing tugs of war I dealt with in my time with Infinite Wealth. As someone who has had family members and friends deal with cancer, or other similar life altering/ending scenarios it felt like a myriad of the ways in which the party dealt with this were authentic. Grief doesn’t begin when someone’s life ends, it’s something that you have to actively change and live with when you’re in this situation and I think Infinite Wealth mostly gets this right– at least in my personal experience.

New characters like Yutaka Yamai, Chitose Fujinomiya, and Eric Tomizawa all had interesting arcs and story beats that were a welcome thread under the looming tapestries set in motion by the evil present in Hawaii and back in Ijincho. Sections of the game that swirled around Yamai were some of my favorite in the game. Raw, unrelenting, and believable– a character I’ll be thinking about long after the post game shenanigans I’m enjoying in Infinite Wealth fade away.

The more I sit with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the more my fondness grows for the game. Is the story perfect? Absolutely not. Does it have genuine top tier scenes? Undoubtedly. But for me the gameplay loop, combat, and world are what keep me praising this game. Returning to the turn-based combat that Yakuza: Like a Dragon introduced to the series and seemingly iterating positively on it in almost every way, if not perfecting it. The movement on the battlefield, the ways in which you can interact with the environment around you in battle to navigate to a swift victory, all built upon a job system that hinges on absurdity are executed seemingly effortlessly with aplomb. Having Tomizawa cast a spell that requires him to toss a bucket of soapy water and scrub down an enemy to inflict elemental damage or summoning an ally from the Poundmates service will never fail to trigger the good brain juice in my big dumb head.

There’s something remarkably rewarding and synapse satiating to effectively utilizing the battlefield to juggle opponents between hazards and your squad that leaves the enemy dazed or defeated while simultaneously initiating drips of drool from my agape jaw. These added layers of strategy could be the scale-tipping moments in a tough fight or just a way to stunt on a band of baddies roaming the streets of Hawaii.

The layers of substories and mini-games that litter the streets of both main locations continued to fuel the moment to moment gameplay and further flesh out the characters and world being built in Infinite Wealth. Major additions like Dodonko Island and the enhanced vision of Sujimon brought not only a bite sized life/island management sim and a deeper “monster” catching side game, but their own substory as well. With these and all of the much smaller side games and stories, they benefited the game at large by rewarding you with different aspects of growth, tools, or experience depending on what each were. Leaving all of these optional quests and systems to be more than just a break from the larger game and story but ways to continually build upon your party. Dodonko Island being the major side content added, although it wasn’t the perfect island simulator it still managed to gobble up hours of my time and was one of the things I’ve been looking forward to exploring more of after rolling credits on the main game.

I want to circle back to the story one last time, specifically Ichiban before I wrap up my thoughts. Even though at times, Ichiban wasn’t only the tourist in Hawaii but sometimes felt like a tourist in the plot with how certain events unfold. Some of the cleaner large story beats seem to happen for other characters while Ichiban gets sidelined at arguably some key moments. One of Ichiban’s main character arcs which now spans two games, are of a person who maybe never feels like they fit or are accepted. Yearning for safety and comfort in the company he keeps– probably where he finds this the most at times– while also seeking that same solace for those he meets. Whether they deserve that grace or not is irrelevant as Ichiban is always a proponent of second chances. A character who always manages to find the best in people even if it’s at times misguided or undeserved. For better or worse in Infinite Wealth, Ichiban reaches Shonen protagonist levels of representation in how the party treats him and how he handles certain situations with his unabashed optimism. I can’t fully say this is a negative but it often stuck out. I would have loved more moments of Ichiban being able to grow and grapple with these feelings of belonging and the idea of second chances that I feel as though we only glazed over in this entry of the series.

With some of the best turn-based gameplay I’ve enjoyed in recent years, a world that felt lived in and alive at the same time, and a story that I overall enjoyed– Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is absolutely a game I’d recommend playing if you’re a fan of the series. Or if you’ve at least played Yakuza: Like a Dragon, not sure if there’s a timeline where jumping in here is a wise choice but playing the two Ichiban led games are a must at some point. Although messy at times and maybe not resolved in a way that felt as triumphant as it could’ve been, my time with Ichiban, Kiryu, and the gang was still memorable, heart obliterating, and an adventure I’ll cherish. We could all benefit from seeing the world through Ichiban’s eyes at one point or another in our lives and Infinite Wealth is a glimpse worth gazing through.

We reviewed Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth on Xbox Series X with a code provided by the developer.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth releases January 25th, 2024 on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 4 & 5.

For all things Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and RPG related, be sure to keep it locked to Pass The Controller. For more LAD: Infinite Wealth content check out the inspired cocktail Dondoko-Nut Margarita, our spoiler-free review on episode 403 of the Pass The Controller Podcast and our Spoilercast to drop in the coming weeks. For a deeper dive on all things gaming and nerd culture, listen to the Pass The Controller Podcast with new episodes weekly on your favorite podcast platform. Want to continue the conversation with us and our community? Join our official Discord server.