Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

It’s a game about finding out who your mates are, and that they’ll be there for you no matter whether you need a good laugh, a telling off or a helping hand.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a spectacular experience from start to finish. Myriad improvements to combat, utterly compelling side activities, and a plotline-enriching dual protagonist setup make this a brilliant and beefy package. A thorough first playthrough took me over 80 hours to finish. Infinite Wealth is incredible, and stands as one of if not the best game RGG Studio has ever made.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio at its peak. It feels fresh while still bringing together the best aspects of my favorite games from the studio. Not only does it manage to deliver a compelling story with twists and turns throughout the massively long main story run time, but the sheer quality of its optional content and mini-games puts some of the best entries in the series to shame. We finally have a modern Yakuza game that matches not only the quality, but also the quantity of Yakuza 0’s awesomeness. It gets my highest possible recommendation. I can’t wait to see what the studio does for the next game.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a special game in that it's a JRPG that runs over two full-time weeks, has plenty of cutscenes and dialogue, and an expansive area to explore, but it never once felt long. There's a constant pull, a strong one, towards the next piece of story, the next upgrade, the next wild experience, and it always ensures you're not left behind by reiterating story points and providing flashbacks. Each component blends together better than ever before, truly making the transition from Yakuza to Like a Dragon complete, and with it an evolution from an inspired game series to an inspiration to others.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an enormous RPG with a setting that’s unusual for this genre. It offers dozens of hours of fun, including engaging and wacky side missions. The TV series-like directing, the group of believable characters, and the exploration of US and Japanese locations all make a tremendous impression. Some occasional problems do not obscure the game’s strengths, especially if you’re a fan of the series.

In 2024, a seventy-dollar game with fifteen-dollar New Game+ option should be an accomplished experience. Determinedly, Infinite Wealth is, whether you’re bouncing foes like bowling pins, belting out Baka Mitai like it’s your last, or tackling Animal Crossing and Pokémon-inspired offshoots that are too big to be called mini-games. Then, there’s the duality of Kiryu and Ichiban, who each get fleshed out thoroughly across a protracted playtime.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a great game that can keep you busy for dozens of hours and make you feel that your money has been well spent. If it weren't for the unacceptable, by all means, paywall on New Game+ (only unlocked if you buy the Deluxe or Premium version), then its value would be even greater.

As a turn-based RPG, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an absolute banger. By allowing the player to freely move each character in their party during battles, combat is both more strategic and more exhilarating than the series’ previous turn-based installment. The Hawaii setting is both expansive and dense, with almost too much going on. The story features both protagonists Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu, resulting in a tale that culminates the series as a whole.

In conclusion, Like a Dragon is much more than just an RPG. It is a story with themes that go far beyond fighting, with memorable characters and epic scenes for all fans of the franchise. The turn-based gameplay is practically flawless, as it manages to bring elements of strategy and positioning without making the experience to demanding. Yes, the beginning can be slow, but what is “on the other side of the curtain” is an experience that deserves everyone’s attention, from casual gamers to the most demanding. It’s still early in the year, but Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is undoubtedly one of the best games of 2024 so far.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth builds on what made its predecessor so good — which is a long and exciting story, accompanied by hysterical side quests. The latter stands out even more this time, with deep side adventures inspired by Pokémon and Animal Crossing, among others. Don’t be put off by the fact that Infinite Wealth is the eighth instalment in the series; this is a must-have for all fans of story-driven action games.

It’s been said before about previous titles, but Infinite Wealth feels like the ultimate Like a Dragon game. It’s bigger in every way: bigger world, bigger stakes, bigger bads to take down, but not once does it let that immense size compromise its uplifting vision. The infinite wealth Ichiban and his comrades share isn’t money; it’s each other. It’s the bonds they form, the memories they make, and their willingness to tackle life head-on and make an adventure out of every day. If you’re looking to discover that in yourself—or to sink your teeth into a massive, dazzling playground—Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a vacation worth taking.

After Yakuza: Like a Dragon soft rebooted the series, I presumed the next entry would focus entirely on Ichiban. After all, the Yakuza were finished, Kiryu had his curtain call, and a new generation of heroes and villains took the stage. However, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth seems like a step backward for the series narratively. Instead of the Yokohama gang getting a new adventure without eight games worth of lore weighing them down, Infinite Wealth spends around 50% of its runtime saying goodbye to Kiryu yet again. Fortunately, improved combat and excellent side activities compensate for Infinite Wealth’s narrative struggles.

A delightful summer vacation in Hawaii with cheerful friends. Deserving the title of 'the best of series'. While there are some shortcomings, the extensive content and rich activities make the flaws seem trivial, creating a fulfilling and enjoyable experience.

Despite the plethora of side missions distracting from the main quest, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth still brings a decently poignant story to the forefront of the series. The turn-based combat might not be enjoyable for everyone, but it certainly will entertain fans of a variety of genres and game types. The game has a knack for keeping a player's interest, which is something extremely difficult in this day and age. It uses its craziness in such masterful and fun ways that most players won’t be able to help themselves from smiling and laughing along with Ichiban Kasuga and the rest of the cast in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the end result of two decades of iteration from Ryu Ga Gotoku and the studio's best game yet. Sprawling but never bloated, it remains captivating from beginning to end across both its main narrative and bountiful side adventures, almost never missing a beat.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an absolute delight of a game that I cannot stop thinking about whether it’s indulging in its story or discovering what joys await around the next corner in the gorgeous Honolulu City. Despite the turned-based combat formula not initially being to my liking, Yakuza: Like a Dragon helped change my mindset for the better. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth builds upon its predecessor's foundations with an almighty power buff solidifying it as one of my favourite games in the entire series. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth has staked its early claim as one of 2024’s best games.

A new story, a new setting, new mini-games (which are games in themselves), a good balance between drama and humor, delightful combat, strong presentation.... It is a sample of the many positives of this game. Ryu Ga Gotoku delivers an excellent game that is absolutely worth playing. That the game puts New Game+ behind a paywall, however, is a shame, but fortunately it offers enough content to see past that snafu. Fan or no fan of Like a Dragon: a must have.

Infinite Wealth honours its dying dragon and rising star with a Hawaiian platter of side stories, memoirs, and dynamic combat.

After spending a hundred hours at the side of Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu, the verdict is clear: Infinite Wealth is one of the most solid episodes in the saga that began some 18 years ago. Well-paced and better constructed than its predecessor, this new Like A Dragon engraves its turn-based gameplay in the marble of the series, thanks to some excellent ideas that allow it to assert its own identity against other JRPG greats. With its concrete narrative and gargantuan content, it manages to be interesting from start to finish, before stumbling at the end with a conclusion that is likely to be debated and a new game plus at $14.99.

Successful trip to Hawaii with few, but enough new features that proves the Yakuza concept also works outside Japan, especially for fans.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was expected to be a grand finale for Kazuma Kiryu, but it didn't deliver a satisfying ending. Even with improved combat, new minigames, and a Hawaiian setting, the story doesn't live up to expectations.

Stuffed with content and pathos, Infinite Wealth delivers a near-excessive amount of urban crime-drama adventure.

The expected ooh’s and ahh’s about how pretty Hawaii can be gives way to a surprisingly straight-faced look at how the effects of colonization, tourism, inflation, and xenophobia simmer on.

I'm not going to remember this game for its villains, their motivations, or the reasons for fighting in Hawaii, but I will remember it for the wild Yakuza hijinks and the sobering messages about what we do with the time we have left.