Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review – happy yakuza holiday

PS5 (tested), PS4, PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One; Sega/Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Despite a meandering story, an all-new location and careful refinements of the combat and social systems make this part of Ichiban's journey a hit

If you've ever played a Yakuza or Like a Dragon game, there are certain things you know by now - they feature several crime families and take at least a TV episode's worth of time for exposition before you get to even touch the controller. In this regard, Infinite Wealth is the biggest culprit yet, with the new location Hawaii nowhere in sight for a good five hours. Instead, you learn about lead character Ichiban's job at the local job centre and his lack of dating experience.

Eventually, the plot emerges. He's to go to Hawaii and find his birth mother, a woman named Akane previously believed dead. For Ichiban, and for us as players, this is the first time outside of Japan, which is exciting in itself - discovering a new map and new attractions feels refreshing, and as usual there's lots to do. Infinite Wealth immediately makes it clear that Hawaii is a paradise with a dark underbelly, which Ichiban gets to explore with an all-new party, which includes former protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. The streets are full of encounters, and where before, Ichiban's imagination transformed random gangsters into sad versions of JRPG monsters, this time around, enemies mostly depict the kind of annoyance you can supposedly expect in the big city: surfer bros who attack you with beer showers, random hooligans trying out their capoeira on you. It's a significant step back for enemy design.