🎭 Character Development: Heroes, Anti-Heroes, and Absolute Weirdos
One of the crown jewels of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth lies in its brilliantly written and wildly diverse cast of characters. This isn’t just Ichiban’s game — it’s a true ensemble experience.
Each party member is fleshed out with their own backstory, motivations, personal quests, and dynamic interactions. From the stoic ex-cop with a hidden karaoke addiction to the homeless healer with surprisingly sage wisdom, these characters evolve throughout the game — and your decisions affect their growth.
The dialogue between party members isn’t just filler either; it’s genuinely hilarious, heartfelt, and occasionally heart-wrenching. It’s like hanging out with a dysfunctional but lovable family — one that’s always ready to throw down with street punks.
🌐 Cultural Touchpoints: A Celebration of Modern (and Absurd) Japan
What makes Infinite Wealth stand apart from your average RPG is how deeply it immerses players in Japanese culture — and not the polished tourist version. You’re walking through real urban life: convenience stores stocked with bento and sake, oddball TV shows, random idol performances in the street, and food menus that’ll make you hungry just reading them.
And then there’s the satirical angle — the game pokes fun at everything from MLM scams and influencer culture to salaryman burnout and oddball hobbies like bug collecting or underground hostess clubs. It’s absurd, it’s sincere, it’s local and global all at once — a brilliant love letter to the contradictions of modern Japan.
🧠 Job System and Customization: JRPG Mechanics Done Right
One of the most addictive aspects of Infinite Wealth is the expanded job system — a feature that brings a ton of flexibility and fun. Players can swap character “jobs” (basically RPG classes) at will, with dozens of creative options like:
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Host: Charm your enemies into submission.
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Breakdancer: Kick heads while busting moves.
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Chef: Attack with flaming sauté pans and stat-boosting cuisine.
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Aquanaut: Launch fish from a water tank strapped to your back.
Each job has unique abilities, animations, and synergy potential when paired with other characters. The real joy comes from experimentation — trying new builds, mixing power roles with support or debuff characters, and finding what chaos fits your squad best.
💻 Technical Performance: Smooth Ride or Glitchy Mayhem?
Let’s talk polish. On current-gen consoles and PC, Infinite Wealth runs like a dream. Load times are swift, frame rates stay consistent even during chaos-heavy combat, and transitions between gameplay and cutscenes are seamless.
SEGA’s Dragon Engine continues to impress — character models look hyper-detailed, and even random pedestrians walking past you have a surprising amount of life. The game supports high frame rate modes, ray tracing, and dynamic resolution scaling, making it visually competitive with top-tier RPGs of 2025.
That said, the PC port offers deep customization, mod support, and solid keyboard-and-mouse controls. Console players get the benefit of adaptive triggers and haptic feedback that really sells the tension of fights.
🏆 Replayability and Post-Game Content: Infinite Wealth, Infinite Playtime?
Finish the main storyline? Think you're done? Think again.
The game boasts a massive amount of endgame content. There are secret bosses that rival Dark Souls in difficulty, dungeons hidden behind high-level requirements, a card-based minigame that turns into a full-blown roguelike challenge, and even a "Legacy Yakuza Mode" where you replay missions with special modifiers and remixed enemies.
Then there’s New Game+, where you keep your job levels, gear, and friendship bonds — but face higher-stakes enemies and unlock alternate endings. It’s rare to find a single-player RPG in 2025 that offers this much replay value without resorting to paid expansions (though those are likely coming too).
Combat Evolution: Turn-Based... But Not Turned Off
Let’s face it — turn-based combat can often feel slow or dated, especially in a post-Elden Ring world. But Infinite Wealth manages to breathe new life into the format. It’s turn-based with a twist — you can move characters freely during turns, positioning them to hit multiple enemies, use the environment to your advantage, or trigger unique follow-up attacks from allies nearby.
This small tweak adds layers of strategy and real-time thinking. Want to toss an enemy into traffic for bonus damage? You can. Want to kick a dude into a lamp post so it falls and electrocutes the others? Also possible.
The system strikes a rare balance — deep enough for hardcore JRPG fans to optimize every move, yet dynamic and punchy enough to keep action gamers engaged. And the EX moves? They're cinematic chaos — imagine Ichiban summoning a rain of lobsters from the sky to stun a yakuza boss. Yes, it’s that unhinged — and glorious.
🏙️ Environment & World Design: Hawaii Meets Kamurocho
Here’s a surprising move: Infinite Wealth expands the series beyond Japan — to Hawaii, specifically Honolulu, marking the first time the franchise has taken its crime saga international.
But does it work?
Absolutely.
Honolulu is vibrant, detailed, and feels alive — from sun-kissed beaches to sketchy back alleys behind tourist traps. You can surf, ride scooters, eat poke bowls, and dodge street performers offering “blessings” (read: scams). This American setting contrasts beautifully with the tight urban sprawl of Yokohama, which also returns and has been further fleshed out with new neighborhoods and secrets.
Exploration is a joy. NPCs have unique stories, random street events evolve over time, and mini-games are seamlessly woven into the city life. Whether you’re helping a grandma find her lost dog or running a fast-food empire from your phone, everything feels connected and personal.
🕹️ Mini-Games & Side Hustles: The Ultimate Distraction Simulator
The Yakuza series has always been known for its ridiculous — and ridiculously addictive — mini-games. In Infinite Wealth, that legacy not only continues, it explodes.
We’re talking:
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Dondoko Island: A full-on life sim where Ichiban manages his own island resort. Think Animal Crossing meets Breaking Bad. You’ll build, craft, decorate — and occasionally chase raccoons off the property.
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Crazy Delivery: A Jet Set Radio-inspired food delivery game where you skate around the city dodging cars, flipping tricks, and launching sushi at customers.
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Dating Sim App: You can now swipe left or right as Ichiban — and go on hilariously awkward dates that turn into battles, life lessons, or even karaoke duets.
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Classic SEGA Arcades: Yes, you can still waste hours on Virtua Fighter, Out Run, and UFO Catchers. Because nostalgia is powerful.
These aren’t throwaways — many of these systems could be standalone games. They offer progression, storylines, and rewards that spill over into the main campaign. They also serve the tone perfectly — absurd, self-aware, and endlessly entertaining.
🔚 Wrapping It Up: A Wealth of Infinite Possibilities
By now, it’s clear that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth isn’t just a game. It’s an experience — an overflowing bento box of storytelling, combat, humor, culture, and personality. It dares to evolve a beloved franchise without losing its identity, and it delivers one of the most polished, rewarding RPGs of the decade.
🎯 Final Takeaway: More Than a Game, It’s a Genre-Bending Saga
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is not just another RPG. It’s a brilliant genre fusion, a heartfelt drama, a comedy goldmine, a strategic playground, and one of the best examples of why single-player, story-rich games still matter.
In an age of battle passes and live-service fatigue, Infinite Wealth feels like a personal journey — one that rewards players not just with loot, but with memories. From heart-pounding fights to tears over a character’s tragic past to accidentally spending two hours at the virtual arcade — this game respects your time and gives you joy in return.