It was around Lost Judgment's release that I said to myself, "Man, I'll play these forever, but how long can they keep doing the same stories and the same cities?" I asked this as someone who has been playing this series since Yakuza 4 back in the early 2010s -- these are my favorite video games ever -- but at a certain point I wondered if RGG Studio was on its way to diminishing returns even with the gameplay twists in the Judgment games/Yakuza 7.
My fears were unfounded. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a revelation.
I will start by saying I always played these games for their main campaign alongside a bit of side content sampling. Think 15-40 hours depending on the game. For Infinite Wealth, which came out two weeks ago, I have played over 80 hours, Platinumed it on PS5, finished every substory, bought $27 of DLC, and deleted it on my hard drive with the intention of playing NG+ on the hardest difficulty later this year when I get the itch. I obliterated this game.
As for why, there are numerous reasons. While it has some of the finnicky pacing of 7 -- cutscene-heavy intoductory hours, some grindy early Kiryu parts, and pretty long story sequences -- I think the game improved itself in so many ways as to compensate for these potential shortcomings entirely.
Mechanically, LaD: IW feels highly refined compared to its predecessor, with new position-based RPG gameplay and a renewed focus on its jobs system that gives everything a confidence and refinement the last game didn't have as much. Second, for as much extra content is in here, it all moves pretty quickly (Spider-Man 2 is not a bad comparison point) and there is not a weak link in sight. The Animal Crossing and Pokemon modes/parodies are both very good.
The introduction of Hawaii makes everything feel fresh, and wandering around the giant new city makes you feel like you're on a beach vacation.
The writing across the board -- humor and drama -- is jacked up to the point where I would argue this is the best-written game in the series yet. The antagonists feel like a threat with emotional resonance; the substories and goofy stuff made me laugh a lot; and, without saying anything, they land the plane on Kiryu's arc from 6-8 perfectly. Several moments in this game hit me like a truck emotionally.
For a franchise that has given us Kamurocho like 15 times now, Like a Dragon: infinite Wealth is a miraculous renewal that shows RGG at their most confident, their funniest, their most in touch, and I think, their best. They not only still got it, but they might have it now more than ever. Wow wow wow!
My fears were unfounded. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a revelation.
I will start by saying I always played these games for their main campaign alongside a bit of side content sampling. Think 15-40 hours depending on the game. For Infinite Wealth, which came out two weeks ago, I have played over 80 hours, Platinumed it on PS5, finished every substory, bought $27 of DLC, and deleted it on my hard drive with the intention of playing NG+ on the hardest difficulty later this year when I get the itch. I obliterated this game.
As for why, there are numerous reasons. While it has some of the finnicky pacing of 7 -- cutscene-heavy intoductory hours, some grindy early Kiryu parts, and pretty long story sequences -- I think the game improved itself in so many ways as to compensate for these potential shortcomings entirely.
Mechanically, LaD: IW feels highly refined compared to its predecessor, with new position-based RPG gameplay and a renewed focus on its jobs system that gives everything a confidence and refinement the last game didn't have as much. Second, for as much extra content is in here, it all moves pretty quickly (Spider-Man 2 is not a bad comparison point) and there is not a weak link in sight. The Animal Crossing and Pokemon modes/parodies are both very good.
The introduction of Hawaii makes everything feel fresh, and wandering around the giant new city makes you feel like you're on a beach vacation.
The writing across the board -- humor and drama -- is jacked up to the point where I would argue this is the best-written game in the series yet. The antagonists feel like a threat with emotional resonance; the substories and goofy stuff made me laugh a lot; and, without saying anything, they land the plane on Kiryu's arc from 6-8 perfectly. Several moments in this game hit me like a truck emotionally.
For a franchise that has given us Kamurocho like 15 times now, Like a Dragon: infinite Wealth is a miraculous renewal that shows RGG at their most confident, their funniest, their most in touch, and I think, their best. They not only still got it, but they might have it now more than ever. Wow wow wow!