Following the appetizer that was Like a Dragon Gaiden, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio released its full buffet of a Like a Dragon with Infinite Wealth. This time around we're back in the JRPG territory of Yakuza 7/Like a Dragon, as Ichiban returns as protagonist together with his merry band of companions. That said this game sees another return, namely that of the man, the legend, Kazuma Kiryu, who acts as second protagonist Multiple protagonists are, of course, nothing new to the Yakuza series - Yakuza 4 spans across four protagnists, while Yakuza 5 ups the ante with, well, five. That said, the choice of these two protagonists works superbly here, as the two characters both contrast and complement each other wonderfully as the plot's events put the two on the test. Ichiban has his trusting and open nature constantly put to the test, while Kiryu's cancer forces him to put his stoic facade asade to accept, if not outright depend on, the help of others. These simple yet strong themes are deftly woven across the main narrative while the numerous sidequests, as daft as they often are, similarly reflect on the characters even as they involve, I don't know, the return of the diaper fetishist yakuza clan (who end up helping Ichiban grant a dying woman's last wish to see snow, trust me it's actually very sweet and heartfelt).

Sidenote: I didn't even even touch on the bizarre minigames, such as the Crazy Taxi-esque food delivery game that's also a commentary on the gig economy or the wonderfully strange Animal Crossing but with Yakuza assets mode that's Dondoko Island because I really didn't spend too much time on them. They're there, they'll give you a good chuckle, you can play them for hours if you want, RGG should release Dondoko Island as a standalone title on the Switch.