I don’t wish to start a review with immediate page-closing hyperbole but Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth feels like Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s ‘Persona 5’ moment. It is undoubtedly the best game in the series and is eloquently poised to make it big in the mainstream, converting the non-believers with its immeasurable charm offensive. Anyone with a finger to the games industry’s pulse will know that the Like a Dragon star has been on the rise in recent years, but the games have always had a little scrappiness to them, allowing the series to maintain a ‘cult RPG’ reputation.
Infinite Wealth, however, is far too good to be considered cult. Having rolled credits, I’ve quickly become evangelical about almost every aspect of it. Thanks to its absurdist marketing, it might look zany and niche, but I think anyone with even a passing interest in RPGs should play this game.
Sure, the one knock I could give Infinite Wealth is that you may appreciate some parts of the story more if you’ve played previous games in the series. That is by design, given that there have been several games telling Kiryu and Kasuga’s story ahead of this one – I’m not sure RGG could really avoid that. But Infinite Wealth’s contained story is so profound and moving that you should disregard any suggested reading list and start here. Yakuza 0 is really starting to show its age nowadays, anyway (sorry!). There are also enough flashbacks and systems in Infinite Wealth, like Kiryu’s ‘Memoirs of a Dragon’ substories, to get you up to speed on the deep lore if you’re interested.
For the record, I’ve completed Yakuza 0, played half of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and finished the spinoffs Like a Dragon: Ishin and Judgment, so I’m not exactly the most learned series scholar, though I’ve read wikis and watched recaps to understand the basic beats of the Kiryu-led games I was missing.
These riches that we have cannot be seen
Infinite Wealth is hilarious in that irreverent Earthbound way, with its unlikely heroes and hyperrealistic job system (abilities themed around homelessness and culinary arts, for example). The delectable substories skewer Generative AI via murderous Roombas, and the narrative is concerned with many relatable contemporary anxieties. Particularly, it comments carefully on how internet communities, once riled and rallied, can be as dangerous and dogmatic as an organised crime syndicate.
Like Red Dead Redemption 2, Infinite Wealth is also concerned with the twilight of its starring vocation, trading cowboys for Yakuza. How do you rehabilitate someone who only knows violence? How do you ‘get out’ for good, escape a violent legacy or espouse vulnerability when you’re just trying to survive? It is a complex, thoughtful tale that bleeds compassion at every corner. The ‘Infinite Wealth’ it speaks of is not born of currency but camaraderie.
Some of the character writing, particularly for Ichiban Kasuga, is woundingly hopeful, the kind of dialogue you’d expect in an epic novel wound up into an 80-hour RPG. At the age of 40-something, Kasuga is sent to Hawaii to search for his biological mother and finds her in danger, caught up in a string of scandals and conspiracies. Watching him dig into her past and see her actions reflect his upbringing without her is a unique privilege. Kasuga refuses to let life take away his hope, regardless of the immeasurable hardship he has experienced.
A character like this could easily veer into cringe or cliche, but Kasuga escapes those allegations entirely, somehow. By the end of the game, I was left feeling that he is one of the greatest video game protagonists ever written, truly one of the most believably human avatars to grace the medium.
Those riches that they have can be bought
Elsewhere, we find Kiryu ageing, exiled from his loved ones, and approaching the limits of his mortality. His handlers send him on a security mission to Hawaii, putting him on the same path as Kasuga. After faking his own death and living as someone else to protect the people he cares for, he has had to temper the raging fire within him, the one everyone around him knows and loves him for. Naturally, Kasuga’s hope offsets his defeatist outlook at times, though it’s clear that Kiryu is still the man he was deep down, and seeing that come out when his principles are challenged summons some stupendously emotional scenarios.
Beyond that, Infinite Wealth’s villains range from downright evil to endearing, and the supporting cast, especially newbies Tomi and Chitose, are smart foils to the established crew of misfits. I could talk for hours about the story’s finer points, but to avoid spoilers, let’s pivot to mechanics instead.
The combat! My god, the combat. Infinite Wealth boasts perhaps one of the most airtight turn-based battle systems I’ve ever played, an augmented take on Yakuza: Like a Dragon that addresses and answers every problem anyone might have had with RGG’s first take on turn-based.
You can move around the battlefield ahead of an engagement now, angling your attacks to line up with other party members so they can two-footed tackle stumbling goons into a wall. This satisfying trick never gets old, and the cavalcade of absurdist enemy designs (this deserves a whole other post) ensure you’re always on your toes. If it’s a dealbreaker, it’s also worth saying that those who miss the brawler style have also been accommodated in Infinite Wealth, though I won’t spoil how this shakes out.
A wealth of iteration
Broadly, the game seems to address all of the anxieties of its devout fanbase concerning the series ‘going mainstream’ – Infinite Wealth consistently balances its respect for what has come before with a forward-thinking approach in its design, and the wild thing is, this is also a tenet of the game’s story, so there’s this metatextual angle too. The shedding of the Yakuza name and a bold strive towards something new line up with the events of the story in a way that is bigger than the contents of the game itself.
Visually, the overworld maps are gorgeous and full of life, and the cutscenes offer heartbreaking facial animation and killer choreography (that often becomes interactive). And Jesus Christ, my friends, the music. Plucky strings and piano numbers destroyed me during the emotional scenes, while the synth-laden battle themes had me in a head rush during Infinite Wealth’s most consequential battles. There’s even a whole-ass licensed song in here that I quickly added to my Spotify, eyes blurry with tears.
Oh, I should also say that I played 95% of the game on my Steam Deck OLED, and never felt like I was compromising on anything. It is verified, runs like a dream and is long so best played in a cosy spot – Valve’s handheld is ideal for Infinite Wealth.
In previous games, it was easy to get bored wandering around, bumping into the same old enemies and having similar battles. Meanwhile, in Infinite Wealth, there is so much to do in your downtime that I knew I had to consciously push through the story, knowing that if I went on walkabout, I would simply not manage to beat this game in time for the embargo. Dealer’s choice – do you want to take part in a time-limited raid and capture the defeated mobs with a gift box for your attempt to become the Sujimon League Master?
Or, do you fancy jetting off on the back of a dolphin to Dondoko Island, where you can welcome guests, Animal Crossing style, to your trash-filled resort, protecting them from danger and ensuring their satisfaction to complete the 20-hour side narrative to restore the place to its former glory? How about an emotional reunion with a meaningful character or a pop quiz about Marine Biology? Perhaps a few drinks with a good friend at the bar to uncover their devastating past and resolve some emotional trauma (for buffs in combat!)? An enormous roguelike dungeon for dessert, maybe?
I tried my best to indulge all of it, but it’s safe to say I have yet to turn every stone. But I am sitting here, long after rolling credits, reeling from the third act and absolutely frothing to get back to Hawaii and Yokohama to continue my adventure in the post-game, which is definitely going to persist for months to come. Not to end a review with page-closing hyperbole either, but Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is one of the best games I have ever played – and I hope it makes the sincere splash it so rightfully deserves.
Pro Tips
- I’d recommend playing it subbed (Japanese VA w/ English subtitles)! I think the English dub is broadly pretty good (I tried it out for a few hours), but I really couldn’t get away with Kiryu’s new English VA, and I can’t imagine them doing justice to some of the most powerful lines in the late game, which is kind of a dealbreaker for me. I dunno – play how you want, of course, but that’s just my two cents.
- You will hit two scary ‘point of no return’ screens where the game will talk about wrapping up unresolved substories. Don’t worry about it – you can boot into Premium Adventure once you clear the game and tackle all the stuff you didn’t finish. I don’t think you can miss anything. I wasted a bunch of time trying to get everything done before moving forward (Baka Mitai and all that).
- Start crafting weapons early, and save your money on clothes, as you can often get the best gear in dungeons. Also, you won’t be able to return to dungeons, so make sure you clear every corner and retrieve every item.
- Buy the Adachi weapon from the sex shop with the Instant KO buff, and thank me later.
- Don’t ignore the level requirements – this game can be really hard if you do, and you need to grind a bit (but that’s easy and fun!)
- It will probably take the whole game to get a job to Level 30 – so try skilling into different vocations at Alo-Happy when you can and raise your bonds with party members so you can inherit skills.
- If you’re short on cash, do Dondoko Island early, at least up until you have a two-star resort. Thank me later!
- Finish all of Kiryu’s memoirs and Life Links before entering the final sequence. Seriously.
- You can find and buy Job EXP boosting items and items that boost your Level EXP at the detriment of your MP/HP (stick those on Kiryu/Kasuga in the gear slots for an easier time).
