PLATFORM: PC, PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, XBOX SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
After building a new life for himself and his crew throughout 2020’s Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Ichiban Kasuga is now employed by Happy Work, a job agency that allows him to find work for ex-yakuza members who would otherwise be left out on the streets following the dissolution of Yokohama’s two biggest clans, a break-up that Kasuga himself was heavily involved with. Things don’t quite go to plan and the former yakuza band together under a new clan, but Kasuga and his pals find themselves with more pressing issues; locating Kasuga’s biological mother, long presumed dead but now apparently live and well in Hawaii. Ichiban isn’t the only person looking for her, though – faced with a terminal illness, former series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is undertaking a mission on behalf of the Daidoji faction, making the most of what little time he has left, and his target just so happens to live in Honolulu… With one on his way up and the other on his way out, Kasuga and Kiryu’s paths cross in this genuinely epic tale, the biggest Yakuza game so far and considered by developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio to be their magnum opus.
Everything you do in Infinite Wealth has an effect on some sort of meter or metrics, with your actions resulting in various stats being increased and in turn rewarding you with all manner of perks. Something as simple as talking to a stranger in the street can raise your kindness level, and spending time with your friends can eventually bestow you with tag team skills and combo attacks to use in battle. Partaking in extracurricular activities might give you cash, useful items, equipment, new friends or any number of other surprises. There’s a huge variety of wacky distractions, like a Pokemon Snap-style minigame called “Sicko Snap” where you ride around on a bus taking photos of lycra-clad hunks, the Crazy Taxi-esque “Crazy Delivery” which tasks you with collecting food and delivering it as quickly as possible, plus the usual series staples like karaoke, darts, arcades, and scantily-clad ladies… There are dozens – perhaps even hundreds – of things that can affect the way your team grows, making it feel like you’re constantly getting stronger throughout the entire game (and beyond).
Building on the Pokemon-style “Sujimon” sub-game from 2020’s Like A Dragon, Infinite Wealth allows you to become a full-on Sujimon master by catching, training, evolving and battling your Sujimon against other trainers. You can even take part in raids to acquire rare Sujimon to help you reach the top of the league. Elsewhere, there’s a similarly deep homage to Animal Crossing / Stardew Valley; Dondoko Island is being used as a dumping ground by a nefarious corporation, but – if you want to – you can clean up the island and use the parts you find to make furniture, decorations and buildings to attract visitors and restore the island to its former glory. Both of these distractions are so full of features that they could almost pass for full games in themselves – if you’re into either of the games that they’re based on, these will add dozens of hours to your playthrough.
Infinite Wealth sticks with the previous instalment’s turn-based combat, but increases the amount of options you’re given during battles to make things more interesting. Not content with making you simply stand still and choose your actions from a list, you’re allowed to move around to line up attacks, knock enemies into each other, set up combos by moving yourself and your party into position, grab nearby objects and throw them at enemies, use a mind-boggling array of items to beef up your offence and defense, and utilise a well-stocked arsenal of over-the-top special moves that just wouldn’t be possible with real-time combat. Poundmates return, giving you the ability to summon assistance from a bevvy of fabulously quirky NPCs, and your party gains all manner of fantastical skills and abilities as each character levels up. Party members can also now change their assigned job, changing the skills that are available to them – a cab driver can throw tyres and use a car battery to electrocute enemies, but change his job to an aquanaut and he’ll suddenly be equipped with a surfboard that he uses to batter foes into submission. The story and cutscenes might be rather serious in tone, but the series’ signature silliness is definitely very much present and correct.
Acting as a lap of honour for an old friend as well as a true coronation for the series’ new number one, Infinite Wealth‘s story will have much more impact on those who are familiar with the events of previous Yakuza / Like A Dragon games – it’s a tremendous RPG in its own right, but newcomers might be advised to at least play 2020’s instalment (and probably also 2023’s The Man Who Erased His Name) before venturing into this one. If you’ve been following the series from the start, it’s an absolute no brainer – Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth hits all the right marks and leaves very little room for complaints. A truly exceptional piece of work!
