Two charismatic protagonists, a paradise island to explore, a script at the level of the best films about the mafia and the most hilarious sense of humor. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth has everything to become one of the great video games of 2024 and, despite this, it is still part of a franchise that has not quite taken off among the general public.
The eighth installment of the Like a Dragon series (previously known as Yakuza) has been available for a few days now for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series and, although it is not one of those releases that appear on general television news, its first Sales figures are not negligible at all. In its first week, the video game published by the Japanese company SEGA has sold one million units, a record premiere for a series that is little by little opening up to more players.
There are many reasons that explain the gradual growth of this franchise that began twenty years ago, with the first Yazuka for PlayStation 2, and that since then has gained a considerable legion of faithful enthusiasts. The first reason may have to do with the type of stories and characters it presents. Far from being lurid and dark stories about the Japanese mafia, the Like a Dragon series has been characterized from the beginning by playing with that archetype of the “honest thief” that has been portrayed so many times in popular culture, and by ridiculing and laughing at these types of criminal organizations.
In Infinite Wealth the player once again plays Ichiban Kasuga, a former member of the yakuza who tries to get ahead by helping other former criminals reintegrate into society. The fact that the character is innocent, cheerful and good-natured contrasts with the typical protagonist of this type of stories and makes the players identify with him. The same goes for Kazuma Kyriu, the other protagonist – and main star at the beginning of the series – a character closer to the tough guy cliché, but as much a piece of bread as his partner.
On this occasion, both protagonists end up in the city of Honolulu, a location that is presented as the great novelty of this new episode. The beaches of the capital of Hawaii differ from the more urban settings of the Japanese cities that until now had served as the setting for these adventures. But more interesting than this spatial contrast is all the social commentary that the story of Infinite Wealth offers the player through missions that also talk about the miseries of its population. In the collective unconscious, Hawaii may seem like a kind of paradise, but nothing could be further from the truth, something that the game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is responsible for demystifying.
The fantastic translation of the game’s subtitles into Spanish (the voices are in Japanese and English) helps to underline the many comedic situations that the protagonists and the wonderful supporting cast have to go through. And, like the previous titles in the franchise, the game is capable of combining moments of great drama with all kinds of hilarious situations and characters – of course, anyone who can’t stand the almost half-hour cinematics is warned. The result is a game whose experiences you want to explain and share at the end of each game, something that is not at all easy to achieve.
It is difficult to summarize the tens – hundreds! – hours that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth offers players in the form of tasks to complete, turn-based combat or cinematics. Without a doubt, the enormous amount of content and activities that the game offers is another of the franchise’s strengths. Not to mention the minigames, another constant in the series and that in this new installment will surprise even the most veterans, and it has included everything from the now classic karaoke, to postcard photographer missions or home delivery food delivery, among many others. Special mention for the minigames inspired by Pokémon and Animal Crossing, a real savagery.
With seven installments behind it and a good number of spin-offs, anyone would think that entering the Like a Dragon fiction must not be easy. Precisely, for those people who feel a little vertigo when facing a series with so many games, SEGA “restarted” the franchise in the previous installment published at the end of 2020. Personally, I recommend playing that title first before delving into the new Infinite Wealth, but nothing happens if you enter directly through this new installment. Newcomers will enjoy a crazy and different adventure, and those who have accompanied Kyru and Ichiban here will be excited by a game that will make them remember everything they have experienced.
