“Even if you cast yourself to hell, the burn’s a lot easier to bear so long as you choose it.”

Despite a deeply rich and storied history, in a post-pandemic world, the arcade, a humble yet important part of the video game’s industry in Japan, is struggling immensely. Not only due to an industry pioneer, Sega, leaving the market in 2021, a changing climate around how content is consumed and heightened fear of illness in the country, arcades continue to shutter. In 2019 there were an estimated 4000 game centres operating across the country, down from over 26,000 at the industry’s peak back in 1986.

In the late 80s, Toshihiro Nagoshi, a graduate from Tokyo Zokei University began working for Sega’s 2nd Arcade Development department, with a love of NASCAR and a passion for film, worked across divisions eventually heading the development of Daytona USA. Eventually Nagoshi would find his way onto a title called SpikeOut, a 3D beat ‘em up releasing on arcade systems in 1998. Spikeout’s gameplay involved the player facing off against many enemies at the same time, using a mix of crowd control abilities and single combat to come out victorious as they navigate through the game’s sprawling levels.

Around this time, Western companies such as EA and Rockstar were developing and launching highly successful series such as Grand Theft Auto and Gran Turismo, and Sega aptly decided it would be best not to try and compete, but to turn their focus inwards on the Japanese market instead. Nagoshi would lead development on another title, but this time adopting a more adult perspective. The game would be a crime drama, following the life of young man living in Tokyo, unwillingly pushed into the life of a Yakuza due to circumstances out of his control. A 3D beat ‘em up much like Nagoshi’s earlier title SpikeOut, this game release in 2005 as Ryu ga Gotoku, primarily known to the West as Yakuza.

Fast-forward nearly 20 years, RGG Studio touts worldwide acclaim, and their latest title, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth boldly and without reservation commits to the new direction the franchise has taken since 2020’s release of Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Whereas the series was almost exclusively a beat ‘em up from the beginning, Yakuza: Like a Dragon uprooted the series’ identity and transformed it into a turn-based RPG, and Infinite Wealth, being the second RPG in franchise history marks a turning point: fully commit to a new direction, or be left in the past, much like the arcade and its inability to adapt to changing conditions.

Thankfully, Infinite Wealth not only respects series traditions, but actively strives to be bigger, better, RGG Studio carefully crafting an experience that rivals games like Yakuza Zero. This is not just one of the studio’s best games, but may be my favourite of the whole franchise. An adventure not just spanning Japan, but the Pacific, Infinite Wealth deeply and meaningfully iterates on new additions from its predecessor, whilst paying its dues to the franchise as it moves into the future, something that is thematically appropriate given its twisting narrative.

Being a massive RPG, which for me took something akin to 85 hours to beat, there is as usual a lot to talk about. Infinite Wealth begins 3 years after the events of Yakuza: Like A Dragon, with the dissolution of the Tojo Clan and Omi Alliances, Japan’s leading Yakuza groups, abruptly thrusting thousands of criminals into a society they are unaware of how to succeed in. Ichiban Kasuga, one of the game’s protagonists has a noble goal, working at an employment agency with the sole purpose of rehabilitating as many ex-Yakuza as possible, leading them to through proper channels in order to secure legitimate working opportunities. I know, a pretty dull start following the events of series past, however things *very* quickly go awry after leading Japanese V-Tuber, “Tatara Channel” streams an expose on Kasuga, wrongfully accusing him of criminal activities in his endeavours and spoiling his reputation, among those closely associated with him.

It is at this time he is approached by Jo Sawashiro, Captain of Kasuga’s former Tojo Clan family, and informed that his mother, missing for something along the lines of 40 years, has made herself known to Sawashiro from Hawaii, and wishes to reunite with Kasuga despite never having met him. Suspicions aside, Kasuga decides to venture to Hawaii on his own, and is subsequently drugged, arrested and saved by none other than Kazuma Kiryu, long running series protagonist declared dead at the end of Yakuza 6, only to be saved by the Daidoji, a shadow organisation of the Japanese government, using Kiryu’s prowess as a fighter to achieve their goals, in exchange to the safety of those he holds dearest. Sound complicated? That’s because it is, yet this level of setup is not unusual in the series, and what follows is an incredibly crime drama, full to the brim with melodrama, genuine stakes, and some truly touching character moments that tug at the heart strings more-so than any game in the series.

Look, it’s no secret that I am a big RGG fanboy, but the most difficult part of recommending these games to people is that they pull from a long time, almost 20 year history of storytelling and character development that can often make them difficult to pick up without prior experience with the series. While it would be dishonest to say that is not true here, I feel like this game can be enjoyed with just a good grasp of the previous title, and while you certainly won’t understand some important aspects of especially Kiryu’s character and his motivations, you won’t be missing out on too much as a lot of that can be inferred.

Without going too deep into anything, as the series is known and loved for its dramatic lack of tonal continuity and insane winding plotlines, for me at least, the narrative of Infinite Wealth truly is not just a strong point in the game, but likely one of the best in the series, playing with and improving on the dual protagonist structure established in Yakuza Zero. This game has a lot to say without being too heavy handed in its messaging, and despite its incredibly complex and twisting plot that definitely goes a bit haywire towards the end of the game, it never loses sight of its biggest strength: its characters.

“…full to the brim with melodrama, genuine stakes, and some truly touching character moments…”

Both Kasuga and Kiryu are compelling protagonists in their own right, but if you’re familiar with the series, you’ll understand that Kiryu is somewhat of a storied man, with regrets, trauma and a legacy within the Yakuza, whilst also directly contributing to its dissolution. There’s also the fact that he’s supposed to be dead, something addressed in the last game but really well and truly grappling with its consequences here, as he struggles to keep his identity under secrecy as a requirement of his service to the Daidoji whilst unravelling the sinister plot stretching across the Pacific.

RGG Studio has discussed openly about transitioning away from Kiryu as the main protagonist of the series and passing the torch to Kasuga, and one of the most impressive parts of Infinite Wealth is its commitment to giving an adequate send off to one of gaming’s most iconic characters, whilst also honouring their legacy and what made them as compelling as they are, and I can say with confidence that RGG has absolutely succeeded here. Through not just the main quest but also some side content exclusively crafted for Kiryu, Infinite Wealth neatly gives Kiryu much needed closure on events passed, as he has effectively been in a state of limbo since the end of Yakuza 6. These issues are approached with careful consideration, understanding that facing one’s past can be a painful thing, and really works to unpack the impact this character has had in the past 20 years, not just for the characters that he has affected, but for the audience as well. Kiryu eventually learns to accept not only his current situation but is able to take appropriate steps towards atonement for the life he has lived, and I found this journey that he embarks on throughout the course of the game to be genuinely moving, and ended up being my favourite part of the way this narrative unfolds. Not only is it able to weave its melodrama into something inspiring, but it also manages to incorporate that aforementioned lack of tonal continuity into something that really works, with certain moments of that narrative leaving me with a huge smile on my face.

Kasuga is also quite compelling in his own right, and is very clearly unique and distinct from Kiryu, despite some parallels in their backstories. His past is somewhat of a mystery to him, and as the narrative unfolds he is able to confront parts of his life that he was never able to contend with due to his upbringing. Seeing this character not just confront these challenges head-on, but genuinely grow and change into a natural leader is definitely compelling, and serves as an excellent companion piece to Kiryu’s story, and really cements the themes the story is trying to put forth, expertly played out by the game’s other companions.

It isn’t just Kasuga and Kiryu that have compelling stories to tell this time around, and practically every side character echoes the themes of the narrative to great success. Everyone has something weighing on them, something they must confront either due to their actions or the actions of others around them, and these ideas of atonement and acceptance are sprinkled across all their storylines. Granted, the new side characters are given somewhat of a spotlight in comparison to those from the previous game, but that is to be expected.  If I had one complaint about this story, it is that one of the villains’ plotlines falls a bit flat by the end, and that character is definitely defined by being “generically evil,” but thankfully RGG uses the moment to shine a light on its characters and their motivations, so it is definitely not wasted. The other villains however are well developed and sympathetic, something RGG has always excelled at, allowing you to understand these characters as people and not just “generic big bad.”

“These issues are approached with careful consideration, understanding that facing one’s past can be a painful thing…”

The pacing of this adventure is also surprisingly well thought out, considering its massive scope and plethora of side content. It cleverly balances these moments of extreme urgency, whilst realistically allowing you to explore the world at your leisure, with meaningful downtime that doesn’t affect the thematic consistency in any damaging way.

So, let’s talk about that side content, being that it is what some consider to be the foundation that gives this series its identity. Series staples return, most notably lovechild of series Chief Director Ryosuke Horii and well, Karaoke, the Karaoke minigame makes a return. For those unaware, ever since Yakuza 3, these games have always featured playable Karaoke sequences, where you can watch the grizzled muscle men showcase their softer sides, singing sweet tunes that would feel right at home on the J-Pop charts. Speaking to Gene Park of the Washington Post, Horii stated that he felt that “video game music should get the same kind of care and attention to melody as any chart-topping hit,” and that care and attention really shines through here as it always has.

Not just that, but there are also some incredibly fleshed out, game spanning side activities that are so in depth that I am hesitant to call them minigames. Enemies retain their “Sujimon” nomenclature from the last game, but this time around they can be collected, by giving them “Suji-gifts,” and forced to do battle against other “Sujimon Trainers,” with a type system, with some Sujimon being resistant or weak to certain types of damage. A Pokémon Snap style minigame, “Sicko Snap,” tasks Kasuga with collecting photos of various weirdos exposing themselves to the public whilst riding a trolley through the streets of Honolulu, with the intention of sending the pictures to the authorities.

As if Nintendo had not copped enough flak from this game, maybe the star addition is Post Pandemic PTSD inducing Animal Crossing: New Horizons-esque resort management simulator Dondoko Island, where Kasuga is tasked with restoring an Island Resort to its former glory after the area is ravaged by illegal dumping. The goal is to clear out rubbish from the island with the eventual step of inviting tourists to stay. You can place furniture, things to do, whole buildings, go fishing, and eventually put your Sujimon to work in what is effectively a slave camp to farm resources for you. When it was first revealed about 25 hours into the game, I thought this would be a short detour from the main questline, but it quickly sprawled out into what can be tens of hours, visiting other people’s resorts and collecting “Dondoko Miles,” fighting off pirates and generally making your island look pretty.

There is a plethora of smaller minigames as well: Can Quest makes a return from the previous game, as well as effectively roleplaying as the coolest Uber Eats delivery person on the planet in the Crazy Taxi inspired “Crazy Delivery,” getting you to deliver food to people across Honolulu in the most stylish way possible. There are batting cages, driving ranges, underground gambling dens, and fully functional arcades, equipped with claw machines, Sega Bass Fishing, and for the first time in an RGG title, a fully playable version of the classic SpikeOut, the initial inspiration for the series’ brawler style combat.

Drink links make a return, allowing you to share a classy beverage with your companions and have a heart to heart, giving more context to their motivations in a way that is separate from the main plot, and adding to those incredible character moments I mentioned earlier.

The most important of the side content however would have to be the substories, a series staple for sure. If you know anything about RGG, you’ll already know these are a little bit out there, but are honestly the bedrock for how the protagonists are characterised, showing a side of them you wouldn’t normally get to experience in the typical heavy melodramatic crime drama. Despite their wacky initial presentation, these stories always have this wholesome core to them. I’ll give you an example: when first arriving at one of Honolulu’s major locations, a big industrial mall, and as you approach one of the escalators, a mother cries out as her baby’s pram falls down, and it’s up to you to chase after it through the streets as it dodges through traffic and pedestrians alike. On successful retrieval of the pram, you find that there isn’t a baby inside, but a full grown man that Kasuga knows from Japan, wearing a nappy, who promptly falls asleep as his lackey’s show up, provoking a huge misunderstanding. You then take his goons out, and as he wakes up you and the group notice an old man buying shaved ice from a food truck nearby and throwing it into the air. After questioning him, you learn that his wife is dying, and her last wish was to see the snow, and as he is talking, you notice what looks like snow one the ground; you see the powdered lining of the nappies mixed with the shaved ice as it melted on the ground, and everyone has the same idea. I won’t spoil the ending, but it’s almost impossible to describe something like this without sounding like an excited 10-year-old describing their favourite movie. Again, so strange, but its wholesome underpinnings really give these situations a lot of heart, and there are many just like it.

This game is absolutely packed to the brim with optional content, all the things I’ve talked about just scratch the surface of what is actually on offer here, and I think more so than any game in the series, almost all of it is actually worth engaging with, a huge win in my book.

“…effectively roleplaying as the coolest Uber Eats delivery person on the planet…”

Now for the meat and potatoes, combat and the game’s RPG systems.

A major sticking point for many people when approaching games like this is the turn based nature of the combat. I remember so many times last year seeing comments on TikTok completely writing off incredible experiences such as Baldur’s Gate 3 with incredible commentary such as “turn based combat *skull emoji*.” Jokes aside, I do genuinely understand the feeling that people might have when it comes to an engaging combat model, especially when they are more used to traditional action focused combat, and like its predecessor, Infinite Wealth takes that somewhat slow combat model and morphs it into something super engaging, through smart use of positioning, QTE prompt additions to simple attacks, timed guarding and a plethora of other options.

Characters, especially Kiryu feel incredibly distinct, with his base move set incorporating fighting styles from previous game, allowing you to switch between brawler for high base damage, rush to attack twice in one turn, or beast mode for some AOE damage at the cost of mobility. He also unlocks a very cool ability late game that fits his identity in the series perfectly, and it would be a shame to spoil, so I won’t do that.

Combat has this flair to it, it really has an identity that is truly RGG with its commitment to not just goofy enemy design and abilities, but also its more grounded depiction of fights as opposed to something in a fantasy setting. This flair is most present in the way that characters use their abilities, almost always framed in a way that highlights the action. It also intelligently utilises QTE prompts when using abilities for extra damage, and is balanced in a way that never feels unfair or disappointing when you miss it, but just adds a little extra to attacks when you succeed. This does a lot in the way of making combat feel more engaging, as you can seldom just select your ability and sit back and watch. When enemies attack as well, you can time a button input when the attack is just about to land to perform a perfect guard, blocking some of the damage. This can be an absolute game changer in some later boss encounters, where poor timing can easily see your party wiped.

That style is shown best in certain ultimate abilities that can be used in combat for a high MP cost. Every character and class have at least 2 of these available, and these will often be their strongest attacks, with an accompanying cutscene that is almost always hilarious. Each character can also perform a “Tag Team” attack, where he or she can team up with the party leader to perform an extra strong attack, at the cost of a meter that recharges as combat goes on.

Another ridiculous component of this system is the summons, called “Pound Mates,” where Kasuga can call a very questionable phone hotline, and at the cost of some money call in some support. These characters include many choice individuals from some substories such as the Baby family mentioned earlier, but also a great selection of cast from earlier games, which will be sure to please series fans. These summons range from being pretty effective to downright overpowered, often with the capability of one-shotting every enemy on screen at the balance of a high price tag. Taking your enemies to Pound Town has never been so easy.

Speaking on enemy design is also really great, if a little obscene at times. With the lack of a fantasy setting, you’ll instead be fighting actual people. To make sure there is a good amount of enemy variety, I believe the canon train of thought is that Kasuga is just hallucinating whenever you are in combat, turning the typical drunkards and muscle men of Honolulu and Yokohama into something a little more sinister. Hackers, clowns, weird perverts, there is absolutely no shortage of enemy variety here, each providing a distinct challenge and strategy in order to take them out.

Fights feel considerably more strategic this time around. You can move around the combat arena in a small circle, allowing you to position yourself relative to your foes or near objects that you can pick up and use. I think the thing that Infinite Wealth succeeds at the most in its combat design is incentivising the use of the basic attack, not just using it as a fallback for when you have no MP available. There is actual utility on offer here, allowing you to knock enemies into each other, walls, or a teammate for a nice combo attack. Status effects, stat buffs and enemy debuffs are also increasingly impactful as the game progresses, really requiring that you build your party appropriately in order to succeed.

“Hackers, clowns, weird perverts, there is absolutely no shortage of enemy variety here…”

So lets talk about that party building, because this is one of the game’s most intricate systems. Infinite Wealth has a game spanning gear game, bolstered by the ability to change the class of any character almost at will. Each character has one class unique to them, being Adachi’s Detective job or Kasuga’s Hero title, and this runs the risk of feeling like the “correct way to play,” as every character has a preset attack or supporting role. However, apart from some specific limitations, any character can have their class changed one of 10 others, with fundamentally different playstyles, equipment and abilities. Take the Action Star for example, turning what could be a glass cannon mage into Uma Thurman. There are many more of these to pick and choose, from the squid-cannon wielding Aquanaut to the support-superstar Idol, all of these feel meaningfully distinct and really give you the ability to put together a team that fits your needs rather than a preset list of characters. As you experiment with these different classes and level up your characters, eventually you can take specific skills from any class the character has played as, allowing you to buttress weaknesses in each character’s kit and build a class more specific to how you want to play, really nicely putting more agency in the hand of the player.

Further increasing that level of build diversity is the game’s gearing system. While most armour simply gives stat boosts until some specific late game items catering to specific playstyles, every class has a differing set of weapons, all with meaningful stat differences and damage types. Each individual weapon can also be upgraded to be useful in the endgame, so if you really like a specific weapon, you can carry it through with you to the end of the game. That’s not to say the end-game weapons are useless, a really great example is the Chef’s ultimate weapon, greatly increasing the damage of skills but at the cost of much higher MP usage, genuinely changing the playstyle of the class as you need to more intelligently manage your resources as a trade-off for the power gained.

The strongest weapons can only be crafted, using a combination of items found throughout the world, bought from vendors and dropped by enemies. This system is expertly tuned, as I was only able to afford this high-end gear when I actually needed it, not forcing the player to annoyingly grind like the last game, whilst still taking steps to incentivise exploration through the games maps, which I think is a great segue to talking about the game’s level design and its presentation.

If you’re ever in Tokyo, take a walk through Kabukicho after playing any RGG game and you will be able to find your way around no problem. Seriously, I know there are memes about people driving around LA after playing GTAV, but seriously, Kamurocho is so similar to its real life counterpart that I honestly got Déjà vu when I visited.

RGG games have always subscribed a very specific design philosophy. The studio has strived to build smaller, more intimate spaces but pack them full to the brim with activities and meaningful encounters, as opposed to some other open world games which can often feel like they have space for the sake of space and not much else.  The spaces here in Infinite Wealth are so realised, they genuinely have a sense of place to them that properly evokes the real life locations they are inspired by.  People talk often about the idea of “virtual tourism,” and this game certainly nails the feeling, not just with familiar locations such as Kamurocho and Ijincho from previous games, but Honolulu as well.

RGG have done a great job at making the two regions feel meaningfully distinct, with Hawaii definitely feeling grungier and more tourist focused than Japan. Whilst being more open and spread out than the other maps in the game, the way you contend with the space is meaningfully different. There are roads, beaches, food trucks, parks, some of these seldom seen in previous games, nailing that distinct feeling. The presentation here is on point as well, with surprisingly detailed internal and external spaces, leading to a sense of grounding within these areas.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If I’m honest, there’s a lot to say about this game. It is making an effective attempt at wrapping up a nearly 20 year storyline, whilst setting itself up for the future of the series. It needs to contend with the legacy of not just the franchise, but one of the most iconic video game characters of all time, and this is no small feat whatsoever.

So you can imagine I’m delighted to say that it absolutely excels on this front, really meaningfully giving Kiryu the send off he deserves, whilst allowing him to pass the torch to a character that has enough charisma to hopefully lead for just as long. While the plot contorts and twists, it never loses sight of its strong thematic core, its character moments and its implementation of the tonal dissonance the series is known for. With some of the most interesting and compelling side-stories in the series, the writing here is truly A level.  

Absolutely packed to the brim with optional side content that is all worth doing, there is a lot on offer here for both completionists and people who just want to run through the main story. Basically a fully fledged Animal Crossing clone, a heap of minigames and two-multi story dungeons, when talking about value, its hard to say that Infinite Wealth doesn’t bring a lot to the table.

Deep and strategic combat that is supported by an excellently tuned RPG and gear game, allowing for meaningful class and build diversity and allowing you to truly commit to your own playstyle, with fantastically hilarious enemy design to boot.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth puts its feet forward, boldly committing to a new direction for the series whilst understanding and honouring the legacy that got it here in the first place.