Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

A Really fantastic and fun time with incredibly unusual style and setting, a great story on its own, an even better follow up to the 8 games before it.
The gameplay is a ridiculously good follow up on Yakuza 7, improving almost every single mechanic for a battle system that really comes together perfect. This is the only turn based game where even basic attacking is just a fun as using skills.

I tried SO HARD to build the bond between my ichiban with this gorgeous lady, yet he still cant stop simping for the other chick who ghosted him for a WHOLE year, too surreal, totally unacceptable. However, you can capture creepy people as sujimon, so the game is still okay.

For Yakuza Fans and what you need to know:

1. Gameplay is good. Not as challenging as Ichiban's first appearance, so that really says something. Despite that, the minigames, maps, sidequests and all that are the best they have ever been.

2. Dialog and characters are very well written. Ichiban is still fun and Kiryu still beats men to death. So, that's nice.

3. Overall story might be a hit or miss - Feels very uh... odd, especially at the end when it comes to Hawaii. Way more goofy then the past games and this is including Like A Dragon.

For Non-Yakuza fans:
1. Play Zero, Like a dragon, then this. You don't really have to worry about the other games in the series - Maybe 2 and the man who erased his name if you can find willpower.

2. Give every Yakuza game an hour + of time before you turn it off.

3. Set the audio to Japanese and do subtitles.

It's an insanely good game and I would recommend it 100%

I was unironically told to play this game in a dream I had randomly, never liked yakuza games so I went out on a limb and bought this expecting the worst, yet its probably the funniest game I've played in years, and all the reasons I didn't like yakuza games before were completely irrelevant as it feels entirely different. I say go for it.

Sorry I skip 7 because I was worried about turn based RPG gameplay and the main character is not Kiryu.

Then after playing 8 I realize...
Ichiban is a funnier character, that means the story can throw any wacky things on him, make the game has more freedom to do whatever they want to do.
And the RPG, I thought it would be tedious especially in end game still have to encount low Level .
But it's quicker than I thought, and it even has quick battle for low level enemy.
Also it give chance for multiple characters active at the same time.

And most important for all, thanks Yakuza team give Kson a stage to shine.

Honestly, this game is so content rich. More minigames, more jokes, more drama, more everything. With so many games slow dripping content for money, this is a really refreshing title. I find myself being entrenched in substory and minigame content all the time. Well worth the money if you enjoy turn-based JRPGs.

I am nearing the end of yet another yakuza * cough * like a dragon title. This will make the 8th one i've completed and it is worth every penny. A full price top tier game right here.

With ichiban kasuga returning as the main hero this time around. Bringing the humour back to the franchise 10 fold. Not saying the other games didn't have there funny moments but ichiban is certainly more humorous.

What to expect :
. Substories that some how make all the sense and are just as wacky as ever.
. Likable characters all through the adventure
. Mixed to good english voice acting you know what im referring to...
. The sound track is by far the best in the series to date. Seriously give the sound team a raise.
. Good old turn based jrpg combat with stats weapons and armor strategies all the fun ! ( this maybe off putting for some but give it a try )
. An excellent well written story that has shocks and omg moments at about almost every chapter.
. Beautiful breath taking views
. 3 large open world maps to explore including kumorochu because it's not a yakuza game without that.

With that out of the way as an avid turn based rpg player my self i loved the switch over. rgg studio nailed the formula down to a t. There is actually some difficulty here where if you are not welcome in an area yet without some slick avoidance of enemy mobs you won't be able to explore said section until you are strong enough.

The combat is just like the last like a dragon game with some added tweaks and ironing out. Kiryu for instance now has a move where you can freely move around the battlefield hitting people. I thought it was fun at first but you can basically just mash the button to win with that. It slowly charges over time so you can't abuse it.

There are new jobs to play around with which i won't spoil. The game wants you to explore the jobs and be creative with team setups. Theres no real wrong party setup. Just have fun and try all the jobs out.

If i had to point out a draw back with this game... It has a slooooow start. You won't get to have any really fun with all the systems until it all unlocks so just play through the story regularly until that happens. Once everything gets unlocked and you are introduced to everyone it will pick up and slap you in the face.

The maps them selves. If you've played all the yakuza games to this point then the only real new map is hawaii.You would have already explored injincho and kumorochu before. But each map looks just as great and even more detail through the land. Kumorochu has changed a bit in this game but mostly everything is in the same spot. Or just just flat out blocked off so you can't explore that section anymore. For example little asia. Yea thats just blocked off entirely

Now for the english vo. Most of the cast sound great ! However the elephant in the room.... Yes kiryu.... Well i give credit to young yea for trying.... He just over stepped his bounds here. Most of the time kiryu sounds flat and bland. No emotion what so ever in most scenes even though there should be something there... They really shouldn't have cheeped out with the voice acting cast kiryu could have been a lot better.

10/10 game.

Though I might have some problems with the story at some points I still really like this game it's the biggest in the series and it has some of the best side content in the series. The combat is the best from any turn based game I've ever played and I can't wait to see what they do with it in the future. 9/10

i wanted to get the platinum on this and yakuza 7 before i really gave a review, so having done all that, i gotta be real.
This game is so goat status, you'd be shocked. every aspect of the gameplay has been upgraded from the last game, from the combat to the minigames, everything is new, crisp, and a ton of fun. the environments are new and exciting, the new party members are just as fantastic as yakuza 7, and from the music, to the dialogue, it's all classic yakuza. great all around.
the story is good but takes a notable dip near the end, its a messy plot to be sure. yakuza 7 really has the better story, and has a lot more emotion to it on Ichiban's character. this is much more a game about Kiryu than Ichiban. Infinite wealth has a lot of emotion to it on Kiryu's side of the story, but the final boss and last couple chapters simultaneously hurt the experience and also make you happy just to see Kiryu getting to be happy. the best parts of this game were in the middle chapters, experiencing Kiryu's (supposedly) last outing as a protagonist and it can be so beautiful and heart wrenching, especially if you've played the previous games. if you haven't, these moments will make you want to go back and play em all.
on the gameplay side, combat is improved almost in every way. moment to moment fights are always fun, and the job system got a lot of good refinements. however, this game has a really poor postgame. a lackluster final boss, paywalled new game plus, and a DLC postgame dungeon that frankly sucks. especially compared to the final millenium tower of yakuza 7. to get the platinum in yakuza 7 felt like a real reward, that you had to fight for tooth and nail. infinite wealth is just too easy alll around. i probably died 3 times this entire game on any difficulty. really disappointing to beat this game and then realize that the fun parts are basically over, while yakuza 7 had the fantastic amon fight.
all in all when i was halfway through this game, i thought it was better than 7 for sure. now that it's over, i think 7 really was such a landmark for this franchise in so many ways that this game, while fantastic, contender for goty, isn't as good as 7. for all the problems 7 had, my 200 hours for the platinum in that game was a grind for sure, but a truly memorable experience.
in short, please buy and play this game. but do yourself a favor and experience the other games in the franchise first so that you can understand Kiryu. at the very least play 7 before this.

I sunk 200 hours into this game, completely immersed in its world. The side quests were hilarious, keeping me entertained for hours on end. Some even brought a tear to my eye (in a good way!). The story was well-written and cleverly weaved in elements of nostalgia for fans of the older titles. But what truly stole the show was the combat system. It was incredibly engaging with a lot of different strategy approaches you can try. Even after completing the game and diving into New Game +, I'm still strategizing different fighting styles. It's a testament to the developers that I'm left wondering how they can possibly top this exceptional system!

The formula of the first Like a Dragon series with Ichiban but improved on this entry. The story itself can take you 50-60 hrs if you rush but if you take time to do all and enjoy all activities you have 100+ hours of enjoyment.

From a story perspective this brings closure to Kiryu's story but you never know what could happen in the future with the next entry.

Also, despite being a great game I totally disapprove of locking base game content behind a paywall. Honestly, I don't know what they were thinking about when implementing this bs practice...

Overall, this is a great game in the series and if you want to wait for a sale on it that is up to you.

Obviously the fact basic features are locked behind DLC blows and I hate that. Also English Kiryu is such a downgrade from Yakuza: Like A Dragon, I found the voice in there actually pretty nice, this one not so much.

Gameplay for me was like 9/10(They really made the turn based combat feel smoother and give you more control in battle which is a change
Content for me also 9/10 (So many unique new sidegames, dungeons, and so much great fleshing out the party members more like you learn so much about them that really do feel like friends)
Story 3/10 (The set pieces carry very hard but find this to be one of the weaker stories in any RGG game in awhile since maybe like Y5)

Still the game is mad expensive definitely only buy if ya got the funds and 84.99 to essentially get all the content. These games also always eventually go on sale for much cheaper so might be worth a wait just depends on your finacials

TL;DR: There are many improvements over the predecessor and about equally as many things that the predecessor did better. All-in-all, a fantastic game and solid entry in the franchise. If you like Y7, you'll love this. If you like JRPGs in general, you'll love this - Get it!

Another banger of a story from RGG. The passing of the torch from the Dragon of Dojima to the Hero of Yokohama is so well done here. The story takes the better part of 30 hours to get its hook going, unlike Yakuza 7 with the whole Arakawa story instantly grabbing you into Ichiban's origin story. Infinite Wealth dives deeper into the character building of Ichiban and crew and sets them up to carry the future installments to carry the Like A Dragon titles. Both the English VA and the Japanese VA are up there with the greatest of all time. Yong Yea stepping in to voice Kiryu in the English dub really captures the essence of Kiryu. I did find myself swapping between the two depending on the location my party was playing in... English in Hawaii, Japanese in Japan. The only negative is when the Japanese VAs who are supposed to be native English speakers in Hawaii...... try to speak English. Don't skip this entry. Highly Recommend.

Combat has been GREATLY improved. Even if you're someone like myself who doesn't care for turn-based combat, it's still very fun and this game makes it easier to get through battles compared to the slog that was 7's combat. It's extremely satisfying to knock an enemy into the environment or other enemies or even chain attacks with your teammates.

Hawaii feels like the biggest map yet and I haven't even gotten through the substories yet. Very beautiful scenery. You get glimpses of your old team, plus new likable characters.

There's so much to do that I can't believe I thought I would finish this in 2 days.
"Like A Dragon" feels like its own game in itself so there's no pressure really to play anything past maybe 7 and Gaiden, although I do highly recommend you play the entire series just to gain the connection to the old characters and get more of the lore.

Make sure you buy a box of tissues to both bust a fat nut and to also cry into. Trust me.

What can I really say? Nine main-series games, four one-offs, and two games in a spin-off series and this is still my favorite series of all time. Not even the pivot to turn-based JRPG gameplay was enough to change my opinion, if anything it made me love the series even more.

The game is good and worth a purchase, but there are few negatives I want to point out
- The game is not "the longest 80 h" like a dragon game like sega/devs proclaim it to be. In my Amon/all substories runs, Yakuza 5 and Yakuza 0 were longer games. I managed to do all substories and Amon fight, all story within 56 hours. I did not bother with animal crossing type island, but even if I did get into it, maybe it would come close to Y5 hours then. Still them claiming it's the biggest is just false.
- The dlc practice is just appalling to say the least and SEGA is now getting way too greedy with the games. Not just RGG but every other franchise as well, including Sonic and Persona. I am extremely concerned for RGG because of the whole Gaiden situation (which, i'm gonna piss off fanbase by saying it was , objectively a bad game and was purely made as standalone rather than DLC for LAD 7 to raise the price and make more money)
- The story is bit all over the place and is generally weaker compared to earlier titles, it's still good but not as good.
- English VA, what the hell happened there? I played LAD 7 in English mostly and it was high quality stuff, in this one it seemed like either the budget for it went to the toilet or just there was a complete lack of quality control. YongYea specially is absolutely awful as kiryu and is the biggest miscast. But even the other VA just don't sound that good in the dub. It is especially apparent in Karaoke, it's like they didin't even bother with this one

While the story isn't necessarily as fresh or compelling as the first Like a Dragon game, Infinite Wealth does a superb job of iterating on its brawler-RPG format and admirably strives to become every genre.

The game continues to maintain its wonderful and distinctly unique mix of the wildly absurd and intensely serious. It's bombastic, creative, and tonally inconsistent in the best possible way. Usually games of this length with this much side content tend to be a personal deterrent, but the quantity, variety, and personality smeared all over this game ended up captivating me. Infinite Wealth is an exceptionally welcome expansion to the original 'spinoff' that, from the flashy/dynamic combat to the twisting narrative and expert presentation, proves to be endlessly entertaining.

I've been playing and replaying these games for so many years. Infinite Wealth feels like a love letter to those who've stuck with Kiryu's journey from the beginning, and a proper passing of the torch to the series' new incredible protagonist, Kasuga Ichiban.

It's one of those special JRPGs that, the more you play, the closer you feel to its characters and by the end of it all, you feel like you've just finished having a blast with some old friends.

The turn-based combat has been significantly improved from 7, the soundtrack is one of the best in the franchise, and it's given me some of the best memories you could ask for from a video game.

Infinite Wealth is a shining example of just how phenomenal the Like a Dragon games can be. Iconic mini games, an insane amount of classes to pick and choose from for your party, hilarious side quests, and a heartfelt, tearjerker of a story that ties it all together.

Bravo, RGG.

It has the best side content of the Like a Dragon series. The story was overall decent not the best Ichiban's story felt lacking this time around. The gameplay is just improved upon 7 which was already good.

Story 5/10
Gameplay 8/10
Side Content 10/10

This game is brimming with content. There's a plethora to explore if you're intent on unlocking everything. While this abundance is generally positive, an excess can sometimes prove detrimental. The game's release, a few weeks prior to Persona 3 Reload, posed a dilemma for players like myself who find it challenging to switch between high-quality games. Abandoning an outstanding game for another anticipated title is not an easy feat, especially when the game in question is as compelling as this one.

However, this doesn't imply that the game should be overlooked. My advice is to avoid starting it if you're eagerly awaiting other upcoming releases. Although it's possible to expedite the storyline, rushing through would undermine the extensive entertainment value the game offers, ultimately shortchanging both the game and the player.

In many respects, this installment surpasses part 7. It effectively builds on previous concepts while introducing new dynamics centered around the original protagonist. While I missed the intense action characteristic of the earlier titles while playing part 7, this installment lessened that longing by more adeptly recapturing the essence of the older style.

While it may not boast the series' strongest storyline, it is far from the weakest. The game is peppered with numerous nods to its legacy that will undoubtedly elicit smirks and smiles from fans as the scenes unfold.

To date, the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise hasn't produced a disappointing main series game, and this title continues that trend. It justifies its full price tag, making it a worthwhile purchase.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Pros:

• Very engaging story (even more so, if you've played some of the previous Yakuza titles)
• Huge amount of content and also minigames/sidequest that are so deep, they could be games of their own
• Ichiban and his party returns once more and are still a very chaotic and lovable bunch
• While the main story is very serious and emotional, the side quests feel like something straight out of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, which is obviously very hilarious and entertaining

Cons:

• Publisher SEGA has locked NG+ behind a paywall, which is scummy af

A very solid 10/10 overall
Hope Judgement 3 comes soon :)

To be perfectly honest: I didn't even want to write a review because I had trouble assessing my own opinion on this game. I've been brooding over this for weeks, and I still don't know exactly what to say. Anyway, here goes:

First and foremost: No, I haven't fully finished this game, I have played up to chapter 12/13 and done most of the side missions available. I did not complete the main story, and I don't ever want to, just to be clear.
Now that this is out of the way: I'm sad to say that I can't recommend this game. There are several reasons for this, even though people might find none of them to be viable. I can live with that though.

First I would like to adress the positives about this game:
Gameplay wise, nothing has really changed from the last entry, it's as good as ever (if you like turnbased combat). The characters have all been a blast up to this point. Ichiban continues to be a great protagonist in this direct sequel. So is Kiryu as the second main protagonist, who actually sports an entirely different gameplay mechanic.
Considering that RGG studios wanted to kill off the main protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu , the devs actually did a splendid job of respecting the legacy they've built up to this point. It has been a long time since any OG protagonist has been shown this much respect considering how most newcomers hired these days seem to hate anything old or established and feel the need to paint over anthing they deem "unsuitable". It seemed actually heartfelt and real to me, and for that, I applaud the Ryu ga Gotoku studio
The OST in this game continues to be an absolute banger. While I like Like a Dragon's OST a bit more, this soundtrack is nothing to sneeze at, and I always welcome a solid OST in a JRPG. Also, I never thought I would see Danny Trejo in this!
The Dondoko minigame! If you know, you know. The legally distinct Animal Crossing clone that you might be playing for hours on end because it's just that addicting.

Now onto the less than stellar things:
I actually expected more from the summons . None of them have had an "Oomph" moment, like the devs had to hold back for some reason. The same can be said for Essence Of attacks, very little of them had this satisfactory punch to them like in the last game. I get that not every new move can be as exhilarating as the last, but I really didn't enjoy them this time around.

The pacing of the game. I really tried to not be overleveled this time, but to no avail. I don't remember if it was the same in LAD7, but I was overleveled incredibly fast, and thus every bossfight was a joke. Which is funny, considering that some encounters throughout the map are deadly if you don't have the right party/setup for it and that did me in more than the bossfights in the story missions ever could.

The writing. There are subtle changes that stick out like a sore thumb compared to LAD7.
I don't know if the writer/s disliked how Ichiban became so popular so fast with the crowd, but I feel like they made him act dumber on purpose. Ichi's friends and everyone around him is just continuously bashing him even though he's just an awkward dude who has trouble integrating into society fully because of his background. At times, it even seems mean-spirited, and I really think someone on the team was just butthurt that Ichi gained so much popularity throughout the past few years and had an axe to grind.
The entire Saeko x Ichiban arc was unbelievably cringy. I don't know if SEGA also had """""consultants""""" on their team "helping" with the dialogue, I almost thought the entirety of Saeko's drink link was written by a gay man who hates women (or another woman, because there is no one who hates women as much as other women). It was that bad. God forbid they actually write a badass woman who seems very sociable at first, has a lot of experience and could talk her way out of any bad situations, but then they turn around and make it so that she ends up being an incredibly shallow and immature brat (she's in her forties, ffs!). It felt like a character assassination to me. Frankly, it didn't make any sense. I don't know who was responsible for this, the writer or the localizer. Either way, this person cannot even begin to match the quality writing of LAD7. Only ever breaking down established characters instead of creating something new is a particularly nasty western disease that has befallen AAA games and media in general, and it's time this stranglehold on creativity got lifted, lest the industry which is on its death throes loses the last of its dignity.
The rest of the plot is also very much catered to your typical leftist ecofanatics which really makes me wonder if SEGA had any help from some western ESG company. Looking at what's happening right now, I wouldn't even be the least bit surprised.

The bad guys are just Scooby Doo saturday morning cartoon villains: So over the top I could never take any of them seriously. While I love the absolute insanity the Yakuza series is known for, the prequel was at least somewhat grounded in reality. This, however, was so on the nose I was legitimately baffled by it. Certain plotpoints in LAD7 were badly written, but didn't take away from the story (for the most part, at least). In this case though, the story just fell apart at a certain point. I actually believe that the writers didn't know what they were doing halfway through the main plot (considering what they did to Kiryu , my suspicions might prove to be true).

Considering how much I loved the previous entry, I was shocked how LAD8 just absolutely killed my enthusiasm not only for this game, but for all future RGG games too. When it dawned on me that I would not be capable of liking this game, I skipped the cutscene I was in, quit the game and then uninstalled it, and I haven't regretted it since.

If you want a game that pretends to like itself and the foundation it's build on, but ultimately fails by downgrading/removing every thing about it that made it good because of political correctness, be my guest. Personally, I have had fun playing this game, you can look at the hours I've actually sunk into it. But ultimately, it soured a lot of the good will I had left for Japanese game companies, so much so, that I'd be willing to never pay one single cent for their games again. I'd rather sail the seven seas in that case.
Time for the Japanese game industry to learn once again that catering to westerners is a lost cause.

By the way, SEGA: The way you're handling DLC is sh*t. SEGA does what Nintendon't? How about both of you shut the hell up and get a grip, for Christ's sake!
At this point, just stick to indie games in the mean time and vote with your wallet.

I thought the original """reboot""" was an almost perfect game despite me not liking JRPGs. My only complaint with it was that it wasted my time a lot by making me grind to progress or having me face bosses that I was underleveled for. This game doesn't do that.
For new players, this is not a starting off point, every single other game in the series has been building up this.
As a player who started off with Yakuza 0, this is a perfect game to me, and I much prefer action games to JRPGs. This has none of the problems I have with JRPGs like Persona and Neptunia.

i'll try to keep this spoiler free, but oh my god. after watching the final cutscene, i had to gently place my headset down on my desk, get up, step into my bathroom, and stare at myself in the mirror as i cried my eyes out for 15 minutes. it's not a perfect game, as is the case with every yakuza game. is this still a 10/10 in my eyes? yes. rgg did an amazing job of respecting the past entries while also making space for the future, and while some story elements feel kind of thrown in for no reason, it still all comes together to create a beautiful story that i'm sure to keep thinking about for weeks after i've beaten it.

Despite some odd DLC packages, the game itself is brilliant. Obligatory reminder that this is an RPG game, and not a brawler like Gaiden and all the games before Yakuza Like a Dragon. But if you are down with that, play it.

Just finished the game, and WOW this was so much fun! The main story was awesome, the side quests were so much fun and some got me a bit misty. From gameplay perspective they've improved so much from LAD7 and just made it all feel better. I was a Sujimon master and had a 5star Dondoko island. I initially thought that I won't play either of those but damn, the sujimon game was just too much fun. There is so much to do, to explore and enjoy, The thing I didn't like is Tomi, I wish the actor had a bit more emotional range and was a tad bit louder, it was weird he was angrily whispering most of the time and never actually sounded angry. But everyone else was A-tier, doing their absolute best.
It's a wonderful game and its one of the best in the very long list of Yakuza games!

If you enjoyed Like a Dragon 7 you'll probably love 8.
Combat received minor yet meaningful improvements. Enemies no longer interrupt you while moving towards your target, there's higher focus on AoEs due to the addition of minor movement during combat and clear outline for attacks. The combat buffs received from party bonds have higher weight this time around with combo attacks, chain attacks and down attacks, as well as skill inheritance from alt jobs.
The story is solid and at points extremely captivating, it does suffer from minor pacing issues, notably in the first handful of chapters, but quickly picks up and keeps going.
Sub-stories, minigames and management games are all back with DonDoko Island and Sujimon being the stars of the show this time around, with surprisingly developed systems for what ends up being simple distractions in the grand scheme of things.
In any case, as said before, for Yakuza fans it's a no brainer and if you were put of by the pacing of the turn-based combat of 7 give this one a try as it is way faster.

I wanted to have given this a 10/10 from the first 30 minutes I played.
I should have given this a 10/10 after the first 50 hours.
I need to give this an 11/10 after witnessing the ending just now.

It improved in every single mechanic from the previous game, and it manages to integrate so many of Kiryu's real time mechanics into the turn-based system at the same time. Everything about this game is worthy of praise, but most of all, the love they gave to the whole saga before this game. It really rewards you for being a longtime fan.

I could write dozens of paragraphs of praise for every single element I loved, but I'll just keep it short. As a Yakuza fan since Yakuza 2 on the PS2, this is the best Yakuza game on every level. As a fan of turn-based RPGs since the 90's, this is the best turn-based RPG I've ever played. As a fan of videogames since forever, this game stands tied with Elden Ring as my favourite games of all time.

Better than like a dragon 7 but I would have liked a shorter main story. There were many segments in the game that could have been cut in my opinion (for example: Sujimons, some substories, required fights etc)

Overall, I did enjoy playing the game despite some of its problems.

Like A Dragon 8: Let the Dragon Rest, please

Improvement from 7: MP gain, combo attacks, better AI pathing (because on 7 the AI moves kinda weird and sometimes stuck if there's something in front of their path), Segway and gain easier personality stats.

What I didn't like: the dungeon design, Hawaiian Haunt and Yokohama Underground, so bad. It's just square-corridor. When you want to combo attack, but your allies stay too far from your proximity ring and there's no way to call them near you.

Time for NG+, kyoudai.

So much to do this is probably one of my favorite RPGs in terms of fun of all time and easily one of the best RPGs released in the last 5 years.

One of my favorite RPG systems ever which feels so good especially with the beautiful system that takes in Action RPG elements like Mario RPGs. (Timed button presses) It fully utilizes friendship systems (Like modern Persona but better) so well increasing their skill in battles making it easier alongside classes being awesome with stats and moves carrying over. It feels like so many things from inside and outside battles improve every little stat.

There's so much to do and its so dang good with a excellent story and quality gameplay.

Pros
- Setting is beautiful
- Fast paced RPG that rewards you for being quick
- Graphics are amazing
- Best Turn Based RPG system I've seen in years (Even better than 7)
- Colorful and Flashy fights that never get old, wacky fun.
- Soundtrack is excellent
- Awesome Built-in music player however (See cons)
- Danny Trejo
- Excellent voice cast on all languages, including great choices for existing characters never dubbed in Eng (Few exceptions see cons)
- Enemies, NPCs and certain characters speaking their native languages in Hawaii and Japan making it feel more realistic and fitting (Mostly, could be better for Hawaii in JP specifically Sujimon/Sub Stories where everyone randomly mastering speaking JP feels awkward)
- Extremely enjoyable story
- Return of many favorites to look forward to (Minor and Major)
- Friday Night and Disco Queen are starter songs
- Lots and lots of content that's for the most part, almost all enjoyable. Get lost Shogi, I never will play you on the other hand.
- Enemies levels actually increase for post game (Many games fail at this simple thing leaving you to play only certain dungeons for levels, this game gets it right)

Neutral
- One little nitpick I will say is playlist should auto-continue because it does shut off way too often and having to play it again over and over is annoying.
- Kinda wished it had Gaiden's customization of outfits where you could customize part by part
- Not a major fan of everything being nerfed to area effect rather than full party but it's understandable why
- Characters can still get stuck or take time getting to the location of attacking an enemy which can cost you a free extra damage attack
- Very slow pacing for hours

Cons (Outside of DLC, most of these are minor)
- Feet
- New Game+ is locked behind DLC and DLC prices (Major issue)
- Kiryu's ENG voice is a major step down
- Dwight in JP isn't Danny Trejo and Bryce's awful Engrish when they could've used the Eng Dub lines for it
- Outside of Zhao and Saeko for Karaoke Eng Dub, the rest need be better.
- Can never get used to Kiryu's new hair lol
- Many of the great songs are locked behind 2 DLCs. That also includes If I Could Love the One I Love (Joongi).
- A specific character's hair after a certain chapter

One of the best franchises and games where I can run around with a cast of 40+ year olds and have a awesome time.
Other Turn Based RPGs should pick up on similar systems to make it more Interactive and Fun. I love Turn based RPGs and this is a gold standard for me.

My verdict is 9.5 out of 10. GOTY contender easily. If it wasn't for the poor DLC practices or very slow pacing I'd easily give it a 10.

I had a blast with this game, Its one of the best turn based RPGs ever made.
There is so much content to play and I feel like I could play this for 100s of hours without even seeing it all.
But SEGA needs to stop with the gating content behind Mtxs/DLC.

Yes, the dlc is shit. no game should lock away difficulty that was made for free in the past games worth any kind of money. but with that said.....

I loved this game . the story was fantastic from start to finish. yes, even the slow start. i was hooked by every single second. Turn based yakuza wasn't something i wasn't too sure ill like but the gameplay is actually alot more in line with the beat em up titles of the past. speaking of that. kiryu is one of the all time best characters of gaming. a figure i looked up to during some of the hardest parts of my life. To see his rise and fall is heartbreaking. But as it is, thats the way of life. nothing lasts forever so if you put up with not having hard mode, I would rank this like a five star resort somewhere in the middle of the beach. Fly on, Kiryu!

Loved this game all the way through, although I'm not sure I enjoyed it as much as I could due to being anxious about certain things going on in the story (won't spoil). Story is pretty decent, good in all the right places I think, although a few characters that I believe should have felt more impactful in the story were kind of brushed to the side in ways to make room for other elements of the story, which left me a little disinterested in them altogether.

Combat was super engaging, there are a ton of ways to approach fights with your teammates by your side, on top of proximity attacks and the usual special abilities. Kiryu's Dragon of Dojima style is phenomenal, definitely super happy with how he was balanced in an RPG style game. Now that I've beaten the game, I'll likely go back and finish Dondoko Island as well as the Sujimon sidequests, definitely looking forward to those a fair bit.

Only complaint I might have, and it's very minor, is one with the audio in the game. Often times running around areas with lots of NPCs, you'll hear the same audio clip from multiple people one after another, or even at the same time, which is a little weird. Could be worse, I suppose. Nothing to take too seriously though, doesn't take away from the game in any way.

Definitely recommend the game to anyone who loves the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series. I know I do, and I'm definitely looking forward to another installment, whenever that happens.

Honestly said, I enjoyed the very essence of Infinite Wealth. After 80-100 hours, I tried doing as much as I can by level farming, Aloha Link, sidestories...and I tell you there's too many things left to do that sometimes I think...sigh not worth the hours (for now).

For the story related, I enjoy (90%) of the plot. Since we are getting the closure for Kiryu and the rise of Kazuga. But on my DIEHARD opinion, I NEED MORE LOVE-SHIP between Kazuga & Chitose (They're cute together). The ending...could be more rewarding honestly...but knowing it's a Yakuza game, in general all they need is to introduce a family-related villain & need to bring-over those Legendary Yakuza to mix into the Plot twisters story.

WHAT I LIKED:
1. The Sujimon! Gotta slave them all! Suji BATTLE!
2. Dondoko Island - Island simulator (Downside is cannot AFK farm).
3. Poundmates can't get anymore silly
4. New nakama!
5. Segway is a blessing - FF7 reference here
6. Kiryu is just...too OP. They made him weak, but progressively stronger. Our DRAGON is just, a GOAT.

WHAT I PISSED AT
1. End game is trash. When you did almost everything during the late game, NOTHING GREAT on post game. That sucks.
1. DLC related Achievement - SCREW YOU!
2. Difficulty related Achievement - AGAIN SCREW YOU! It'll take me a year or two to play back on the highest difficulty. NEW GAME + for me! Another 70+ hours again gahahah
3. POST GAME DUNGEON REQUIRES DLC - TRIPLE SCREW YOU - I adore post game dungeon especially because definitely I'll need more braincell to fight the final boss.

One of the best games I've ever played, I genuinely loved playing through everything. I would say that this should NOT be your first game in the series, play Yakuza: Like a Dragon first before anything. The experience is improved solely if you're nostalgic for any of the other Yakuza games, while still enjoyable for anyone who's only played Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It's not perfect, of course, and its story does not compare to Yakuza 0, Yakuza 6, or Judgment 1, but I found it to be one of the best experiences I've had as of late.

Gameplay and story are amazing as other reviews say and ton of improvements from previous game definitely a must play for fans, however, there are lots of minor issues that makes this game less enjoyable that the previous one.

The BAD:
1) DLC third dungeon is the same as the other two and final bosses are no even hard (finished the last boss in 3 full turns).
2) Minigames blocked behind main missions, DO NOT EXPLORE EVERYWEHRE until you reach chapter 6, otherwise you will have to do it again (I had to do it 3 times).
3) Dungeons layouts design for the three is lazy and boring, just square rooms everywhere, good luck trying to stay awake.
4) Amon fight was decent (require level 55 to beat) not even close as good and hard as the previous like a dragon game (require level 99 and almost max gear).
5) Half of the jobs have near useless abilities.

Minor things:
1) If you are new to the franchise there are a lot of memory recollections for one of the main characters if you have not played any of the previous games you will be completely lost.
2) Insufferable repetition of phrases from enemies in quick succession (wachew lukin at, take a walk as whole, deep sheet, others).
3) Levelling up two groups of people for 3/4 of the game is very time consuming.
4) Island mini game is an absolute grind fest and nothing really happens there.
5) Change outfits outside combat only possible after completing main story.
6) Some actors have good English but others like one of the antagonist "American" speaking english like Japanese.
7) Several jobs

While I wouldn't recommend starting with this game. This is definitely one of the best Like A Dragon Games. It has some flaws but they are not disruptive to the overall experience. Possibly my game of the year. It made me cry, gave me heartaches and lifted me up again and again.

One of the best games in the Yakuza franchise and I played all the English titles, even bought a PS3 just to play Yakuza Dead Souls. Back to the game, it's really great, full of fun activities, full of quality of life and combat improvements from the previous main title. The story is good, the map of Hawaii is ultra detailed and I loved exploring it all. I loved the dual protagonist play and really hope we'll see the protagonists working together again. Loved seeing all the returning characters and hope we get serviced like that again. Ichiban is a fun and lovable goofball in perfect contrast with the mature and serious Kiryu, the hero we grew with and all love. A trip back memory lane while also taking the story forward. Good job to RGG Studio and here's to more great games like this one.

I would say it's the second worst yakuza just after yakuza 5 if it comes to story. It feels like playing an essay written with loads of added words just to make it to 20.000 words mark. When you could really fit it in a 100 words instead. In other yakuza's, you're the badass, you follow Kiryu to his impossible quests and follow the story of being THE DRAGON. In this yakuza? some goons kidnap a child and you're crying in the corner because you're weakass 45 year old who trusts everybody and get's betrayed on every corner and can do nothing about it. I guess the word '' Yakuza '' was taken out of the title, because there's no yakuza spirit in this game anymore. The MC feels WEAK!. However, gameplay is slightly better than in first like a dragon, but there's not much improvement, it kinda feels the same. There's not much interesting fights, most of it is bash your highest dmg aoe skill OVER AND OVER AND OVER. Boss fights are a joke as well, just spam your highest dmg single-target spell. I enjoyed DONDOKO ISLAND MORE THAN THE MAIN GAME. HOW?!. Well. I'm very dissapointed. Yakuza is dead. I played every single yakuza and this is the end of it. Very sad.

I've played all the mainline Yakuza entries and this is definitely my favorite. A great story paired with terrific character work, top of the line writing, a wide array of side content, an engaging setting full of unique enemies, a significantly improved turn-based combat system, detailed cutscenes, a banger soundtrack, and incredible performances. It's not perfect, and there were aspects relating to the overall narrative that I felt could have been done better, but the complete package is nothing short of fantastic. Definitely worth a buy.

Game Genre	Action Adventure JRPG
Story	★★★★★
Fun	★★★★★
Difficulty	★☆☆☆☆
Graphic	★★★★★
Music	★★★★★

Fun game really should have played more of the previous ones though. Honestly could have been shorter at least felt like it lasted longer than it should. Especially with OCD making me want to find all the icons on the map.

I really did enjoy my time with this game, but if you're a Yakuza fan, some story beats will leave you scratching your head or reeling in disbelief. Overall, it's a fantastic game, and all, but the writing ain't exactly the best for the series.

Neutral review,

Gameplay and content wise it is better and more generous than LAD, some of the new cast are great (Tomi, Chitose, Yamai and Eiji) but that's about it.

The story goes to the trashbin halfway through, Kiryu decides he is the main character again and my boy Ichiban gets the worst plotline for the rest of the game. Main villains are terrible (except you Yamai, you are cool) and their schemes don't even make sense, music is also way worse than LAD.

So yeah basically more LAD with better gameplay but way worse plot.

literally played thru the majority of this game with the biggest goofiest grin on my face. gameplay improved tenfold from 7, and gut wrenching and exciting story from both protagonists. literally did nothing but play this game for two weeks straight and had a dream with the battle gui. best game ever

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth proves that RGG Studio is capable of making games still rellelvant to modern times with its story and side stories. Character Interaction has expanded by a lot with new cast as well as old one coming back for yet another adventure of Ichiban Kasuga. I have to say that I absolutely love this game and it deserves high praised as it gives a great conclusion to all of the past games and to finally begin a new series. Exploration of Hawaii was super fun and Kiryu's adventures in Yokohama was also an Interesting touch, giving new bonds with characters we already knew about but from a new perspective which I also adore how it was made.

Now here is a little spoiler tangine that I have towards three main villains of the game so don't read further if you don't want to get spoiled.

This game features three main antagonists, Dwight Mendez, Wong Tou and Bryce Fairchild (Yutaka Yamai is also there and more of him in a bit).
Dwight is a wieird of them three because he's pretty much feels like a filler to simply exist as an antagonist and his death is very anticlimactic as well, just chomped by a shark and poof, gone.
Wong Tou is barely memorable and the only thing I do remember is his Casino and the kid he has simply because of Chitose remembering that he exists.
Bryce Fairchild is a perfect dumbf*ck of the game because his motives are the most questionable of how he wants to rule everything. He specifically murdered innocent people to become a leader of the most messed up group, making up stuff just so people end each other, all in the name of protecting an island in the middle of Pacific just to fill it with radioactive dump. All of this would've been avoided if he just invested in a hole in the ground to store the waste in and I love how the secret end villain of the story just says how his plan was idiotic as well if you yourself didn't think of it. I feel like Bryce of them all was well written in a sense of being stupid.
Yutaka Yamai is also there but he hardly qualifies as a villain. I'd say he's more of a dude that's motives are of being on top of underworld game, failing and accepting his loss like a real man, I like him as a character as well as he also feels well written.

And that's pretty much all there is to say from me, good game, would recommend to people, 9/10.
P.S. I am not going to complain about paid NG+ because I already did under the master vacation bundle and so should you if you have problems with it, SEGA needs to stop with these practices and never do them ever again.

Since I picked this game up I just couldn't stop playing. The story was great. And when I felt tired of the story, I got lost for hours just doing side content or minigames. Even with my limited Yakuza knowledge, one of the best JRPGs I have played.

One of the only 70$ games that actually has 70$ worth of content. While the main story itself is not the best of RGG has to offer (it felt pretty rushed towards the end), it gets the job done. Of course the real reason why anyone plays these games is the side content, and it delivers with spades. Don't buy the dlc though.

While it may seem like there is a lot of text in the review, I have segmented it. This way, you can read only what you want.

Honest review

Note that I have only played Yakuza 7 before because I'm a JRPG enthusiast, but if you are a fan of the Yakuza series from the beginning, I am convinced that you will enjoy the game.

I have completed the game with all the achievements, and I must say that it is not a bad game. However, I feel like the game has many things to improve.

It is important to consider that this is my opinion, Famitsu has given it a score of 40/40 which means that this game is PERFECT.

Story

In general, the story is entertaining, but by no means is it up to the level of Yakuza 7:

Ichiban’s story is chaotic and uninspiring. As you progress, you are losing interest in it. You will meet interesting characters during the story, like Yamai, and you will also see some great scenes and twists. But, you will soon realize that the main objective stops making sense. Too many things mixed up.

At the beginning of the story, a lot of importance is given to the language barrier (Ichiban does not speak English and must communicate in Hawaii). For unknown reasons, as the game progresses, everyone in Hawaii learns Japanese ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

At first, it does not seem like a problem, but it broke the immersion for me. It could have been easily fixed with anything, like implanting a language chip in Ichiban’s head that translates from English to Japanese automatically…

Combat

The combat system has improved a lot and is vastly superior to that of Yakuza 7.

While in most fights (even on the most hard difficulties) you will keep spamming AoE abilities, you will also enjoy visually stunning combos.

There is also a great variety of new jobs for your characters, and you can take the skills of the jobs you like the most to your main job (although you have a limited number of slots). This is great because it allows you to customize your character a lot.

Mini-games

The mini-games are extremely fun:

Perhaps the most notable ones here are the game’s own Animal Crossing (a game that I hate, btw) and also Pokémon battles (quite entertaining, lol). If the game just had Yakuza 7’s Dragon Kart, it would have been perfect…

In addition to those mini-games, you will find many more, such as a Dating App.

Exploration and secrets

As you explore, you will find enemies with a crown above their heads, indicating that they are mini-bosses. This mechanic adds a lot of appeal to the game’s exploration, as the rewards you usually receive are great.

Besides that, there are several mechanics that the game introduces, keeping you engrossed for hours. No complaints, exploration in this game is brilliant.

Post-game

The post-game content of Yakuza 7 is far superior:

As you know, the base game does not have post-game content (although it has Premium Adventure), it is locked behind a DLC Paywall.

The DLC does not contribute much, only adding a new, boring, and bland dungeon (identical to the free one) and the possibility of playing NG+.

Is it worth it? Well, if you have come this far and you like the game, yes. If not, you are not missing much. However, if you want to complete 100% of the achievements, you will need the DLC…

Conclusion

It is a good game, but the price is extremely high, for a game that is not even complete (since you are “forced” to buy the DLC if you want to enjoy everything).

In my opinion: In some aspects, it far surpasses Yakuza 7, but in others, it falls extremely short.