Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth takes the next Yakuza RPG to the beach: "Hawaii fits perfectly within our narrative arc"

While for us it'll have been a few months since we left Kiryu in a Hawaiian church in Like A Dragon Gaiden, it's only seconds for him as we pick back up the series star's thread in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which begins our time with the game.

Naturally, our favorite former yakuza can't just be allowed to take a holiday. Having faked his death to protect his loved ones, he's now under the thumb of the Daidoji, a shadowy organization which helps him keep his secret – for a price. His trip to the sunny island has come with some caveats, as a phone call pointedly reminds him as he leaves the church: he's got to track someone down.

It's an important introduction more for how it sets Kiryu up as a chess piece in the complex drama unfolding in Hawaii than for the mission itself. While the hero of the first six Yakuza games (this is the eighth) made a cameo in the soft reboot that was 2020's Yakuza: Like A Dragon, here he's a full-on secondary protagonist, standing alongside the ever-lovable lead of that earlier game, Ichiban Kasuga.

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Dragon's treasure

Given the last game made such a big deal out of introducing Kasuga as the new series star, Kiryu's return, even to share the spotlight, is interesting. While it certainly helps that the gruff Dragon Of Dojima remains incredibly popular, that's not all that went into the decision to bring him back; it's about the story the team wanted to tell.

"The reason why we reintroduced Kiryu is because he is indispensable as a legendary member of the Kyokudo [Yakuza] when describing the fate of the Kyokudo after they were dismantled in Yakuza: Like A Dragon," shares Hiroyuki Sakamoto, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's chief producer. Despite the Western name change (from Yakuza to Like A Dragon – which was always the Japanese title), the series can't get away from the gangsters. The in-universe dismantling of the multi-faction criminal organizations has opened up new tales to tell about where that's left the criminal world. "Since Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth follows a theme about the question of what has been Gokudo (Yakuza) and what is to come for Gokudo (Yakuza), these were perfectly portrayed by Kiryu and his backstory, which has a lot of history behind it," continues Sakamoto.

But Infinite Wealth isn't the first time the series has adopted multiple protagonists. Yakuza 4 had four, while Yakuza 5 had five; it's a series with no shortage of great characters to focus on. "This is because Like A Dragon emphasizes and underscores the act of taking on great and terrible evils all whilst uniting with friends in the process," says Sakamoto. And here the threat is again promised to be one that couldn't be faced by a single person. [Having] "co-leads also allows players to engage with different perspectives in the game, enriching the story we are able to tell, and allowing players to enjoy varied gameplay experiences," he says.

Following Kiryu's church call, we take control of him as he shakes down informants for information about the Japanese lady he's been asked to find, only to stumble on the news that a Japanese man with wild hair was arrested for wandering around Honolulu beach with his buttocks (and more) exposed, before breaking out of jail. We all have that friend who we immediately know is responsible for trouble, and Kiryu is indeed no different, meeting up with Kasuga as he investigates.

As the pair look for somewhere to lay low, they realize Kiryu's not the only one searching for someone. Kasuga's in Hawaii to reconnect with his long-lost mother – but, despite the mysterious invitation he received, he didn't get a warm welcome when he showed up at the address (hence his cheekscapade). Coincidence this is not, as Kiryu and Kasuga realize they're looking for the same woman. Needless to say, a complicated conspiracy is about to draw them both in – but will they find themselves on opposing sides when the dust clears?

"Hawaii was chosen as a new setting for the series because it fits perfectly within our narrative arc," explains Sakamoto. "It serves as the most effective place for Kasuga's mother to hide, having been chased by the Japanese Yakuza for many years. We did consider other island locations, but Hawaii has a very strong link to Japanese culture, being a place with one of the largest Japanese populations outside of Japan, plus the Hawaiian setting matched with the storyline, so it seemed like a good location to expand the franchise to, allowing us to mix the familiar with the new."

And what a location it is! With the sun shining down (and occasional summer showers), the vibes are immaculate. When we're let off the leash to explore, we turn and run straight into the sea – and imagine our surprise when Kasuga whips off his shirt and starts swimming into the crystalline waters. Dive in a glowing spot and you can stuff your trunks with trash (to turn in for rewards – why not help keep Hawaii tidy?). Meanwhile, returning to the streets, the Segway-like street surfers allow the party to wheel from point to point if you're tired from swimming. Infinite Wealth is ambitious in scope (the map is huge), with loads of variety throughout the different districts of Honolulu.

Hawaii Vice

While Infinite Wealth is dropping on PS4 and PS5, the newer hardware truly allows the game to shine (and it's what we play our demo session on). "Simply achieving both higher resolution and higher frame rates stand as prime examples," says Sakamoto on the technical benefits of PS5, "but the Like A Dragon series is also unique with its unusually large number of in-game objects present." Everywhere you look there's something to see – some of it commented on by the party, such as fire-breathing street performers. PS5 allows more objects to be rendered, better bringing Hawaii to life. "This advancement not only contributes to elevated graphics but also means the Like A Dragon series can convey more intricate and nuanced details," says Sakamoto.

The setting also provides fresh inspiration for sub-stories – often- comedic little tales that sit alongside the dramatic core story. "Balancing the blend of side-stories and main story beats is a nuanced and deliberate process. Because of the dramatic main story, we highly value variety and light-heartedness in the side-stories," says Sakamoto. "We construct the side-stories to provide comedic relief whilst simultaneously crafting the main story beats with depth."

In part, Sakamoto says, it comes from listening to fan feedback. But the planning team also inject their own experiences into making them, like the 'Saved By Kindness' substory, which is based on a real-life T-shirt scam that one of the staff had encountered. "In these cases, real-life inspiration enhances the relatability of the side-stories within the game," he says.

Hawaiian flavor makes for new experiences. Literally, in the case of one mission that has Kasuga filling in as a waiter at the last minute, having to learn local dishes and remember all the orders. Another has you riding the tram while taking photos of perverts for the police. Another, beach-set, sub-story tasks you with delivering a love letter to a boy buried in the sand, only to find the whole class embedded up to their necks. What follows is a logic puzzle, requiring you to figure out the exact position of your target to make sure the right person gets the missive. We're left wondering what the team's research trips must have been like to result in these romps!

But back to our double dragon duo: our demo is capped off with Kiryu and Kasuga heading to Kasuga's mother's address to investigate, only to find it empty... and for the Yamai Syndicate to show up. What's worse, Kiryu's unwell and would rather avoid a scuffle with their patriarch, the crowbar-wielding Yutaka Yamai. But we discover it's a family in name only, as taxi driver and henchman Eric Tomizawa has been forced into working for Yamai. It only takes a touch of Kasuga's kind-heartedness to turn Tomizawa from foe to friend, making our final boss fight three-against-one.

The turn-based fighting is as silly as ever. Tomizawa's ultimate attack, for instance, has him loading up enemies into his taxi and literally driving them to the hospital before 4 it explodes. "[The team are] really good at coming up with quirky ideas!" says Sakamoto. "Having a team that has a sense of playfulness and humor is key in creating the outlandish and entertaining attacks and moves we see in this new title."

But combat is more than a repeat of the last game's stuffed with even sillier ideas, it's been tweaked to reward tactical thinking. Previously, "the element of luck was strong" says Sakamoto of getting the upper hand in battle. "When developing Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, we believed that luck shouldn't be so strongly pushed and we dialed back the emphasis on it, instead focussing on giving more control to the player and [giving them] more opportunities for exploitation."

One simple example comes from Tomizawa: we douse Yamai with car-wash water, then follow up on our next turn with a car-battery- powered lightning attack. As you unlock more 'jobs' (here inspired by tourist trips, like surfer, Hawaiian dancer, and more), the opportunity for tactical interplay increases. Scrapping is also more dynamic, with more emphasis on movement and positioning. Ping-ponging enemies into allies for extra damage is easier now you have control over direction, and standing next to allies or weapons allows for team-up and environmental attacks respectively.

It's underscored by Kiryu's ultimate attack, Dragon Resurgence, which hands us real-time control as he breaks the turn-based UI apart and doles out a rapid-fire beatdown. "We hope that players enjoy this unique meeting of both protagonists' signature combat styles," says Sakamoto. Mashing [Square] and [Triangle], our barrage is inter-cut with Yamai's face being crushed by Kiryu's fist. It's familiar but fresh. When in Hawaii, we'll be doing as the dragons do.