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At the end of January 2024, Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios released their magnum opus JRPG, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Infinite Wealth was advertised as being one of the largest and most expansive JRPGs of the past decade. With major emphasis in the marketing being put on exploring a Hawaiian island in the gameplay and Kiryu Kazuma having cancer in the story. This game had a lot on its plate and a large load to carry on its shoulders. Messing up any of these elements could spell disaster for the game. So how does it hold up? Is Infinite Wealth worth purchasing? Let’s break down aspects of the game so you may make your own choice!
Gameplay – 10/10
The gameplay of Infinite Wealth is the ultimate fulfillment of turning Like a Dragon into a turn based JRPG. While Yakuza: Like a Dragon previously had a very engaging gameplay style, it was marked with a few errors as a consequence of being the studio’s first attempt at creating a JRPG.
While there were moments in the first game which suffered from either not knowing how to incorporate typical Like a Dragon large mob fights into RPG form or had odd transitions due to the gameplay, Infinite Wealth perfectly combines the series’ original identity with the new gameplay.
The improvements that Infinite Wealth makes to that combat system create one of the most engaging RPGs in recent years. Positioning your characters, planning out where you AoEs will hit, and combo attacking enemies is always immensely satisfying.
All of the game’s new jobs are also immensely entertaining to meddle around with. My favorites were Desperado, which allows you to do heavy damage but with the drawback of giving yourself debuffs such as drunk and Kunoichi, because video game ninja are always cool.
Aside from the combat, exploring the island of Hawaii is incredible. Hawaii is one of the best designed maps in Like a Dragon and maybe even JRPGs as a whole. Despite its large size, travel is incredibly brisk and nearly every corner has an activity for you to do.
In addition to this, the island is also well structured in keeping you away from later game areas too soon. Unlike Yokohama, you’ll never be teleported into areas with far too strong enemies because of the plot. Anywhere you need to go will be on level for you.
All of this leads to an addicting gameplay experience that never gets old for the entire 80 hour playtime!
Minigames – 10/10
You can’t judge a Like a Dragon game without talking about the fields of side content contained within it. Infinite Wealth has constantly been advertising itself as being one of the largest JRPGs ever and these minigames contribute a lot of that length.
Nearly every minigame in this game is either several stages long or big enough to be its own separate game. You can find yourself spending hours to days engaging with what isn’t even the main story.
The highlight of the adventure for me was the a minigame you can only find in Like a Dragon: Crazy Delivery, which sees you biking through town collecting hundreds of pizza to deliver in two minutes.
Other minigames include a parody of Pokémon called Sujimon, which puts you into very basic JRPG styled battles with its own elite four and everything. While I personally didn’t enjoy this mode, I can see others getting a great time out of it.
If battling Sujimon isn’t your cup of tea though, the game also have a Pokemon Snap mode where you go through several on rails levels where you must take pictures of these sickos doing nefarious deeds!
The biggest highlight though is Dondoko Island. A full animal crossing clone included as a minigame. The islanders in this mode are taken from nearly every game in the series and there are hundreds of furniture and buildings to decorate your island with!
On top of all of this, the game even includes the ability to visit other player’s islands online! While it may be more basic than modern Animal Crossing, it’s still the type of minigame you can spend days upon days playing!
All in all, I don’t know what more you could ask for concerning this game’s brilliant side content.
Graphics – 10/10
There are few games that achieve a style of realism without sacrificing other stylistic details. Many games that lean into realism tend to favor drab and gray color schemes. Thankfully, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth doesn’t fall down this hurdle.
The Hawaiian island the game takes place on is vibrant and full of life. The sun is constantly shining and any bit of color pops out at the player immediately. Nearly every location is a sight to behold.
As if RGG Studios wanted to flex their skills, the game is also prone to random squalls of rain which make the models shine in a beautiful way. Longtime fans of Like a Dragon will also realize how big a deal that is, as we haven’t had rain during gameplay in a mainline title since the PS3 era of the franchise!
Speaking of water, the oceanside is absolutely beautiful in this game. Water is one of the hardest things to make look good in game development and many artists struggle at it. Setting a game in Hawaii was already a major hurdle but RGG Studios somehow succeeded and made an absolutely beautiful ocean.
Character models in this game also look stunning. Seeing how much effort has gone into showing how characters like Kiryu have aged can out a dagger into the heart of players, and that isn’t even mentioning brilliant celebrity cameo faces like Danny Trejo.
Overall, this is the most beautiful a Like a Dragon game has ever looked and I cannot imagine graphics ever improving beyond this point.
Performance – 9/10
2019’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon overall performed very well but was plagued with a fee tiny yet constant issues. I wondered if these issues would be fixed in Infinite Wealth, and I’m happy to say nearly all of them were!
One of the most prominent issues from previous games in the Dragon Engine was how long it would take for a battle to begin. Often you would find yourself and the enemy standing still as the game loaded the battle.
In comparison, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (On PS5 at least) loads battles instantly, the moment you’re in range the battle will begin. This incredibly fast loading extends to all facets of the game! From fast travel to moving cities completely I cannot recall a time I had to wait for the game to load!
When it comes to frame rate, the game is a consistent 60 when playing normally. However I and a few friends encountered issues where after around 10 hours of play time the game would eventually begin to lag and dip.
Of course, I doubt that people who play for non-insane amounts of time will experience issues like this. It’s something that will likely only effect fans who have chosen to binge the game on release.
Overall, expect a smooth and beautiful experience with Infinite Wealth if you’re playing the game on next generation consoles!
Story – 8/10
Here’s the big point of contention. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s story has chosen to handle a lot. Like a Dragon fans went into the game with a single question “What will happen to Kiryu?” A bold question that hangs over the entire adventure.
The story the game tells is one of the slow paced in the series, for two thirds of the game you truly feel like you’re experiencing a Hawaii vacation with this cast of characters you have grown to love.
This slow pace gives Infinite Wealth’s plot an atmosphere similar to a soap opera, as you deal with problems of a much smaller scale than what the series is used to handling.
The soap opera atmosphere accumulates into Kiryu’s side content, more specifically: the bucket list and life links. If you enjoy the character of Kazuma Kiryu at all, these sections for the game are like a constant series of knives to the heart.
Fans of the franchise who have played these games for up to two decades now will shed tears of both joy and happiness multiple times. A feeling that very few games can accomplish.
Sadly the game’s climax can feel a bit rushed, with a few plot points and characters needing more screen time than what they received. However this is only a minor complaint as the emotional core of the climax remains strong.
While the game’s final act can feel a bit rushed, the journey there and the ending it leads to are a masterclass in JRPG storytelling that fans will be talking about for years to come.
Enjoyment – 10/10
If you told me to describe every detail I loved about Infinite Wealth, I’d be here forever. With how large the game is and how much care went into every second of the journey, it feels almost impossible to put into words.
Fans of Like a Dragon have received a fitting finale for Kiryu Kazuma as the original protagonist. Fans of Ichiban Kasuga have witnessed him truly stand on his own as the new protagonist. Those who enjoyed the franchise before this transition will be satisfied with the memorials while those who enjoy the new direction will love the rest.
The idea of a game pleasing everyone seems like a pipe dream, but Infinite Wealth may genuinely be a rare example of a game that can please everyone who tries it.
If you are a fan of JRPGs, you absolutely need to play this title. Everything about Infinite Wealth is pure perfection, from the plane landing at the airport to the sharks swimming in the sea, nothing will disappoint you.
Exploring Hawaii will invoke feelings within you that truly make you feel like you’re on a summer vacation in America. In ways it can be considered as much a spiritual successor to Earthbound as much as it is a sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
Over the past decade, Like a Dragon has made its name among gaming communities as some of the best games of the modern era. Infinite Wealth may well be the culmination of that, a truly perfect game that I cannot wait to replay and 100% complete in years to come.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
