Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024): The Review

Overview

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a cinematic triumph, even with a few minor missteps, and the frustrating choice to lock New Game Plus behind a paywall, it remains a stellar entry in the series. Its refined turn-based combat, wealth of entertaining side content, rewarding exploration, excellent voice performances, and deeply emotional storytelling all come together beautifully. More than just another sequel, it feels like a heartfelt tribute to longtime fans while confidently paving the way for the franchise’s future.

Score: 9 out of 10

The Positives ✅

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth feels massive in the best possible way. It isn’t just another strong entry in the franchise, it feels like a celebration of everything the series has built over the years while also opening the door to whatever comes next. Between its emotional storytelling, refined turn-based combat, absurd amount of side content, and beautifully realized version of Hawaii, this is the kind of game that constantly reminds you how much love and confidence RGG poured into it.

The story is easily one of the game’s greatest strengths. Infinite Wealth takes the emotional sincerity of Ichiban’s journey and pairs it with the quiet, devastating weight of Kiryu’s arc, creating a narrative that feels both deeply personal and much bigger than either character alone. Ichiban’s search for his mother and Kiryu’s battle with cancer give the game a grounded emotional core, while the wider conflict surrounding the yakuza, gang politics, and old sins keeps the scale large and dramatic. It’s one of those stories that starts slow, sure, but once it gains momentum, it doesn’t let go.

What really makes the narrative hit, though, is the relationship between Kiryu and Ichiban. Watching the two bounce off each other is one of the game’s biggest pleasures. They’re so different in temperament and worldview, yet they fit together surprisingly well. Kiryu has the weary gravitas of a man nearing the end of something, while Ichiban brings warmth, optimism, and chaos wherever he goes. Infinite Wealth understands exactly how meaningful that contrast is, and it uses it to great effect. It genuinely feels like a passing of the torch rather than a forced handoff.

Gameplay-wise, RGG has done a fantastic job improving the turn-based combat introduced in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Battles are more fluid, more dynamic, and far more interactive thanks to repositioning, environmental attacks, better basic attacks, and more seamless tag-team mechanics. Fights feel faster and less static now, and the ability to set up attacks based on spacing adds much-needed depth. And then there’s Kiryu’s absurdly fun ability to temporarily break the rules and go full brawler again, which is not only overpowered, but exactly the kind of ridiculous fan-pleasing move this series knows how to pull off.

Then there’s the side content, because of course there is. Infinite Wealth is overflowing with things to do, and somehow most of it is genuinely fun rather than filler. Dondoko Island is basically a whole game on its own, and the expanded Sujimon mode is so committed to the bit that it becomes hard not to love. Add in karaoke, substories, minigames, goofy distractions, exploration, party bonding, and random discoveries around Honolulu, and you have a game that practically begs you to get sidetracked. In true Like a Dragon fashion, getting distracted often ends up being half the fun.

Visually, this might be one of the best showcases of the Dragon Engine yet. Honolulu looks gorgeous, bright, lively, and warm, but the game also knows when to shift into darker, harsher tones for the more serious parts of the story. Character models are detailed to an almost absurd degree, and the dramatic cutscenes still carry that signature RGG style where every camera angle, shadow, and close-up is doing heavy lifting. Add in another excellent soundtrack and strong performances from most of both the Japanese and English cast, and Infinite Wealth consistently feels polished, confident, and cinematic.

The Negatives ⚠️

For as much as Infinite Wealth gets right, it’s not completely spotless. The most obvious issue is the decision to lock New Game Plus behind paid DLC. It’s a greedy move, plain and simple, and one that feels especially frustrating in a game this big. A title with this much content, this much customization, and this much replay potential should not be nickel-and-diming players for something that feels like a standard feature.

There are also a few narrative stumbles, even if they don’t derail the overall experience. Chapter 1 is a pretty slow burn, even by RGG standards, and while the buildup eventually pays off, it may test the patience of players eager to get to the bigger drama. Some villains also feel less memorable than they should, especially in a story that otherwise hits such strong emotional highs. There are moments where certain story beats don’t land with quite the impact they’re aiming for, even if the overall plot remains excellent.

The English dub has one particularly glaring weak point: Kiryu. While the rest of the English cast is largely very good, Kiryu’s performance feels noticeably off. It’s not just that the voice sounds like a mismatch, it’s the delivery, too. For a character this important, and especially for a game where he’s at his most vulnerable, the performance needed more gravity, more exhaustion, more emotional depth. Instead, it often feels stiff or overly forced, which makes it stand out in all the wrong ways.

There are a few smaller annoyances in the gameplay too. While the job system is more flexible than before, being forced to go to specific locations to switch jobs still feels inconvenient. Some party members don’t get quite as much spotlight in the main story as they deserve either, even if Bond Links help soften that problem. None of these are major flaws, but they’re noticeable enough in a game that otherwise gets so much right.

The Experience 🎮

Playing Infinite Wealth feels like going on an absurdly emotional vacation you somehow never want to end. One second you’re dealing with gang politics, terminal illness, and generational guilt; the next you’re singing karaoke, riding a Segway through Honolulu, taking part in Pokemon jokes with grown men, or turning a rundown island into a tropical paradise. And somehow, none of it feels out of place. That’s the magic of Like a Dragon, it can swing wildly between heartbreak and nonsense and still feel completely sincere.

What stood out most to me was how alive everything felt. Honolulu isn’t just a new map, it feels like a place RGG genuinely wanted you to explore, poke around in, and get lost in. The city has energy, personality, and enough distractions packed into it that just walking from one objective to another can turn into a 45-minute detour. It’s one of those rare game spaces where wandering around feels rewarding even when you’re not actively chasing a quest marker.

At the center of it all, though, is the emotional core. Kiryu’s storyline hits hard, harder than I expected, honestly. There’s something deeply affecting about seeing a character who always seemed untouchable now forced to confront his own mortality. Watching him reflect on his life, his regrets, and the people he’s lost gives the game a kind of emotional maturity that really lingers. And on the other side, Ichiban continues to prove why he works so well as the future of the series. He’s messy, sincere, hopeful, and easy to root for.

Even when the game slips up, it rarely stays down for long. The weaker villains, the slow opening, the NG+ nonsense, the awkward English Kiryu performance—those things matter, but they never fully overshadow what the game accomplishes. Because when Infinite Wealth is firing on all cylinders, it’s hard to think about anything else. It’s funny, heartfelt, dramatic, ridiculous, and strangely wise all at once.

In the end, Infinite Wealth feels exactly like its title suggests: overflowing. Overflowing with content, emotion, ideas, absurdity, nostalgia, and heart. It’s the kind of game that gives you so much to do and so much to feel that it almost becomes difficult to step away from. As both a love letter to longtime fans and a statement about where the series goes next, it absolutely delivers.