Like a Dragon (known also as Yakuza 7) was easily one of my favorite “Yakuza” games. It also happened to be a high point on my list of favorite RPGs of all time. With Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, I had very high hopes and high expectations, luckily the developers at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio exceeded them in spades.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth picks up a short time after Like a Dragon ended. Not only continuing Ichiban Kasuga’s story but the story of Kazuma Kiryu as well. Ichiban’s story revolves around the search for his mother, leading him to Hawaii where he becomes embroiled in a whole new adventure. Kiryu’s story intersects with his storyline from The Man Who Erased His Name, dealing with things such as mortality and atonement.

As with the previous game, Infinite Wealth is a turn-based RPG in terms of its combat system. However, everything in the combat system has been improved. From small things like the UI, including an area-of-effect range for abilities, to larger improvements in new mechanics and balancing, Infinite Wealth’s combat just feels better than ever.

Improving on everything from the previous game is practically Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s main mission. From adding new minigames to polishing the combat, everything feels both familiar and new in equal measure. Everything from positioning characters for combo smackdowns, all the way to the Animal Crossing-esque Dondoko Island minigame makes for a beautiful experience both in combat and out.

However, not everything is a sweet treat in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Hawaiian adventure. There are still mini-games that require repeated button-mashing, without accessibility features to accommodate it. Additionally, the matchmaking minigame is somewhat off-putting. Specifically, I found myself a little annoyed by the end point of each round of the minigame.

Instead of using character models for the female “characters” you flirt with and ultimately woo, each girl you date ends in a short clip of a live actress talking to a first-person Kasuga. While this is a minor complaint, I found it a bit exploitative of the girls they used, especially considering they’re there for fan service and not much else. This is a little bit more frustrating considering male characters aren’t nearly as objectified.

Other than that complaint, I found that Infinite Wealth improved the RPG experience of these new Like a Dragon titles considerably. I also completely fell in love with their re-creation of Hawaii and found that the new locale was a great way to freshen things up after spending so much time in Yokohama and Kamurocho in previous games.

Something else that caught my eye was a brilliant addition to the game’s cast. Surprisingly, there is a wheelchair-using major character in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth! While there was a wheelchair user in the previous game, his wheelchair use was in flashbacks. This character not only is shown to be capable but also has a major position in the plot. I can’t help but applaud Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio for that representation.

The mini-games are fun too. Aside from the previously mentioned ones, Ryu Ga Gotoku even managed to toss in some fun references to things like Crazy Taxi (with the Crazy Delivery minigame) as well as a variety of other classic Sega experiences in arcades and other fun areas. Plus, the standard mini-games you know and love from Yakuza experiences are here too such as Shogi, Mahjong, and Karaoke.

To sum everything up, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a fantastic experience. While I do have some complaints with it, the team at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio improved practically everything that I felt was lacking in the previous game, while adding even more things that I adore. It’s hard to say what the limit is for the studio when they keep knocking things out of the park, but I hope we see great games from them for years to come.

A PlayStation 5 Review Copy of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was provided by Sega for the purposes of this review.

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Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

$69.99

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Fantastic Combat Improvements
• Great Mini-Games and Side Content
• Fantastic Story
• Great Representation
• Amazing Setting

Cons

• Missing Accessibility Options
• Dating Mini-Game is a little annoying