Hands-on: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is huge, but doesn’t lose its heart
In 2020, the Yakuza series took a bit of a leap with its seventh entry, Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The lens shifted away from longtime series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu to newcomer Kasuga Ichiban, swapping out its real-time action for turn-based RPG combat in the process. It was, by most accounts, a rousing success. But there was still room to grow.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, then, seems like even more like a passing of the torch than its predecessor. And it was this shared custody of the spotlight that made me a bit nervous, going into a preview session way back in October. How would the focus manage both Kiryu and Ichiban? Why, after seeing one character hand the reins to the next, did we need to retread that ground?
After playing a hefty amount of Infinite Wealth, it seems like Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is going to try and pull this off in the grandest fashion possible. Two protagonists, two storylines, even multiple locales. And that’s not counting the added minigames and activities. This might just be the biggest world we’ve seen in the series yet.
But it’s the attention to little details, and the small tune-ups from its predecessor, that have me interested in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. RGG is going big, and so far, I think it’s panning out.
The basis of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is simple enough. From trailers alone, we already saw Ichiban trying to live out a normal life after the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. He works a job, picks up beer from the convenience store, and even goes on dates. But his past seems destined to return and haunt him again.
When I first took control of Ichiban, he’d made his way to Hawaii, retracing his mother’s footsteps. Kazuma Kiryu was already accompanying him, as well as two
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