There’s no easy way to anchor the Yakuza series (or Like a Dragon, as it’s now known in the West) in players’ minds. Either you love her or you don’t want to know anything about her. All that changed when the general public opened up to the series in 2020 and Ryu Ga Gotoku chose the turn-based RPG Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth immediately laid the cards on the table as to what this adventure of Ichiban Kasuga would mean for the series, although in reality, on a story level, it had been expected for years in previous installments. In Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Ichiban and Kazuma Kiryu have made contact and, in a way, the Dragon of Dojima has already entrusted the new protagonist to carry the burden of the future on his shoulders. After the events of this Yakuza 7, fans had the opportunity to experience the pure hack-and-slash style of the previous Yakuza installments with Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Yam, paving the way for the character’s story . All pieces are arranged on the game board and the game begins in Hawaii.
Without going into too many details beyond what the studio has already revealed in the trailers, it’s been almost four years since the end of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Due to a series of circumstances that land Kasuga and his friends in trouble again, Ichiban decides to travel to Honolulu to search for his birth mother. There she comes across a conspiracy in which she is involved, the major criminal gangs of Hawaii and Kiryu Kazuma on behalf of the Daidoji faction. Ichiban teams up with the Dragon of Dojima and some new allies on the island and gradually becomes the hero that everyone sees in him.
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I can read so much about the premise, but I’ll say something else. The main stories of each part of the series have managed to preserve one good balance between action and drama
Moving Like a Dragon’s story beyond Japan’s borders could be one of the most important changes in the franchise, although in practice it’s not as dramatic a break as it seems. Yes, the sunny, colorful and wide avenues of Honolulu do not have much in common with the gray alleys of Ijincho, Kamurocho or Sotembori, but their citizens behave similarly, there is a lot of Japanese presence in them (that’s it). their main vacation destination outside the country) and in general everything follows the same pattern on the world map, which is also the largest in the series. That’s why there are now ways to get around quickly, like Street Surfer, and taxi rides have been made easier.
Although the change in environment is more apparent in some mini-games, such as the one on the social network Aloha Links. You won’t be able to take two steps without pressing the button to make Ichiban say “Aloha!” to everyone who comes by. Being friends with the townspeople has rewards, so be a good boy and say hello.
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But not everyone is nice in paradise and Hawaii is rich in thugs, gang members, gangsters and all sorts of enemies to defeat. For this we will not only have Kiryu and the old Yokohama gang, but also two new characters, Tomizawa and Chiose. Tomi is responsible for performing ranged attacks while Chitose has status changing and healing abilities. Finding a good job for each requires trying combinations (don’t worry, Honolulu has experience with dungeon farming too).
The battles follow the same pattern as the series’ previous main title, although the studio appears to have taken note of how awkward it was to navigate world events with so much fighting. Now you will see fewer groups hanging around the streets, although it is true that you will always find some treasures or shortcuts nearby. By approaching this enemy or group of enemies, we enter the altered state of reality that Ichiban sees (and who knows, maybe it’s something contagious). I won’t describe the fight again, but I can confirm that it was like that Updated enemy AI as well as optimized abilities and how they work
However, it once again fails due to certain aspects of Yakuza: Like a Dragon that were not resolved in Infinite Wealth. Professions still seem to be a way to increase experience (so you can unlock inherited skills), and I still don’t understand how the stats of enemies with weapons work, as they are sometimes inconsistent. And yes, I know boss fights should be memorable, but not at the price of turning a scrawny, blank-eyed guy into a veritable punch sponge who can attack four times in a row and wipe out the entire party in a single turn. Aside from these complaints (which are the same ones I had in Yakuza 7), I think the little changes here and there make combat once again an experience (you’ll see what the Namba pigeons are like now ).
The other great aspect of Infinite Wealth is its secondary content. The mini-games are once again the sauce that makes the game fun. And there’s more variety than ever before, all with sharp and biting humor. There’s the already revealed delivery app “Crazy Taxi”, the Tinder-like dating app simulator (very shady) or the new Sega arcade games. and maybe Where the concept has evolved the most is with Sujimon. Now just observing and defeating enemies will no longer be enough to add them to the Sujidex. We have to catch them Really to join us and put together a balanced team with which we can compete in three-way battles against other Sujimon “trainers”. Yes, now you can have a Pokémon experience in Like a Dragon. Yes, there are even Sujistops and raids as if it were Pokémon Go. Crazy.
But not only do the Sujimon have their own storyline, they’re also a key element to the truly awesome mini-game “Infinite Wealth.” Dondoko Island. The development team has once again achieved a complete success with the management simulator of a holiday resort on a deserted island. Ichiban must help convert an island used as an illegal dumping ground into a 5-star resort that will earn him a lot of money, which he will then be happy to spend in the main game. Needless to say, once you try it, you won’t be able to get away from it for several hours, as happened to me, and you will almost forget what you were doing before cutting down trees, catching insects, fishing or have built furniture buildings for your customers. And he will do it with the help of the Sujimon. In my opinion, Dondoko Island is the best mini-game in the entire series, even if the money generation isn’t as agile as in the Ichiban Sweets properties. The mini-game has a longer cycle to generate profits, which also increases the time to get the necessary money to invest in equipment.
Again, this is just a part of everything that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth offers us. Ryu Ga Gotoku was able to expand and develop not only the JRPG system of the current series, but also its narrative, character development and additional content. In addition to being more and better in almost everythingand offers a gaming experience that no other can match a clear sign without competition. Less than 55GB of storage on the PS5 SSD we played on, and it has a level of detail in facial expressions, scenarios, lighting and performance that so many triple-A gamers with larger budgets have already seen in this multiplatform would like to play. It surpasses Yakuza: Like a Dragon in all aspects, and its conclusion opens a bright horizon for the series, which, as Kiryu mentioned (also in the story trailer): “I will be responsible for dealing with the Yakuza past, but I will do it.” Leave it to you to take the reins of his future, Ichiban.
