Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio returns to the Like a Dragon series with its eighth installment: Infinite Wealth. Four years after Ichiban Kasuga’s introduction, replacing original protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, our two heroes team up in the Hawaiian capital of Honolulu to investigate the disappearance of Ichiban’s long-lost mother. This review will not contain major story spoilers.
Understanding Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth necessitates comparison to preceding titles. Although much praise was given to the 2020 “Yakuza: Like a Dragon,” the majority of critique was centered on how combat systems hinged on strategic positioning but character movement was done without player input. Infinite Wealth finally unlocks the abilities to move your party members around the battlefield and visualize areas of effect. Attacks can also reposition enemies, pushing them into one another, objects, or allies and dealing additional damage.
Kiryu’s unique character class, “Dragon of Dojima,” lightly adapts his classic playstyle. He possesses three unique types of basic attack, inspired by his different fighting styles: Brawler, Rush and Beast. His storyline picks up from the 2023 “Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name,” now an agent of the mysterious Daidoji spy organization. He joins Ichiban in the search for his mother and it seems the Daidoji have taken an interest in her as well.
With Infinite Wealth, the franchise continues to excel at interweaving setting with theme. Hawaii is presented as an epicenter of wealth disparity. Its depiction of Honolulu struggles to support an ever-growing homeless population as the local economy pushes native Hawaiians and other residents underfoot, unable to pay for basic necessities or afford shelter. Meanwhile, the tourism and luxury goods industries continually exploit such people to cater to hordes of blissfully ignorant tourists.
Kasuga’s new companions provide additional depth to these problems. Chitose, the estranged heiress to a rich Japanese family, explores how their wealth can do more harm than good; she examines this through exploitative industry and how it prevents her from forming a connection with her family. Tomizawa, a resident of Hawaii and the only United States citizen in the party, often translates when dealing with the English speakers of the island. His story touches on the injustice of plea bargains and the incentive for Hawaiian police to keep up an appearance of vigilance.
Of course, Infinite Wealth has its share of wacky side content. RGG Studio and Sega parody Nintendo with two major minigames: “Sujimon League,” and “Dondonko Island Resort.” The former has Ichiban collect the strange and violent enemies encountered in the open world and enlist them in bloodsport, to ultimately become the “Sujimon Master.” “Dodonko Island,” meanwhile parodies “Animal Crossing,” as Ichiban partners with the owners of a failed resort turned illegal dumping site to revitalize their business and restore the island’s beauty. Infinite Wealth also incorporates one of Sega’s properties with the “Crazy Delivery” minigame, mashing up the high-octane “Crazy Taxi” with the rather mundane nature of food delivery gig work.
As for the substories, Infinite Wealth may rely too heavily on returning characters from “Yakuza: Like a Dragon.” Fan-favorite weirdos like Mr. Gondwara and his diaper-clad goons, Dr. Okita and his giant robot vacuum cleaner Sojimaru and more return. The coincidence that such people would travel to Honolulu at once strains suspension of disbelief, but such criticism might not hold much water in a franchise home to these characters in the first place.
Overall, Like a Dragon’s eighth installment and commitment to its new JRPG genre and turn-based system solidifies it as a franchise people ought to keep their eyes on for years to come.