This review contains spoilers
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is... quite a lot. It's the second story of Ichiban's saga, but it's also the last chapter of Kiryu's, while also being the biggest game RGG Studios has ever made, and it delivers in so many ways.
Let's get technical and start with the gameplay. Infinite Wealth takes the classic yet solid JRPG formula of Like A Dragon and gives it way more of a personality. This is mainly accomplished with the addition of positioning characters, which influences the outcome of attacks in many ways. This small adding is a true game changer, and in my opinion it makes this the most fun I've ever had with a JRPG. You also have new jobs which are pretty fun, and outside of combat there's a whole freaking lot of small quality of life changes that help streamline the experience. Overall, this title is a true step up in terms of gameplay from its predecessors.
Speaking now of the graphics, Infinite Wealth kind of looks the same as the previous Dragon Engine games. It's by no means an ugly game, it looks prettier than Like A Dragon, but the engine is almost 10 years old and it's starting to show. Hawaii does help with this a lot, it's a beautiful new location and it's got a lot of personality and new things to do. As for the soundtrack, it freaking slaps, easily in the top 3 of the series.
Where the game shines the brightest, and also where this light flickers the most though, is in its story and characters. The story is pretty good, I wouldn't say it's better than 7's just because I prefer intimate stories to those with a bigger scope, but all the emotion lacking from the story comes from the morals it tackles. Kiryu's story is about clenching to life and making the best of it, and Ichiban's is about giving people every chance as long as they are willing to change. I know they sound pretty simple, but the way the game shows them is incredibly moving and had me pretty teary-eyed when the credits were about to roll. Speaking of Ichiban and Kiryu, they are the perfect protagonists. Ichi has grown even more on me, he's this loveable dumbass who despite losing everything over and over always stands up, his personality is so inspiring I just want to grow to be like him. Kiryu is also obviously amazing, he has a lot of stakes in the plot but he doesn't overshadow Kasuga, and his bucket list missions are a must play for any fan of his saga. There is a problem with these two though: their main conflicts aren't completely resolved by the end. Ichiban does have a more honest and natural confession with Saeko, but in order to tell a joke (an admittedly pretty funny one tho) it isn't clear if they end up together or not, and Kiryu's is way more baffling because WE DON'T KNOW IF HE DIES OR NOT and we never see him reuniting with his family which makes me really freaking mad. Anyways, the party members from the previous game are all as full of personality as ever, my favorite this time being Nanba, but it's a shame how Zhao and Joongi are still left with very little to do story-wise. The three new members are all pretty perfect. We of course knew Seonhee from the previous game and it's a pleasure to play as her, and I love how she has a super cute crush on Kiryu while having to maintain her tough attitude. Tomi is a perfect audience surrogate, he's not my favorite new character but seeing him react to every crazy thing that Ichiban does is pretty fun. The one that takes the cake though is Chitose, she's a very interesting character from the get-go and her arc as she slowly gets rid of her bad influences and takes responsibility for her acts is perfect, seeing the ending I think we aren't going to see her again and if that's the case I'm more than satisfied with what we got of her. Now for the antagonists, they're pretty hit or miss. Ebina and Bryce are good final bosses, but they barely have screentime and most of what we know of them is through clunky exposition so I don't think I'll remember them as much as other RGG villains. Wong is barely there and dies (although he does have a pretty cool battle theme), and Dwight is just a waste of Danny Trejo. The true MVP here is Yamai, perfectly characterized by Takehito Koyasu, he has a lot of personality and I just can't get enough of the enemies to allies trope.
With all of that being said, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a game that has affected me deeply. By no means is it perfect, but I've had 70 hours of nonstop fun, and it has moved me in many ways. This four-year journey through the Yakuza series has had its ups and downs, but it has had a deep impact on me, and thanks to that it sits next to Resident Evil as my favorite videogame franchise of all time. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
Let's get technical and start with the gameplay. Infinite Wealth takes the classic yet solid JRPG formula of Like A Dragon and gives it way more of a personality. This is mainly accomplished with the addition of positioning characters, which influences the outcome of attacks in many ways. This small adding is a true game changer, and in my opinion it makes this the most fun I've ever had with a JRPG. You also have new jobs which are pretty fun, and outside of combat there's a whole freaking lot of small quality of life changes that help streamline the experience. Overall, this title is a true step up in terms of gameplay from its predecessors.
Speaking now of the graphics, Infinite Wealth kind of looks the same as the previous Dragon Engine games. It's by no means an ugly game, it looks prettier than Like A Dragon, but the engine is almost 10 years old and it's starting to show. Hawaii does help with this a lot, it's a beautiful new location and it's got a lot of personality and new things to do. As for the soundtrack, it freaking slaps, easily in the top 3 of the series.
Where the game shines the brightest, and also where this light flickers the most though, is in its story and characters. The story is pretty good, I wouldn't say it's better than 7's just because I prefer intimate stories to those with a bigger scope, but all the emotion lacking from the story comes from the morals it tackles. Kiryu's story is about clenching to life and making the best of it, and Ichiban's is about giving people every chance as long as they are willing to change. I know they sound pretty simple, but the way the game shows them is incredibly moving and had me pretty teary-eyed when the credits were about to roll. Speaking of Ichiban and Kiryu, they are the perfect protagonists. Ichi has grown even more on me, he's this loveable dumbass who despite losing everything over and over always stands up, his personality is so inspiring I just want to grow to be like him. Kiryu is also obviously amazing, he has a lot of stakes in the plot but he doesn't overshadow Kasuga, and his bucket list missions are a must play for any fan of his saga. There is a problem with these two though: their main conflicts aren't completely resolved by the end. Ichiban does have a more honest and natural confession with Saeko, but in order to tell a joke (an admittedly pretty funny one tho) it isn't clear if they end up together or not, and Kiryu's is way more baffling because WE DON'T KNOW IF HE DIES OR NOT and we never see him reuniting with his family which makes me really freaking mad. Anyways, the party members from the previous game are all as full of personality as ever, my favorite this time being Nanba, but it's a shame how Zhao and Joongi are still left with very little to do story-wise. The three new members are all pretty perfect. We of course knew Seonhee from the previous game and it's a pleasure to play as her, and I love how she has a super cute crush on Kiryu while having to maintain her tough attitude. Tomi is a perfect audience surrogate, he's not my favorite new character but seeing him react to every crazy thing that Ichiban does is pretty fun. The one that takes the cake though is Chitose, she's a very interesting character from the get-go and her arc as she slowly gets rid of her bad influences and takes responsibility for her acts is perfect, seeing the ending I think we aren't going to see her again and if that's the case I'm more than satisfied with what we got of her. Now for the antagonists, they're pretty hit or miss. Ebina and Bryce are good final bosses, but they barely have screentime and most of what we know of them is through clunky exposition so I don't think I'll remember them as much as other RGG villains. Wong is barely there and dies (although he does have a pretty cool battle theme), and Dwight is just a waste of Danny Trejo. The true MVP here is Yamai, perfectly characterized by Takehito Koyasu, he has a lot of personality and I just can't get enough of the enemies to allies trope.
With all of that being said, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a game that has affected me deeply. By no means is it perfect, but I've had 70 hours of nonstop fun, and it has moved me in many ways. This four-year journey through the Yakuza series has had its ups and downs, but it has had a deep impact on me, and thanks to that it sits next to Resident Evil as my favorite videogame franchise of all time. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.