Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth in name alone implies certain themes. Greed. Exploitation. Instability. Appropriate topics for a series (once known as Yakuza, RIP) that so often has our heroes struggle to protect innocence in Japan’s criminal underbelly. But Infinite Wealth isn’t just a story excess, it embodies that overabundance with an almost untrackable number of things to see, do, and level up – easily making for the series’ grandest entry yet while still (somehow!) tightening up its predecessor’s sloppy first attempt at an RPG.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth reviewDeveloper: RGG StudioPublisher: SegaPlatform: Played on PS5Availability: Out 26th January on PC (Steam), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
This latest entry takes our loveable goofball Ichiban Kasuga overseas to the shores of Hawaii in search of his long-lost mother, where he also runs into the series’ often-resurrected main man Kazuma Kiryu, who happens to be there on a similar mission.
Playing the introductory three hours gives you the basic gist of what to expect for the next 50: violent stakes juxtaposed with some of gaming’s most zany side activities; considered cinematography and occasionally overindulgent cutscenes; and protagonists that are impossible to hate, all messily thrown together like loopy soba noodles spilled onto the floor. And, really, where else could you punch up two literal excavators while dressed as a dominatrix?
Hawaii is the perfect change of pace, taking the series’ knack for virtual tourism and dropping it onto summery shores and idyllic streets. Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio isn’t content with just depicting the island as a de-stressing holiday for our heroes, though – at least not at first, as Hawaii’s regional problems quickly become the game’s most interesting hook.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon’s focus on homelessness and socioeconomic struggles extends to the tropical paradise, shining a light on the region’s manufactured beaches, growing housing crisis that pushes out natives, and the violent gangs, depicted here as the Barracudas – a yakuza-equivalent group who band together due to struggle, not blood ties.