You don’t need to play Yakuza: Like a Dragon before Infinite Wealth, but you should

The Like A Dragon series has never been afraid to make cute little nods to certain characters and side quests that have appeared in previous games, with minigames such as Like A Dragon Gaiden's colosseum fights usually crammed with references to several past titles. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is no exception, which gives us a cameo from a couple of characters those of you who have played the Judgment spinoff series will be very familiar with.

Gaming has had its fair share of moments when a new title would ostensibly be released at just the right time. The most recent example is Animal Crossing: New Horizons dropping in 2020 when the world needed a means to safely connect during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. And in 2024, for me — and maybe a lot of gamers out there — another of these games could be Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

The Like a Dragon (née Yakuza) franchise is known and beloved for its idiosyncratic tone, lovable characters, and complete devotion to minigames. You get fishing minigames! Dating minigames! Cabaret club management minigames! Movie minigames! And they often come with a surprising amount of depth and replayability.

continues the saga of Ichiban Kasuga, heading up his second installment in the series formerly known as. Following up on Ichiban's introduction in and original series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu's brilliant reintroduction in , focuses on the dual heroes as they travel to Honolulu separately, but on the same mission: to find Ichiban's long-lost mother, Akane. The two eventually meet up and combine their efforts, discovering much more than they bargained for as they near the center of a seedy plot.

Kazuma Kiryu's bucket list side story in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth features callbacks and references to several of the series' spinoffs, including Dead Souls, Kenzan, and Ishin.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a dramatic RPG that depicts the series’ most compelling tale to date. Two beloved characters take the spotlight as dual protagonists in this adventure—Ichiban Kasuga, a man who rises from rock bottom once again, and Kazuma Kiryu, who faces one final battle as he enters his twilight years.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is here, and like its predecessor Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the game opts for a turn-based RPG combat system rather than the brawling battles of old. While Infinite Wealth’s combat sticks to the same fundamentals as its predecessor, it also introduces quite a lengthy list of changes. To the point even Like a Dragon veterans will have to readjust their strategies somewhat. Don’t worry though, we’ll got some tips that will get you up to speed and cracking heads quickly…

By the time I saw the credits on Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, I felt like I had been through the emotional ringer. I was mentally exhausted. I think that's by design. Infinite Wealth is developer Ryu Ga Gotoku's (RGG) most ambitious project by a long shot – an epic tale told across multiple characters and continents, featuring the conclusion of some nearly 20-year-old plot threads that leave at least one character, quite literally and relatably, asleep in the streets. Some of this is the best work the developer has ever done, a new watermark for the series going forward. And some of it is some of the studio's worst. Like everything in Infinite Wealth, it's complicated.  

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has reportedly fired four employees in the aftermath of a major controversy surrounding the museum'sPokemon exhibition from last Fall. The worldwide popularity of Nintendo's iconic monster-catching franchise has seen the series honored in a variety of different manners since the games' 1996 debut. The series has regularly featured both digital and in-person exhibitions sharing the art and history of the franchise, including last year's «Pokemon Colors» exhibit in Yokohama. However, one of the most recent exhibitions has plenty of controversy attached.

There’s a new way to travel in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. While you can still pay taxis to get around Hawaii faster, you can also use a Segway-like device called the Street Surfer. This battery-powered standing travel device lets you zip around the streets, and you can mount it at any time. There’s just one downside. The battery life is limited and gets used up, so you’ll need to recharge at stations located all over the city. Using the Street Surfer is very simple and it can be summoned (or put away) at any time. You can even purchase higher capacity batteries from Hawaii Pawn Shops. The Street Surfer isn’t just limited to Hawaii either, you can use it when you travel back to Yokohama.

Jobs are back in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth and they’re even more ridiculous. Instead of dressing up like Hosts and Idols your party can become fire dancers, hula girls or gun-wielding desperados. Some of the jobs are truly ridiculous, including a surfer that swings his board around like a club.

There are two major side-stories in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth — and the first you’ll find is the Sujimon League. In this extended parody of Pokemon you’ll catch various criminals, creeps and perverts and pit them against each other in pit fights. Battles are relatively simple, but the league gets harder the further you progress up the ranks. If you’re looking for a few tips to help you become Sujimon Champion, we’ve got the info you need. After completing the league, here are five details we wish we knew way earlier.