like a dragon: Infinite wealth

I've been somewhat interested in the Yakuza games for years now, but I wasn't always sure that they'd be for me. For most if its existence, the Yakuza franchise was known as a mostly beat-em-up style game, but on that told a very long and winding story of the length of currently nine mainline entries as well as a bunch of spin-offs. The games were known for being grounded dramas with great writing and kind of insanely over-the-top niche works at the same time. In fact, I was really only made aware of the first Yakuza when reviewers started calling it the spiritual sequel to Shenmue (also published by Sega). And really, all of that made sense. Both games were hyper detailed and mundane, while also having an almost soap-opera plot. Both games strived to make you feel like you were living in Japan during the time of the story. The difference is that while Shenmue was a critical darling, it never really sold. Certainly not enough to make back its insane budget. But the Yakuza games sold. Each installment seemed to sell more than the last. And with each new entry it seemed like the buzz grew, and suddenly Yakuza's cult status bubbled up into the mainstream.

By all accounts, Yakuza should have been a series I was into. It's respected enough by mainstream press to be considered an event when a new entry is released. It's also niche enough to be hip. Really, it's that rare series to draw in respect from both sides: the so-called hardcore gamers and the gaming industry at large. And I've always landed somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. And yet, over the years I've bought several entries with the intention of playing them and then never actually played them.

The eighth game was released in 2020 and this was interesting. This one used "Like A Dragon" as its subtitle, which has always been the Japanese name for the series. It also made some major changes to the formula by giving the series a new protagonist and changing the battle system to a turn-based one that harkened back to the old Dragon Quest games. This game felt like a hard reset, so I started playing closer attention. A spin-off, Like A Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023) followed and unified the naming conventions for the series globally. And then Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth followed soon after in 2024, and served as the ninth mainline entry. As far as I could tell, this was going to be a terrible jumping on point. This was a game that had built on nearly twenty years of story, characters and lore and was going to be tying them all up together. So I'd be an idiot to start with this one. Right?

But here's what happened. First of all, Infinite Wealth has been hyped all year. The game was released in January and yet it's rounding out the year as the eleventh highest rated Playstation game on Metacritic. I mean, that's saying something. I've also spent the past year listening to countless gaming podcasts bring the game up as a contender for end of the year lists. But none of that should matter. Certainly none of that should make me want to spend $60 or $70 to jump into a game that might confuse me plot-wise.

Okay so, I also have a certain annual tradition. For years now I've used my Christmas vacation as a chance to dive into a lengthy JRPG after my wife and daughter go to bed. Usually this means something that's been on my backlog for a while, but I kind of feel like there's bonus points if it's a current year release. This year the holidays kind of snuck on me, though. Thanksgiving was later, and then my daughter got RSV in December and everything was just kind of chaotic so I hadn't even thought about what game I might want to play. And then Sony announced a ten hour demo for Infinite Wealth the day that my vacation started. It was as if the decision had been made for me. And so against my better judgment, I just shrugged and fired it up.

Or at leat that's what I would have done except our whole vacation was derailed. The weekend before Christmas, my daughter's RSV turned into an ear infection and pneumonia. So things got even more chaotic. So really, I didn't even get to spend much time with Infinite Wealth until the week between Christmas and New Year's. But what a week it was. I plowed through ten hours in four nights and I absolutely loved every moment. Like, way more than I expected to.

First of all, Ichiban is a compelling character. I mean he's an ex-Yakuza. And I don't know him from his straight up Yakuza days. But in this game he is on a path of redemption and he's just so good, humble and endearing. In many ways, he's kind of a dork. But that just makes him more endearing. Everything about Ichiban is likeable. And his story of redemption after the dissolution of major Yakuza families (presumably a story told in previous games) is a gripping one. I genuinely liked Ichiban and constantly wanted to see him succeed in his endeavors.

Likewise, the other characters I've encountered have all been unique and interesting and worth getting to know. His two friends in Japan (again, from previous games) as well as his new and old acquaintances in Hawaii are great additions to the party.

While the characters and plot suck you, Infinite Wealth is so much more than just that. The flow of the game is a whirlwind, always throwing some new surprise at you. In one moment you might be fighting street toughs, but the next you're naked on a beach, and the next you're finding out some gut-punch detail about your friend's health. The whole game is just constant new stuff that keeps you on your toes. There's not a lot of RPGs out there that have parodies of both Pokemon and Crazy Taxi within them, but here we are.

I'm sure at least some longtime fans of the series were bummed about this one taking place outside of Japan, but rest assured, the Hawaiian setting is solid. Though in fairness, this may mean that the setting might be a little tonally brighter than you're used to given the tropical locale. 

Oh and also there's the major selling point for me: the battle system is incredible. Infinite Wealth made grinding an absolute joy. At its core, the game uses an old school menu system of fight/magic/items, and yet there's so much nuance. Position on the field plays a major role. Maybe you want to line up your attack so that your stumbling enemy hits the one behind him causing residual damage? Maybe you want to hit him towards another party member so they can get an extra hit in for you? Maybe you want to use a bit of the environment to inflict extra damage? All of that is valid and adds to the strategy. I often found myself trying to figure out the best way to maximize damage so that the enemy may never even get a turn.

So you've got an incredible battle system and mission variety that constantly keeps you on your toes, along with a riveting plot? Where I come from that's called an excellent game. In fact, I'm rounding out the year by proclaiming that Infinite Wealth would easily be my #2 favorite game of 2024, beaten only by Balatro of which I've spent 240+ hours playing this year. So that's saying quite a bit.

I realize that I only got to play ten hours and I've never played another Yakuza/Like A Dragon game so I'm not the ideal judge of this game. But still. This game is incredible. Given that Christmas just ended and it was an expensive season and an expensive year, I'm not going to splurge on paying to unlock the full game yet. But I do intend to get back to Infinite Wealth whenever I catch it in a deeper discount. It was a fantastic experience for ten solid hours, and I really can't wait to see more of it.