Review by Arman Zarmehr
In this article, we are going to examine the eighth installment in the Yakuza franchise, “Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth,” to see what new experience the dragon of the gaming industry has to offer.
The Yakuza franchise is a series that I personally enjoy greatly and my interest in it grows with each new installment. From the very first teaser of the eighth game, featuring the dragon of Kamurocho alongside Kasuga Ichiban, I was confident that this one is going to be one of the best experiences the series has offered to date. Now, I am pleased to announce that it truly lives up to those expectations.
“Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth” is an exceptionally rich experience with a narrative full of highs and lows, featuring both familiar and new characters that draw you in. In the following, we will delve into a detailed analysis of this title and explore its various aspects.
Get ready for a roller coaster of a journey
“Like A Dragon,” or the seventh installment in this series was a game that underwent extensive changes in various aspects, including its story. In fact, it can be said that it significantly altered the mechanics of the Yakuza franchise, much like its name implies, steering it towards a completely fresh direction that ultimately resulted in an excellent product. Now, the eighth game follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, with the key difference being that at least in the narrative aspect, it is much broader and somewhat more crazy.
The story of this game takes place approximately four years after the end of the seventh part. Kasuga Ichiban has managed to settle into his life and is employed at the Hello Work company. In this regard, his other friends, including Nanba and Adachi, are also working and striving for progress. Since the events of the seventh game and the occurrence of The Great Dissolution, where the two major groups, Tojo Clan and Omi Alliance completely vanished, all individuals who were active under the banner of these two Yakuza groups are now integrating into a society that had long rejected them.
Among these individuals, some are trying to leave their past behind and build an honorable life for themselves. In this regard, using his position at the Hello Work company, Kasuga tries to help these individuals and introduce them to various companies and organizations so that they can reintegrate into society. While everything is going well, one day Kasuga is suddenly fired from his job, and he discovers that a famous and influential VTuber named Tatara has accused him on her channel of collaborating with former Yakuza members.
While trying to cope with the loss of his job, Kasuga learns that Sawashiro, the captain of the Arakawa family who was imprisoned has been released and is now collaborating with the Seiryu Clan. This Clan apparently aims to gather retired Yakuza members and help them establish businesses away from the criminal world, exactly what Kasuga was trying to accomplish.
After meeting with Sawashiro, he asks Kasuga to travel to Hawaii to meet his mother, Akane who is apparently still alive. However, the moment Kasuga sets foot in Hawaii, he realizes that the trip is not going to be as simple and enjoyable as he imagined. Now, he must navigate entirely new challenges and face old and new friends and enemies along the way.
It’s worth noting that, as you may have gathered from the extensive promotions of the game, Kiryu Kazuma also plays a significant role in the story. However, I personally refrain from delving into his role so that you as fans, can discover the narrative and enjoy it yourself. If you’ve experienced any of the Yakuza games until now, you know that storytelling and characters are crucial aspects and this experience is always rich with various emotions, twists, and captivating moments.
Since Kasuga has a very unique characterization, placing him alongside Kiryu and seeing their interaction is one of the most charming parts of this story. Furthermore, we still have the narrative progression in this game, the only difference being that Infinite Wealth has injected various elements, factors, and twists into its own storytelling and narrative, more than any other installment in this series. The presence of a wide range of friends and enemies and most importantly, the side by side presence of Kiryu and Kasuga in this title ensures that not a single moment throughout the gaming experience feels tedious or slow.
The characterizations are excellent and stay loyal to the traditions of this franchise. Thanks to the presence of Kasuga and his friends, humorous moments are always found during the chaos of the story. This effectively balances the overall tone of the game and gives it a personality and atmosphere.
Alongside the main story, the emblematic side quests of the series are still present in the best possible way. Throughout your journey to Hawaii, you will encounter new characters and get involved in funny, tragic, and sometimes bizarre side stories. If you are a longtime fan of this series, you know that the side quests are always surprising and interesting, sometimes leading to unexpected and unconventional paths. Ultimately, we are presented with a very rich experience, filled with small and big adventures.
Personally, when I start a new game of the Yakuza franchise, putting down the game becomes one of the hardest thing for me. I get so attached to the story and characters that I always want to spend more time with them. Infinite Wealth as always, has managed to captivate me and immerse me in an adventure full of ups and downs, filled with all kinds of twists and events.
Exploration and combat, Hawaiian style
As you probably know, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, much like its predecessor, is a JRPG which relies on turn based battles, diverse character classes, and extensive customization for its combat. While this change initially seemed foreign to the series in its seventh installment, it ultimately gained popularity among fans and has now been further expanded in the eighth game, introducing even more variety to this system.
In this game, we get a variety of brand new and different classes. These classes continue to evolve based on the various attributes of Kasuga’s personality and the level of affinity he has with his friends. Each of these classes comes with its own unique design, abilities, and characteristics, providing you with significant flexibility during battles. It’s important to note that all these classes are exclusively upgradeable and by leveling up a class, you can unlock completely new abilities and moves.
Of all the characters, Kiryu is the only who in addition to using special abilities that consume MP, can utilize all three default combat styles. You can switch Kiryu’s fighting style during each turn based on the battle conditions. These three combat styles are Rush, Beast and Brawler each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses and as a player, you can change them based on the situation.
Of course, all of these aspects are not only related to the combat system. As you progress in the game, you’ll constantly see the addition of new mechanics and further expansion of this system. Sometimes these additions can catch you off guard but thanks to the game’s upgrade system, you’ll feel more powerful with each battle and victory. Among the new mechanics are the Hype Master and Tag Team Attacks, which allow Kasuga to execute powerful individual or cooperative offensive moves by accumulating Hype for each character.
Additionally, now you have the ability to move your character during battles, a feature that was absent in the previous game. This ability allows for more control over combat and with proper positioning, you can execute tag team attacks with your allies. Experimenting with different classes for each character and ultimately finding a class that truly aligns with your combat approach leads to ongoing diversity in battle dynamics. And when you find your favorite class, you’re only now beginning to get upgrades, unlocking its full potential.
To avoid spoilers, I won’t delve into all the mechanics introduced throughout the game. However, broadly speaking, I can say that in this game players have much more flexibility and choice during turn-based battles. Due to the great variety within this combat system and its continuous expansion, you’ll find combat engaging and far from repetitive at any point in the game.
Personally, there have been times during certain battles or encounters with bosses when I’ve had to change my approach, class, or combat philosophy. To me, this is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. It encourages you to utilize all the abilities that gameplay provides, and even come up with creative and new solutions for the challenges ahead and this decrease the influence of luck in turn-based battles, while simultaneously emphasizing the impact of thoughtful and efficient planning and strategies.
In addition to mechanical gameplay issues, we see a wide variety of weapons for each class, which are obtainable in two ways. Some of these weapons are acquired by finding the necessary items and ultimately using them in specific locations, such as Julie’s Gearworks, to craft weapons. This is essentially the crafting system of this title. Others are obtained by exploring the game world and finding various chests, which are considered excellent rewards for those who enjoy exploring the environment.
You have the ability to upgrade the weapons of each character and their classes in the specific locations and the Craft menu. Additionally, by crafting multiple weapons in these locations and increasing their level, you can obtain completely new and more powerful weapons. Ultimately, there are other weapons available for purchase through shops.
However, these are not the only things that can make your character more powerful; outfits also play a significant role in increasing your performance in battles. Each game character has a dedicated menu that includes not only weapons but also hats and shoes. Each of these outfits has its own specific stats, allowing you to customize your characters according to your personal needs. However, it’s worth noting that these elements are purely cosmetic and only affect the overall abilities of your character.
In addition to these aspects, you also have the option to choose two miscellaneous items for each character that can grant different abilities or upgrades to your character. So far, we have only discussed things related to combat, and now it’s worth delving into some other parts of gameplay.
The gameplay of this game, much like many games before it, continuously evolves and introduces new dimensions on various scales to the player. For instance, at some point during the game, Kasuga stumbles upon an island near Hawaii called Dondoko, which is essentially an amusement park. However, due to the accumulation of trash, it has lost all its visitors to a group of pirates.
Now, in the role of Kasuga, you can engage in managing, personalizing, and expanding this island, offering a somewhat Sims-like experience. On this island, you have the opportunity for fishing, finding various insects, and even battling pirates, which actually follows a Beat’em Up style and doesn’t strictly follow the overall turn-based flow of the game.
Additionally, on this island, you can create entirely new tools and structures using construction tools, decorating the island with these creations to elevate its rating to a five-star recreational destination. It’s worth noting that you have a dedicated house on this island that can be fully customized, allowing you to upgrade its comfort and overall aesthetics by creating new items or even conducting a complete renovation!
Yakuza games have always presented a kind of business management element, but it can confidently be said that Dondoko Island is the largest example of them all, going far beyond a mere mini-game and becoming a separate game within the overall Infinite Wealth experience! In addition to this island, we witness a significant expansion of the Sujimon mini-game from the seventh game, to the extent that we now have, an experience inspired by the Pokemon franchise in the Yakuza style!
You can challenge and progress by collecting Sujimons, teaching them, and challenging other trainers. There is a great diversity in the visual and functional dimensions of Sujimons, and you can find and capture them in the game environment. Additionally, during your exploration in Hawaii, you can find other trainers and challenge them! This section also has a lot of depth, which is why I always emphasize that there is no shortage of content to entertain you throughout this game.
However, these are not the only prominent aspects of the game that challenge and sometimes completely alter the gameplay structure; I assure you that Infinite Wealth has still incorporated numerous surprises within itself. If you seek them out, you can always witness the expansion of various ways to experience this game!
Throughout this experience, there are various ways in which you in the role of Kasuga, can strengthen and solidify your relationships with friends and companions, involving them in your own experience. Overall, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth provides players with many ways to stay entertained in terms of gameplay, and it is impossible to feel at any moment during this game that it has become monotonous or repetitive. These new and diverse elements not only expand the gameplay in different ways but also offer a very rich content experience.
The ocean paradise in your hands
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, as it has proven to be impressive so far, is set to continue its performance in the graphics and environmental design department. The choice of Hawaii as the main environment was a smart decision by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, as this franchise needed a fundamental change in its environmental design and overall appearance after a long period. As they say, it needed to step out of its comfort zone and try out new ideas.
Now, in this game we see an entirely new and very different environment compared to Kamurocho, Sotenbori, Ijincho, and any other locations we have seen in this franchise to date. Hawaii is a vibrant city where you can even become acquainted with and befriend new people just by walking around, adding much more dynamism to this city compared to all other places in this franchise.
It’s worth noting that Hawaii is not the only city you will step into in this game. As seen in the first teaser of this title, the iconic city of this franchise, Kamurocho, is still accessible. Additionally, another part of the game takes place in Ijincho. So, it can be said that we have a great amount of variety in this regard and locations like Dondoko Island also contribute to that.
The design of Hawaii and its details is also highly commendable. As I mentioned in the gameplay section, we witness unique classes with Hawaiian theme, each of which has its own distinctive designs. Personally, since I experience all Yakuza titles with Japanese voiceovers and my discussions regarding character voiceovers are based on the Japanese dub of the game, I must say that, as alway we are treated to excellent voiceovers full of emotion. Although it’s worth mentioning that, considering the difference performances of the English dub, it seems that English voice actors have also done well in conveying the emotional weight of these characters. Still, if you ask me a Yakuza experience with Japanese voiceovers carries much more emotional impact.
The music sticks to the series’ tradition, and we are treated to some previous tracks as well as a significant number of new pieces in the soundtrack of this game, showing excellent performance in this aspect. The music played during battles is really fitting for those moments and on the other hand, the music during the story narration serves as an excellent complement to its emotional tone.
In summary…
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an exceptionally engaging title and a complete experience from the Yakuza franchise. Alongside its innovations, it preserves all the essential characteristics and traditions of the franchise, truly offering an experience filled with different emotions. Infinite Wealth weaves a story full of different twists, ultimately taking you on an adventure where you’ll feel anger, laughter and sometimes shed tears, thanks to the amazing character development principles of this franchise. The gameplay of this game is a direct expansion and improvement over the seventh installment, always pushing beyond previous games, both in combat and its overall flow, introducing new mechanisms and ways to enhance player enjoyment. In the end, it must be said that the Yakuza franchise’s journey to Hawaii is one that its fans will never forget.
Pros:
- Gripping and entertaining storytelling and narrative.
- Excellent character development that quickly establishes a connection with the player.
- Outstanding voiceovers.
- Highly flexible, innovative and improved turn-based combat system compared to the seventh installment.
- Wide range of diverse classes for character customization.
- Strategic combat process and enjoyable trial-and-error approach towards victory.
- Rich content experience with a wide and varied range of playable content.
- Various and deeply engaging mini-games integrated into the heart of the experience.
- Well-designed representation of Hawaii and its atmosphere.
- Exceptionally entertaining side quests.
- Excellent music and soundtrack.
Cons: –
10/10
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