Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth release date revealed
The release date for Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth has finally been revealed: January 26, 2024.
Ichiban and his loveable group of misfits return for a new adventure, with familiar legendary characters like Kiryu and Majima also making a reappearance — with th former confirmed to be a playable character.
Ichiban’s story continues, but this time in a brand new setting: Honolulu, Hawaii. On a quest to find his mother, Akane, Ichiban ends up once more sinking to rock bottom by having nowhere to go, and being flat-out broke. The only way to go is up, but like always, he’ll need to rely on his friends to help him out.
Kiryu also makes a return after it’s leaked (by a VTuber, no less) that his death in Yakuza 6 was faked. Having no choice but to fight for his name (and privacy), Kiryu returns to the Tojo Clan HQ. What goes down there isn’t known, but knowing Kiryu and the gang, we assume they all get into heaps of trouble.
Only, as seen in the Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth story and release date trailer, Kiryu isn’t looking so hot due to him being diagnosed with cancer. What twists and turns that’ll particular story beat will take remains to be seen.
This time around, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth looks to further highlight and deliver a one-of-a-kind RPG experience with greater depth for combat, gameplay speed and strategy, and even more chances for Ichiban to grow closer with his friends and allies.
Mini-games and activities also make a triumphant return. The latter was featured substantially in the gameplay trailer, highlighting games such as Crazy Delivery (directly inspired by SEGA classic Crazy Taxi), Sicko Snap, and even what looks like to be a mash-up of Tinder for Ichiban. There is, of course, the return of well-loved classics too, like Mahjong and Karaoke.
Poundmates is also coming back. A feature that works similarly to Final Fantasy summons, Poundmates bring iconic Like A Dragon characters from across the series back to help you fight. In the previous game with Ichiban, Poundmates could be found and recruited through completing quests, or were included through DLC.
The Yakuza and Like a Dragon games haven’t always been inclusive towards marginalized communities, but have steadily been improving over the years, with trans and LGBTQ+ representation becoming more prominent as time has gone on. Whether Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio will further include LGBTQ+ identities in this game or not remains to be seen.
Fans who are itching to play some more Like A Dragon before Infinite Wealth’s release date can be reassured: there’s a lot more to come. Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name will release this year on November 9. The story follows Kiryu during the events of Like A Dragon 7.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth releases on 26 January, 2024 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.
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