The RPS Advent Calendar 2024, December 20th

Ahhh, the lap of the ocean is calming isn’t it? And it’s really warm here, too. What’s interesting is that the sounds of the sea are occasionally masked by the sounds of multiple segways. Weird.

Of course, it’s Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth!

Ed: Technically Yakuza 8, that follows on from Yakuza: Like A Dragon (technically Yakuza 7), Infinite Wealth follows Ichiban Kasuga and his pals to the sunny shores of Hawaii for the first time in the series’ history. And my goodness, what a lovely place to be. Expansive. Sandy. All bolstering Kasuga’s laidback attitude and sunny demeanor, despite the circumstances he finds himself under. Those circumstances? He’s off to find his mum, who is – I won’t spoil – wrapped up in the typically intricate set of Yakuza-led drama you’d expect from Rya Ga Gotoku Studio.

Sure, you’ve got improvements to the turn-based combat, letting characters move like pro-bowlers and knock enemies down like skittles as you press the “hit them” buttons. Renewed dungeons make level gates a little less stubborn. And levelling personality traits leads to unlocking new jobs, with friend-bonds now leading to extra moves – everything intertwines a bit better, and makes for a more motivating reward loop as you go about Hawaii smacking goons.

Really, though, Infinite Wealth is so special because of two things: 1) it is a wealth (of things), 2) it’s a tale for fans new and old (particularly old).

I mean “wealth” in the sense that Infinite Wealth contains multitudes. An Animal Crossing-esque island you can furnish and cultivate, eventually turning it into a tourist destination whose economy sustains itself and is entirely separate to the main game. There’s also Sujimon, a minigame take on Pokémon that lets you collect weirdos you’ll fight out in Hawaii and beyond, before you send them to fight against other teams like you’re a Temu Ash Ketchum. Not to mention the plethora of substories and minigames, all of which will veer you from a cry to belly laughter.

Running alongside Ichiban’s tale is Kiryu’s, which is rather more tragic on the face of it – he’s got cancer and he’s been given only a few months to live. You’ll flip between playing Ichiban and Kiryu throughout the story, with Kiryu’s perspective being sad, yes, but also rather wonderful. Not only does he lean on new friends for the first time, he, alongside you, rediscovers past relationships with Kiryu’s many acquaintances over the years.

Besides all the minigames and the fighting, some of the most exciting moments lie in these reunions. In seeing how former friends have grown up, what they’re up to, and how they’ve enriched Kiryu’s life and vice versa. For new fans it’s a way of learning about a legacy. For old fans, these heartfelt moments are a reminder of the power of the mighty Yakuzaverse.

As I said in my review, thank goodness for Yakuza.

Nic: Yakuza games have always had such a delicate balance of serious, heartfelt crime drama and absurd whimsy. It’s what makes them so special. On reflection, I think Infinite Wealth has decided to very much follow the whimsy at the expense of the more intense storytelling I love the series for, but the result is still an unbelievably charming RPG I was genuinely sad to see end.

Head back to the advent calendar to open another door!