Summary
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthmakes good on its promise to deliver a grander experience than its predecessor, giving players the opportunity to delve into Hawaii among new substories, minigames, and narrative considerations. The same can be said for its characters, building from the OG crew to include newcomers likeTomizawa and Chitose, while making familiar faces like Seonhee playable in combat. Having to juggle a ten-member cast would be daunting for any developer to tackle, though RGG uses these numbers deftly to both enhanceInfinite Wealth’s story and keep its combat tight, ensuring that no party member gets left behind.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthsees its protagonists split between Ichiban and Kiryu, serving as a way to honor the series' past and further establish Ichiban as a worthy successor to the mantle. Its use of the party-based system works in tandem with its story to show the two working with different members of the cast, dividing time between Hawaii and Japan. Ichiban, Tomi, Chitose, Adachi, and Joongi work on uncovering the nefarious nature behind Palekana’s leadership, while over in Ijincho, Kiryu gets to establish his own bonds with OG members of theLAD7crew. This division works on multiple levels, as separatingInfinite Wealth’s cast into five and five helps to keep party members from being reserved on the sidelines in both narrative and gameplay contexts.
How Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Juggles a Ten-Member Cast
Many considerations were taken into this split party dynamic throughoutInfinite Wealth’s gameplayand story. Ichiban’s relationship troubles with Saeko, for example, are made more prominent in their separation between the party’s two halves, paving the way for Saeko’s perspective to be addressed in her Drink Links with Kiryu. The same can be said for howInfinite Wealthsets up other central conflicts in its beginning hours; giving Kiryu the chance to spend some time in Hawaii at first allows him to meet and establish relationships with Tomi and Chitose, ascertain what’s going on with the search for Akane, and above all, work directly alongside Ichiban, furthering the bond they share while making his cancer reveal all the more devastating.
Showcasing the Party’s Bonds
Once Kiryu returns to Japan, his participation in the plot is kept important through his work in uncovering Ebina’s plans, though he’s also able to receive some well-deserved breathing room. This is furthered by OG members of theLAD7crew, Nanba, Saeko, and Zhao, who, alongside Seonhee, endeavor to returna spark to the Dragon of Dojima’s life. The resulting effect is both endearing and central to Kiryu’s character, as he learns the importance of vulnerability and the merits of leaning on others for help, made clear by the affection that the crew shows towards him. It’s an excellent way to demonstrate the game’s emphasis on bonds, tying into so many of its inner mechanics.
This party divide is also effective because of the workLAD7put into developing its OG cast. The result is thatInfinite Wealthcan lean on the pasts of characters like Nanba and Zhao tofurther their bonds with Kiryuwithout having to establish their motivations or personalities from the ground up. This also allows Ichiban ample time to learn about newcomers Tomi and Chitose from his side of the party, giving them a level of narrative prominence that becomes central to their progression as characters. From the combat side of things, having the party split between five and five makes it so thatInfinite Wealth’s battle system, where there are four active participants at a time, doesn’t waver in letting each member feel important.
No Member Left Behind
Though some party members are added quite late intoInfinite Wealth’s story, the game still does an excellent job at making them feel integrated within its plot and side mechanics. Joongi Han, for example, is able to lean on his backstory fromLAD7while furthering his personality through features like Bond Bingo. Even in the smaller details, likeInfinite Wealth’s karaoke, the split cast dynamic is given attention; allowing a song to be performed by two different characters makes it so that the minigame feels robust from both sides of the party. It is through these details thatInfinite Wealth’s castis afforded the time they deserve, allowing them to each stand out in their own right.
