The latest (spinoff?) Yakuza game, a direct sequel to Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon, is getting really great reviews and comes out this week.
Some quotes:
PureXbox 10/10:
Indeed this is a crucial point as, more than any other entry in the series to date, this latest outing just seems to get how activities and rewards should flow into one another for maximum satisfaction. Time spent boozing, socialising and indulging in side activities results in tangible improvements, boosts and boons here, and that makes for a core gameplay experience that’s never been better. So make sure to fill in those relationship bingo cards, folks (we’re not joking), as knowing your friends well brings important benefits when it comes time to smash some faces all over the beach promenade.
PushSquare 9/10:
Like a Dragon fans will turn up in their droves for a new Yakuza story regardless of overall quality, but never has one been as utterly essential as Infinite Wealth. Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga return for the most gripping of narratives that sends the squad globe trotting across three vast cities, all the while feeling at home with its serious plot and comical side stories. There’s more to see and do than ever before, the turn-based combat has gone up a gear, and the entire experience has a visual shine that makes it the best-looking game in the series. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the best Yakuza game ever made. No ifs, no buts: you absolutely have to play this.
Rock, Paper, Shotgun:
What’s wonderful about Hawaii is how it perfectly compliments Ichiban’s personality and, to some extent, Yakuza as a whole. It bursts with colour - perhaps too much, as the contrast might blind you during the day - and has various districts with shiny malls, surf shacks, sleaze, and an azure sea you can actually swim about in. It easily sits as one of my favourite Yakuza locales ever, because it also embraces the slow life (a bit like Y6’s Onomichi, my all time fave), as you stroll along its coastal paths or hop in a tram with nothing in mind besides basking in the orange glow of the sun set. Just as Ichiban radiates positivity, so does Honolulu.
Digital Trends (4/5):
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the most emotionally impactful chapter in gaming’s best soap opera. It struggles to stay fully engaging from start to finish due to a supersized runtime filled with exhausting exposition dumps, but developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio delivers a deeply personal story that’s serious without sacrificing its heart. If any video game could leave you with a new lease on life, it’s this.
Oh, and a few of those reviews mentioned that the game is slow to get started. I had that issue in Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon, where I played for over 90 minutes and I still haven’t gotten to the game yet, I’m still in the “cutscene, then walk a little bit, trigger next cutscene” phase of the game. It sounds like this one starts the same way.
Slightly disappointed to learn that one of the main side activities is a Pokemon-clone. Seems weird to supplement your turn based RPG with… another turn based RPG.
As i understand it, the name was just changed in the West to that which Japan has always used, “Like A Dragon”. The last game would have previously been named “Yakuza 7” and this one “Yakuza 8”.
Kinda like the “Dragon Warrior” name later changing to Dragon Quest.
I did read this game was turn-based combat, which sounds really different to the Yakuza games I have played in the past. Did they really change core game mechanic in the same franchise series?
I really enjoyed Yakuza 7 but ran out of steam about 2/3rds the way through the game and never finished it when it got really grindly. I wonder if I need to push through or just get this when the price comes down
Eurogamer review did mention that this aspect was improved from Y7:
Yakuza: Like A Dragon’s first attempt at turn-based brawling had some nice ideas, but it ultimately buckled under the grind of an overly long romp and mundane party compositions. Thankfully, RGG sharpens its RPG blade for Kiryu’s probably final send-off.
Strategic combos are actually possible this time around, mainly because you have limited control over your character’s movement, making it easier than ever to line up surprise back attacks or knockdowns into incoming traffic. And in a move to appease the button-mashing devotees, Kiryu can stomp around freely during his ultimate ability, delivering big swings to the bulky foes still stuck in genre-mandated stasis.
I want to like this series but the fun, oddball side activities overwhelm the main game. I’m too much of an uptight completionist to just relax and ignore them. Plus the slow-to-start cutscene stuff is another hurdle.
Hawaii sounds like a fantastic setting to kick and punch and goof around in.
Exactly this. And the main story is there for when I want to take a break from kart racing, posing as a mascot, fighting an underwear thief, befriending cats, mentoring a dominatrix, infiltrating cults, and running my multi-billion yen business empire.
