Infinite Wealth first impressions!!

My game of the year in 2020 was without a doubt Yakuza Like a Dragon. A series I’ve only heard about in passing but never caught my interest as I’m not one for brawlers or beat’em-ups in general. Like a Dragon, however, was turning the franchise on its head towards a turn-based classical RPG system. Without much expectation, I dove in and was greeted by one of the most compelling stories that perfectly threaded a needle between being emotionally captivating and suspenseful to being so far off the walls zany and off the walls it felt like you were experiencing a comedy sketch. After 100+ hours and falling just shy of a full completion (looking at you, True Final Millennium Tower), I look back on the experience of Like a Dragon with pure delight and fondness. Of course, when the direct dollar was announced last June at Xbox’s Showcase, I knew I’d be hopping onboard a flight to Hawaii on day one.

Infinite Wealth picks up a few years after the events of Like a Dragon, still controlling a now 40-something-year-old Ichiban whose wild antics have now devolved into a typical 9-5 desk job, trying to find love and living in the most bachelor or tiny apartments. The stories of Kasug’s previous outing are all but legend, and he whispers now as he adapts to an ordinary lifestyle. Going to avoid any sort of spoilers, but very quickly, Infinite Wealth has you leaving the streets of Yokohama and planting you firmly in Hawaii on a quest at surface level that is purely about finding Ichiban’s mother. In typical Yakuza fashion, this will take some of the most wild and drastic turns throughout the story, but they will be held together in a near package supported by a list of carefully crafted side quests and characters. Ichiban’s story isn’t the only thing on show here, as Kazuma Kiryu is given a delightful send-off for long-time fans of the series. Without spoilers, Kiryu is at times a side character helping further Ichiban’s story and at others the center point revisiting the memorable characters and stories of his past 15+ year-long journey. Kiryu’s own path at times takes center stage and almost pushes too far away from the main plot, making what you’re doing to complete the main quests seem less impactful and like an afterthought, however.

Dondoko Isalnd is waiting for you to create your own tropical island paradise!

This is the series first time leaving the confines of Japan and setting up shop in a new country, and Hawaii was the perfect place to go. An area with deep Japanese ties culturally finds ways to contrast itself against the more respectfully handled way of life you’d expect to see in previous games. Hawaii also offers the largest map to date for the franchise and has plenty of side missions, activities, mini games, and sights to explore. Don’t worry, as you’ll be making occasional trips back to Japan throughout your roughly 60-hour journey. A new location obviously means new party members and jobs (the Infinite Wealths version of a class you’d normally pick in an RPG), all as varied and diverse as the stunning locals around you.

The gameplay has been slightly tweaked to make it more user-friendly and open up a little more variety. Fights are still centered around a turn-based system where you pick your attacks, skills, summons, or item usage and happen organically on the street as you encounter enemies. Now, however, you are free to move around in a radius to set yourself up for combo hits or damage to more than one enemy at a time. Being able to maneuver your characters and punch an enemy into a party member to have them get a secondary hit is satisfying and adds just a little bit more dynamic to the tried-and-true turn-based combat. Jobs have also been slightly expanded upon; in the previous title, I found myself solely sticking to one or two choices the entire play through, but abilities and skills being more diverse and flamboyant pushes the player into learning more roles. If you absolutely fell in love with some specific jobs from the Ichibans’s previous outing, you’ll be pleased to hear that a select few do make a comeback.

Did you really play a Yakuza game if you didn’t play “Baki Mitai” in karaoke?

To try and fit into your new arsenal. Poundmates also make a return, allowing you to summon a helper in battle; this time around, your summon actually takes place on the battlefield and lasts multiple turns instead of the one-and-done appearance in the previous game. Summons come at a cost, and money, especially in early games, is hard to come by, but having an extra-damaging teammate or someone refilling your party’s health is extremely valuable.

Ichiban may be older, but he still brings a special child-like wonder to the world. Combat still turns enemies into exaggerated versions of themselves through the eyes of our hero, and he still carries himself as if he’s on a hero’s quest in an old RPG. Infinite Wealth, at its best, is one of the greatest hits of the Yakuza franchise, featuring a brilliant cast of new party members who span a spectrum of emotionally and mentally convicted people banding together for a common cause. Side quests that range from silly fetch quests to an emotionally gripping story about child abuse to finding your pet crawfish, Nancy, true love. Mini games have been deeply expanded upon; there are the usual suspects like arcades and batting cages, but the team at Ryu Ga Gotaku Studios thought it’d be a fun idea to just casually throw in their own versions of Pokémon and Animal Crossing into the mix with Sujimon and Dondoko Island, respectively, which could’ve been their own smaller games. Sujimon has you going around “capturing” enemies you’ve beaten in combat to form a team of six; each has their own type with advantages and special moves that may be weaker against other types or turn the tides of battle. Capturing Sujimon leads to leveling them up eventually to the point of evolving them into a new enhanced version. Oh, and you also have to go battle through gym leaders throughout Hawaii as if it weren't  clear enough yet. Dondoko Island is where I lost 15 hours of my playtime, a deserted, remote island off the coast that used to be a destination resort. Ichiban offers his help to return the island to its former glory. You’ll do this by clearing trash, breaking rocks, cutting trees, and collecting fish around the island to gather building resources. You can then turn your resources into new furniture items, scenery, entire buildings, and clubs, eventually building your own little city, attracting guests for day visits, and trying to make the most income back from their vacation stays. I spent way too much time trying to fill out my challenge book, maxing out my rankings on fish and bugs. What storylinewise, at least, was supposed to be a day or two away from the main story ended up being 3 weeks in the game of Ichiban being MIA.

Combat now gives you a small circle to maneuver in and combo your attacks!

Infinite Wealth expands on so many aspects of what makes the franchise as a whole great. Everywhere you look, you’ll be met with some shining aspect of a game that just excels at telling its story while keeping things new and fresh. While building a foundation on decades-long gameplay mechanics, it just does enough to refresh what you would expect and keep you intrigued and strapped in for a wild adventure ahead. Whether this is your first outing in the Yakuza series, you've been a longtime fan through the years, or, like me, you’re still just getting your toes wet in all Yakuza has to offer, this is a perfect starting point. While we’re still actively playing through and experiencing all the game has to offer, we’re not ready to give an official score, so these are just our initial impressions and thoughts.