Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the latest release from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and is the sequel to Like a Dragon: Yakuza, the wildly popular spin-off game from their main Yakuza series.
We’ve all played enough games and watched enough series to know that when it comes to the Yakuza, things are done a certain way. First, your back needs to be wholly tatted up, and we’ve got a guy if you need some ink. Second, it’s all about respect.
I thought I’d be just fine jumping into Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth knowing these two things, but I was utterly wrong. So, to ease you all into your next Japanese journey through the dark and shadowy corners of the Yakuza, here are four things I wish someone had told me before I started playing Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth:
Ichi: Learn Japanese
I suppose this one is a little more my fault for not sticking to my usual morals. I’m a “dubbed is better than subbed” kind of guy, but for some reason, I chose English as the audio language when starting up the game for the first time. For the love of all things sushi, please don’t do this. The English voice acting is cringe at best, and the weird and dark humour that Ryu Ga Gotoku is known for comes across more like 40-year-old adults pretending they’re in high school rather than a B-grade Japanese version of Friends. If you don’t like reading subtitles, then learn Japanese. You’ll thank me for it later.
Ni: Quit Your Day Job
You won’t have time for both your day job and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The game features over 70 hours of main story, and for completionists, you can bolt on about an extra 50. Around 25 hours into the game, they were still throwing tutorials at me for some new things to do in-game. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing; read the title; but my job is literally playing games and I still found it impossible to do both.
San: Loosen Up
Unbutton the top few buttons on your floral shirt. Grab that Paradise cocktail, sit back and kick some ass. While Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is set in Hawaii, you may have to be a little looser than you would be taking a vacation there. Sometimes, the humour and the acting in the game was a little cringe-worthy. The protagonist wearing his heart on his sleeve will make you roll your eyes at least 15 times an hour, and you’ll often think to yourself: “What?”. But if you loosen up a little and think of the game as one of those B-grade movies that always crack you up, you’re in for a good time.
Shi: Prepare the Popcorn
Throughout your at least 70 hours of gameplay, you can expect a lot of dialogue and cut-scenes. I mean, what good JRPG doesn’t have that, right? Well, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth has a lot. So much so that there will even be a change in background music as the episodic discussion between you and your friends about the best spot to eat tonight changes into a sob story about indigestion. There will be times when you’ll feel like you’re playing a movie rather than a game, but these weirdly long cut-scenes really got me to enjoy the characters I was playing.
With these handy bits of information, you’re now more than prepared to commit to that full-back tattoo we spoke about earlier. Oh, yes, and to get stuck into Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Please keep your eyes on NAG for our full game review, coming soon.