Gaming
Games
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth perfectly balances emotion and entertainment
With a vibrant new location, polished combat system and the highly anticipated Dondoko Island mode - Infinite Wealth’s developers reveal how they’ve pushed the limits of the Yakuza series.
Grab your shorts and sunglasses because Yakuza’s Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga are heading to Hawaii.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the latest game in the Yakuza series and possibly the most ambitious yet, with the giant new Honolulu City map waiting to be explored - you may even find a Red Bull advertisement or two while doing so.
From emotional, melodramatic storylines to pure Animal Crossing-esque escapism building an island resort, Infinite Wealth offers a ridiculous amount of very ridiculous content to discover.
To learn more about the methods behind their madness, we spoke with the developers at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio to learn more about the new setting, minigames and how Infninte Wealth balance its whacky humour and emotional story.
Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu now find themselves in Hawaii
© Sega
This is the first game in the series set outside of Japan. Why did now feel like the right time to change locations?
The core concept behind choosing Hawaii as the new setting was that it fits very well within our narrative arc. Hawaii has a very strong link to Japanese culture. It is home to one of the largest Japanese populations outside of Japan, so it would still be navigable for Kasuga and friends. The Hawaiian setting had great synergy with the storyline and, as somewhere that would have both familiar elements and new elements, it felt like a great place for us to choose for the franchise’s first step internationally.
What was it like creating a more vibrant and energetic setting? Did that cause any new and unexpected challenges or opportunities?
Honestly, the choice of Hawaii as a setting made it possible for us to upsize the map dramatically compared to previous games set in Japan. I would say the new location has opened up new challenges and experiences for Kasuga as a character, whose adult life has only really just begun. The narrative is also not limited to just Hawaii – it also takes place in Japan, so it covers a lot of ground. It’s opened up opportunities to explore new settings in future, too.
If you had to choose another new location for a future game in the franchise, where would you pick and why?
I’m afraid you will have to wait and see where the series goes next – stay tuned!
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the latest mainline entry of the series
© Sega
Another big talking point is the return of turn-based combat. How has the combat changed and evolved in Infinite Wealth?
Infinite Wealth builds upon the foundation laid by Yakuza: Like a Dragon, greatly evolving the turn-based gameplay to put more emphasis on strategy and team synergy in battle. Freedom of movement during combat scenarios enables more battle strategies that encourage you to take into account surroundings, proximity to enemies, and which party members are close enough to team up with one another. The variety of combinations gives a real sense of cooperation between characters.
That’s not to mention that the new features, Hyper Meter and Tag Team Attacks, add another layer of thinking when it comes to managing resources and who you pick for your party.
We have to ask about Dondoko Island. What was the inspiration for creating your own take on the life simulation style of games such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley?
Dondoko Island is a resort builder that’s also a simulator, with a huge variety of things to do and adds a lot of longevity to your experience – you could say it’s its own full game within a game. Spiritually, though, it has successors in the 'game-within-a-game' experiences that appeared in previous titles within the franchise, like the Ichiban Senbei business management game or Cabaret Club Czar. We’re very excited to see how people interact with it, what they create and the interactions it might create on social media.
And carrying on from that, just how much is there to do on Dondoko island? How many hours will players be able to sink into creating their own island resort and just how far will these resorts escalate?
The scale of Dondoko Island holds massive creative potential, so we definitely hope it will be the kind of experience players engage with fully and invest many hours in. The aim of the game with Dondoko Island is to help the people living there to bring this forgotten and mistreated island back to life and create the resort of your dreams.
To do so, you’ll find yourself harvesting materials, making your own DIY furniture, and building your own facilities, eventually inviting paying customers to come and visit. And yes, that does mean your friends can even come and visit your island, asynchronously, too!
There's plenty to explore in the giant new Honolulu City map
© Sega
Leading on from that, what Substories and minigames are you most excited for players to try and why?
From familiar to new, there are many experiences waiting for you within Honolulu City. Some favourites from the franchise return like karaoke with new songs, and Sujimon also returns bigger than ever in that you’ll also be able to capture, train, and battle them. I’m excited for everyone to check out Crazy Delivery, an 'extreme food delivery service' that is very dynamic and has a lot of humour in it. These are just a couple of examples, though, and we fully encourage people to hunt out the other activities in all the corners of Honolulu City.
Of course, the franchise is well-known for being incredibly fun and whacky. How do you manage to one-up yourselves and keep increasing the level of craziness when developing a new game?
While our games are driven by narrative, part of the Like a Dragon series tone is the humour, which is the idea of everyday serious men doing silly things. We always set out to further evolve the series with each iteration, and the humour is a natural element of that. It’s not that we intentionally aim to outdo ourselves in terms of humour, but we are always trying to bring unexpected ideas to the table.
As you say, the games are still very emotional. How do you preserve the balance between funny and serious?
It’s definitely a delicate balance to strike, but it’s a result of the franchise’s found voice over the course of many years. I think that, even during sad times, finding things that bring one joy or laughter is possible, or even necessary. The tonal shifts are part of the real human experience and are reflected in the lives of the people and stories we write in Like a Dragon.
