This review contains spoilers
Despite having a myriad of combat issues and some of the weakest villians in the franchise, LAD:Infinite Wealth still manages to stick the landing thanks to its phenomenal cast and rock solid story.
While Like A Dragon focused on Ichibans adjustment to the modern world and discovering what happened to his Yakuza family, Infinite Wealth pivots to a search for his allegedly alive mother, with plenty of twist and turns that complicate this simple task. As someone who admittedly didn't care much for LADs story, I'm pleasantly surprised that Infinite Wealths hooked me from the very start. A main reason for this being in part to just how good Infinite Wealths main cast is in comparison to LAD, with a much better sense of comradery between the party (both new and old) and much better side characters. Eric Tomizawa and Chitose Fujinomiya make for outstanding additions to the Heroes Of Tommorow that contrast Ichiban in a way that makes them so much more interesting when compared to LADs party (Nanba still da goat though). Of course Kiryu also comes to Hawaii (with his dumb haircut) and the dynamic between both dragons make for some pretty memorable moments throughout. Besides those IWs supporting cast is also pretty damn good, with my favorite belonging to the creepy but cool Yabai, who channels Kuze in his determination to bring Ichiban down. Combat has also had some improvements, with the main one being the ability to actually move around. While it isn't as important as RGG thought it would, I still appreciate the addition and other things like the combo attacks and changing tag team moves to a bar instead of just another MP move also make things better overall. The job system is also much better in regards to switching, as most of the stats come from levels instead of jobs, which was something so simple I can't believe it wasn't in LAD originally. On the subject of the hub I do think Hawaii is one of the better large maps in the series, with so much to do it can be overwhelming. From crazy delivery to Suijimon league the game has plenty to do on top of the usual content like substories (which remain pretty solid but a bit weaker compared to LAD cuz most of them are callbacks to it). Although I will say all of Kiryus exclusive side stories fucking rule and that's purely because of the amazing fan service they all offer.
Before I get into the story I'd say the biggest issue with Infinite Wealth is just how much of it feels like RGG didn't learn what made the combat in Like A Dragon so rough. While the job system changes and movement are welcome additions the endgame still devolves into spamming whatever does the most damage while barely chipping away at the massive health pools bosses have. I'd also say that the incentive to switch jobs isn't really a thing for Ichiban/Kiryu as Hero and Dragon Of Dojima reign supreme for the entirety of the game (DOD in particular gets fucking RIDICULOUS in the second half). I'd also say that Infinite Wealths grind can be a bit worse compared to LAD, with frequent visits to the dungeon being necessary for some of the later bits (thankfully the dungeons are much improved from LAD and offer multiple versions). On a more subjective note the side content in this game really didn't appeal to me, with the Sujimon league being incredibly basic and boring alongside farming sim (which I don't care about).
STORY SPOILERS START HERE
Infinite Wealths story is pretty great but MAN are these villains pretty weak overall. Starting with Tatara Hisuka the vtuber that cancels Ichiban early in the story and jumpstarts his adventure to Hawaii. I actually didn't mind the idea of a vtuber being the catalyst for so much of the games drama but what hurts her is just how predictable the reveal feels. Not only because of how skeevy Chitose is for a majority of the story but also because RGG decided to show her directly messaging the villians at the end of one of the chapters (which feels so fucking weird since other twist villians like Baba did the concept so much better). Dwight Mendez (voiced and mocapped by Danny Trejo) isn't too bad but I wish he had more screen time because he appears near the start of the game and just goes away until the very end, though his final scene might just be one of the goriest in an RGG game. On the Hawaii side of the story is Bryce Fairchild, a cult leader who channels the Jingweon Mafia from 2 (and some parts of Bleach Japan). He has some pretty unsettling moments and an awesome boss fight but is also revealed really fucking early and just dissapears until the endgame (noticing a pattern?). Probably the best villian is Eiji Mitamura (or Ei-chan as Ichiban calls him). A former Bleach Japan member who has a bone to pick with the Yakuza, he serves as the most consistently appearing character and has some pretty great moments (especially in the ending). Going from him to the main dude is Masataka Ebina, the half brother of Ichiban and man also stiffed by the Yakuza (mainly cuz his Dad basically ruined his life). While it is a bit of treading old ground for the villians to be connected with Ichibans past I don't actually mind it in IW and his motivation is pretty solid. What I have issue with is HE'S FUCKING KIRYUS MAIN VILLIAN. Bringing back Kiryu from 6 isn't a bad idea on paper and I do think IW gives him a pretty solid sendoff (though I still like how 6 did it more) but his reasoning to fight Ebina feet incredibly forced, with the excuse of wanting to be forgiven feeling nonsensical since all the stuff that happened to Ebina being far before Kiryu's tenure as fourth chairman. All these combine to make villians that almost rival 4 in how meh they are (though Munakata is still the absolute worst).
STORY SPOILERS END
At the end of the day Infinite Wealth is just another Yakuza RPG. A great locale and story hamstrung by a system that just makes the entire experience drag. I'm hoping that the Judgment side series continues because this RPG future for the once brawler series is starting to grind my gears.
8/10
While Like A Dragon focused on Ichibans adjustment to the modern world and discovering what happened to his Yakuza family, Infinite Wealth pivots to a search for his allegedly alive mother, with plenty of twist and turns that complicate this simple task. As someone who admittedly didn't care much for LADs story, I'm pleasantly surprised that Infinite Wealths hooked me from the very start. A main reason for this being in part to just how good Infinite Wealths main cast is in comparison to LAD, with a much better sense of comradery between the party (both new and old) and much better side characters. Eric Tomizawa and Chitose Fujinomiya make for outstanding additions to the Heroes Of Tommorow that contrast Ichiban in a way that makes them so much more interesting when compared to LADs party (Nanba still da goat though). Of course Kiryu also comes to Hawaii (with his dumb haircut) and the dynamic between both dragons make for some pretty memorable moments throughout. Besides those IWs supporting cast is also pretty damn good, with my favorite belonging to the creepy but cool Yabai, who channels Kuze in his determination to bring Ichiban down. Combat has also had some improvements, with the main one being the ability to actually move around. While it isn't as important as RGG thought it would, I still appreciate the addition and other things like the combo attacks and changing tag team moves to a bar instead of just another MP move also make things better overall. The job system is also much better in regards to switching, as most of the stats come from levels instead of jobs, which was something so simple I can't believe it wasn't in LAD originally. On the subject of the hub I do think Hawaii is one of the better large maps in the series, with so much to do it can be overwhelming. From crazy delivery to Suijimon league the game has plenty to do on top of the usual content like substories (which remain pretty solid but a bit weaker compared to LAD cuz most of them are callbacks to it). Although I will say all of Kiryus exclusive side stories fucking rule and that's purely because of the amazing fan service they all offer.
Before I get into the story I'd say the biggest issue with Infinite Wealth is just how much of it feels like RGG didn't learn what made the combat in Like A Dragon so rough. While the job system changes and movement are welcome additions the endgame still devolves into spamming whatever does the most damage while barely chipping away at the massive health pools bosses have. I'd also say that the incentive to switch jobs isn't really a thing for Ichiban/Kiryu as Hero and Dragon Of Dojima reign supreme for the entirety of the game (DOD in particular gets fucking RIDICULOUS in the second half). I'd also say that Infinite Wealths grind can be a bit worse compared to LAD, with frequent visits to the dungeon being necessary for some of the later bits (thankfully the dungeons are much improved from LAD and offer multiple versions). On a more subjective note the side content in this game really didn't appeal to me, with the Sujimon league being incredibly basic and boring alongside farming sim (which I don't care about).
STORY SPOILERS START HERE
Infinite Wealths story is pretty great but MAN are these villains pretty weak overall. Starting with Tatara Hisuka the vtuber that cancels Ichiban early in the story and jumpstarts his adventure to Hawaii. I actually didn't mind the idea of a vtuber being the catalyst for so much of the games drama but what hurts her is just how predictable the reveal feels. Not only because of how skeevy Chitose is for a majority of the story but also because RGG decided to show her directly messaging the villians at the end of one of the chapters (which feels so fucking weird since other twist villians like Baba did the concept so much better). Dwight Mendez (voiced and mocapped by Danny Trejo) isn't too bad but I wish he had more screen time because he appears near the start of the game and just goes away until the very end, though his final scene might just be one of the goriest in an RGG game. On the Hawaii side of the story is Bryce Fairchild, a cult leader who channels the Jingweon Mafia from 2 (and some parts of Bleach Japan). He has some pretty unsettling moments and an awesome boss fight but is also revealed really fucking early and just dissapears until the endgame (noticing a pattern?). Probably the best villian is Eiji Mitamura (or Ei-chan as Ichiban calls him). A former Bleach Japan member who has a bone to pick with the Yakuza, he serves as the most consistently appearing character and has some pretty great moments (especially in the ending). Going from him to the main dude is Masataka Ebina, the half brother of Ichiban and man also stiffed by the Yakuza (mainly cuz his Dad basically ruined his life). While it is a bit of treading old ground for the villians to be connected with Ichibans past I don't actually mind it in IW and his motivation is pretty solid. What I have issue with is HE'S FUCKING KIRYUS MAIN VILLIAN. Bringing back Kiryu from 6 isn't a bad idea on paper and I do think IW gives him a pretty solid sendoff (though I still like how 6 did it more) but his reasoning to fight Ebina feet incredibly forced, with the excuse of wanting to be forgiven feeling nonsensical since all the stuff that happened to Ebina being far before Kiryu's tenure as fourth chairman. All these combine to make villians that almost rival 4 in how meh they are (though Munakata is still the absolute worst).
STORY SPOILERS END
At the end of the day Infinite Wealth is just another Yakuza RPG. A great locale and story hamstrung by a system that just makes the entire experience drag. I'm hoping that the Judgment side series continues because this RPG future for the once brawler series is starting to grind my gears.
8/10