Review of “Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth” – a group of forty-somethings in Hawaii

Baldur’s Gate 3 set a new bar for the role-playing game genre, and quite rightly, some competing developers were concerned about this bar. After all, there will not be many creators and companies in the world that can afford to reach a similar level in the coming years, for example, in the field of audiovisual processing, especially with models and character animation. However, we already had one worthy “successor” last year (Phantom Liberty), and now a second one is on the way, this time from Japan. Infinite Wealth is a game so huge, meticulously designed and impressive, with a story and characters so quirky and original, that it will make you rethink the entire genre.

• Platform: PS5 (review) PS4, X1, XSX|S, PC
• Publication date: 01.26.2024
• Manufacturer: Studio Ryu Ga Gotoku (Japan)
• Genre: Japanese role-playing game
• Czech localization: No
• Multiplayer: yes (mini-games only, for two)
• Download data: 82 GB
• Game time: 60+ hours
• Price: 1739 CZK (Pair)

Exciting adventure

The initial plot itself is quite grandiose, with the creators themselves calling the game their “Opus Magnum” or “so big it spans both sides of the Pacific Ocean.” However, it is true that you may dare to go into the game completely unaware of the previous games in the series. At the beginning, the game gives you a rundown of key events from the past, and essentially the story is relatively easy to understand, even if you still don’t know its characters or their journey. Both main characters are former members of the yakuza: one has traveled from Japan to Hawaii after years of separation to find his biological mother, while the other main character must slowly but surely come to terms with the fact that he has advanced cancer.

As is common in great role-playing adventures, along the way the heroes meet new friends and allies, and also encounter several different groups of enemies… and before you know it, they are drawn into a brutal war between mafia gangs, Japanese and American. Old and new. By far the most unique and wonderful feature of the entire game is the way it combines relatively traditional RPG adventure elements with the completely mundane props of our current real world. Thanks to this, as in a role-playing game, the characters in your group are not magicians and warriors, but barmaids, cleaners or homeless people. Since they are mostly over 40 years old, this is one of the more mature stories with characters that are really easy for adult players to relate to.

The most remarkable feature of the game is the way it combines RPG adventure with the mundane props of our modern world.

However, this unique contrast of setting and genre, coupled with the game’s Japanese DNA, also results in some rather stark contrasts in certain parts of the story. Some passages fascinate with their absolute realism and humanity, while others, on the contrary, are absurdly theatrically exaggerated. At the same time, unfortunately, it seems to me that the creators got a little carried away with the overall dynamics of the game, and especially towards the end it got a little out of their control, because the plot changes direction several times during the last chapters and some of its turns are either too absurd or , on the contrary, are surprisingly flat. But this does not change the fact that, like many times in the past series, this time the game will offer you some absolutely unforgettable scenes that will disarm and touch you thanks to the script and acting.

Honest JRPG (with a pinch of GTA)

The fact that this mafia drama is set in the US for the first time (though there are parts of the game traditionally set in Japan) and that it’s a little more graphically advanced than previous installments made some pretty interesting associations for me while playing. . Thus, when you walk through the tourist center of Honolulu City with all its shops, tourists in Hawaiian shirts and other props, there is a noticeably different atmosphere than what we are used to in the Yakuza. I’m not sure if the screenshots show this enough, but during the game I often felt as if I was walking through one of the GTA cities, and not the continuation of the Like a Dragon series. Of course, this impression immediately disappears as soon as the battle begins.

Combat is turn-based, but as has sadly become increasingly common in JRPGs in recent years, it seems the creators were afraid to remove the “action” entirely and allow two standing groups of fighters to wait before you give them instructions. Similar to Final Fantasy VII Remake, the combat system is a sort of hybrid of real-time action with a turn-based system, where all the characters wait for you to choose a certain action, but during this you can constantly change the position of your fighters and enemies are also constantly moving. Because the combat system handles things like knocking two enemies down with each other’s blows in a new way, you’re never at ease and have to constantly work with the positioning of your fighters to get the most out of position and combat timing. hit.

The combat system is a mixture of real-time action and turn-based system.

What definitely deserves applause is all the other layers of RPG mechanics that make interacting with your party members (to improve your relationships and unlock new combat abilities), as well as purchasing “armor” or crafting and upgrading weapons, ultimately an absolute joy . Unlock and subsequently level up new professions that offer a wide range: from katana-wielding samurai to shooters or “surfers.” Both the Japanese and American locations will gradually offer multi-story dungeons if you want or need to level up additional levels and items. Just know that the story will gradually force you to change characters and locations, so at times you will not have freedom of action in this regard. But the game has an ending phase where you have already unlocked and made everything available at the same time.

Animal Crossing, Pokemon and other “mini-games”

Dondoko Island is one of the biggest surprises of the entire game. We knew from the trailers that this would be a “mini-game” where you take care of your little island to transform it from a tropical “dumping ground” into a luxury tourist resort. Despite the developers’ promises, I was still surprised by how detailed and fun this game mode is. You can go there at almost any time from a certain chapter of the story, and it’s up to you how long you spend there. When you are on an island, time in the rest of the game world stops. On the other hand, if you’re off the island, it’s worth the time. In practice, this is a separate second game that you can jump into for as long as you like. And it’s a great game, featuring building, fishing, taking care of tourists, and even unique combat scenes. At the same time, you will be able to take away the considerable funds received from him, which you can then use in the main story campaign.

This is a second game that you can play as much as you want.

Sujimon, or the local version of Pokemon, also features the same bottomless “mini-game”. As in the seventh part of the series, here you can also “collect” all kinds of enemies in order to later “train” them and send them to fight against other trainers, both in smaller street fights and in larger tournaments. in secret “stadiums”. Just as Dondoko Island borrows the vast majority of elements from the Animal Crossing series, you’ll find almost every key element from the Pokémon series here. Once you’re hooked on a game like this, you can easily spend dozens of hours in it, just like on the island, in the main story, or in the generated dungeons (the latter, unfortunately, hidden in paid DLC, just like New Game Plus). .

Besides these two main attractions among the “mini-games”, Infinite Wealth is filled with countless others, albeit of a slightly smaller size. Here you can find, for example, a variation of Pokémon Snap, where you will photograph “deviants” while riding from tourist buses. A completely separate chapter is online dating sites where you “take” real photos (not game graphics) with the ladies. Of course, there is no shortage of classic content such as karaoke songs or mini-games like mahjong, which can also be played online for two players. At the same time, the eighth part of the series looks a little better than the previous ones – whether it concerns the game environment, characters or film fragments. On PS5, the entire game ran completely smoothly, with no technical glitches, smooth transitions between the city and interiors, and lightning-fast loading times during fast travel.