Please Note: This article contains spoilers for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Story spoilers are avoided as much as possible.Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthis the next mainline entry in the franchise, set sometime after the events ofYakuza: Like a Dragon. This time around, players will find themselves taking on the role of the franchise’s two leading men,Ichiban and Kiryu. The former travels to Hawaii, specifically Honolulu City, in search of his mother who he thought had died, while the latter faces his hardest battle yet: cancer. In dealing with these events, the two get wrapped up in an international crime conspiracy fitting the franchise’s typical direction.
Game Rant was recently able to attend aLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthpreview event where we were able to play the game for about 3 hours, experiencing a little bit of everything the game has to offer. We were able to explore Honolulu City, completing some side stories and getting a taste of the story there, before being whisked away to Dondoko Island, which is essentially aLike a Dragon x Animal Crossinggame mode. We were then shown some of Kiryu’s story, which took the vibe from funny and zany to heartbreaking quickly, before ending with one of the most unique boss battles in the franchise to date.
RGG Studio’s Take on Honolulu City
If there’s one thing that RGG Studio excels at it’s bringing a city to life. This notion is shared by just about everyone has ever walked the streets of Kamurocho, Sotenbori, Ijincho, and so forth intheYakuzafranchise. However, Honolulu City was one of RGG studio’s most challenging locations because it is not a place the team could see easily. After all, RGG Studio Chief Produce Hiroyuki Sakamoto told us that development began during COVID-19 shutdowns, so the team had to use the internet and satellite imaging in its initial recreation of Honolulu City. Eventually, the team was able to travel there and get visual aids for its recreation, but the result was a long development process in recreating this city.
The visual and generaldesign of Honolulu Cityhighlights RGG Studio’s talent for creating environments. It truly felt like an active beach city, not unlike how every priorYakuzagame makes it truly feel like someone is walking the streets of Japan. From palm trees to resorts to stores and food, RGG Studio does everything it can to transport a player to Honolulu City.Like a Dragonfills its streets with everything fans have to know and love about the series.
Engaging withLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s substories, we were able to perform stunts that saw us dodging cars and explosions for an action movie, find love for Nancy the lobster and a bejeweled Hermit Crab, and unlock the Segway. There were also plenty of activities, such as Crazy Delivery (which is likeCrazy Taxion a bike), Sujimon, or Karaoke. Everything, no matter how non-essential to the core game it may be, was a fun time. While the jury is still out on just how much side content there is to the game, it’s clear we could have spent double or triple the time doing side stories and activities and enjoying this little slice ofHawaii inLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Sujimon has undergone several improvements too, bringing itcloser toPokemonthan ever before. There were special locations where players could stop and get a Sujimon, not unlike PokeStops, and raids that could help players with their Sujimon collection. Players can also find in-universe “Gacha” machines to unlock new and rare Sujimon, while also “awakening” them to level them up further. They can give gifts to and convince certain Sujimon to join their collection after defeating them in combat, and if all of this weren’t subtle enough, players can now evolve their Sujimon. Truly, it feels likeLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthexpands on everything fromYakuza: Like a Dragon, all the while introducing plenty of new content.
One way new content is introduced to the game is viaLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s classes. Several of the classes from the last game make a comeback, such as the Chef or Breaker, but the sequel introduces plenty of new ones, including but not limited to a Westerner, a Samurai, the Sea Tour-inspired Aquanaut, the Action Star, the Fire Dancing-inspired Pyrodancer, the Hula-inspired Geodancer, and more. Each class design was a lot of fun, and while we checked out as many as we could, it felt wrong to change Kiryu from his special Dragon of Dojima class to one of these. This is especially true because, in combat, players are still able to change styles and embrace Kiryu’s various fighting talents over the years.
Utilizing these classes in combat and learning their skins is just as fun as one would expect, though it’s worth noting thatLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’scombat is near-identical toYakuza: Like a Dragon. The only major change we experienced is the ability to slightly move characters around the battlefield, within limited confines, to set up certain abilities for maximum damage or to hit multiple enemies with one attack. There are also a lot of fun tag team combat elements, but those are more iterative than innovative. Nonetheless, the handful of additions bring some life into the combat, even if it’s more or less the same turn-based as the last mainline game.
Dondoko Island: RGG Studio’s Take on Animal Crossing
Back in November, RGG Studio revealed Dondoko Island, and it feels as much like playingAnimal Crossingas it looks. The gist is pretty straightforward: a side story sees Ichiban whisked away to Dondoko Island, which is a trashed, would-be resort island terrorized by pirates. After being saved by the proprietor, Ichiban volunteers his services to restore the island. This involves destroying trash withIchiban’s handy bat, catching bugs, fishing, finding other island specialties like seashells, crafting DIY projects to decorate the island, clearing out trashed areas with the island services, and decorating Ichiban’s home on the island. Alongside working toward the bigger goals, players are given a set of objectives to complete each day to restore the island.
What we got to experience was brief and cathartic, as taking a baseball bat to garbage ought to be, but it’s clear how much that opens up. When players earn enough of Dondoko Island’s special currency, they can have entire areas cleaned permanently, expand the island into an actual resort, and manage satisfaction and popularity while trying to manage their new resort. In some ways,Dondoko Islandis just as much of a take onTycoongames as it isAnimal Crossing, and of course, it’s great to see in the overarchingLike a Dragonfranchise.
Kiryu’s Bucket List
RGG Studio then ripped us away from the peaceful bliss of Dondoko Island, took us back to Japan, and put us in the shoes of a dejected Kiryu. This segment was very story-heavy, and to avoid spoilers as much as possible, suffice it to say it’s about going through Kiryu’s life, discovering and working on his bucket list, seeing the legacy he has left behind, and seeing how others deal with Kiryu’s cancer.
Kiryu’s story proves that, no matter how zany the franchise is, RGG Studio knows how to deliver a punch to the gut. There are collections that serve as memories and Easter eggs to past games, returning characters who are special to Kiryu, and a tightly-knit narrative around his cancer. It easily spells outKiryu’s possible death inLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, feeling as if he was on death’s doorstep every single minute we played, but whether RGG Studio takes that leap or not remains to be seen.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Giant Shark Boss Battle
Our concluding segment was a boss battle, unlike anything seen in the franchise before. It’s not that theYakuzafranchise hasn’t had animal enemies before, as some particularly powerful tigers come to mind, but there’s nothing as ridiculous as the massive shark we fought to conclude the presentation. It was as big as a boat and could have easily eateneveryLike a Dragon: InfiniteWealth party member. RGG Studio was merciful enough to give us some better-than-average weapons and plenty of items, but defeating it took every skill we had, every item we could throw, and more to beat. It was ridiculous in the best way, and to make things even better, we were promised that there are other “ridiculous enemies” inLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
If nothing else, theLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthpreview highlighted that RGG Studio’s ability to craft a city has sharpened, its zany gameplay and stories are still there, and its ability to handle humor and heartbreak is alive and well. Moreover, the franchise will continue to try new things like Dondoko Island, and any possible outcomes for the game’s overarching narrative and direction aren’t off the table.Yakuza: Like a Dragonsets a high bar, and if this preview is any indication of the full game experience, thenLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthis set to clear that bar by a mile.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthreleases January 26 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided travel and lodging for this preview event.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
WHERE TO PLAY
EPIC EMOTIONAL DRAMATwo larger-than-life heroes brought together by the hand of fate, or perhaps something more sinister…Ichiban Kasuga, an unstoppable underdog who’s no stranger to crawling up from rock bottom, and Kazuma Kiryu, a broken man facing down his last days.BEST-IN-CLASS RPG ACTIONExperience one-of-a-kind combat with dynamic, fast-paced RPG battles where the battlefield becomes your weapon, and anything goes. Adapt your party’s skills to the situation with outlandish jobs and customizations to strategically subdue enemies with over-the-top moves.INFINITE ADVENTURELive it up in Japan and explore all that Hawaii has to offer in an adventure so big it spans the Pacific. Unforgettable moments await at every step of the journey with a unique mix of quests and activities to enjoy at your leisure.
