RGG Studios invited certain creators to get a hands-on preview of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Read here to learn new information about the upcoming game.
Infinite Wealth New Info
Creators Share Hands-On Impressions
Brittney Brombacher, co-founder of the What’s Good Games
podcast, and Cat Bussell, a video game journalist, are two of the few creators who were invited to play 90 minutes worth of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. We have compiled all the new information about the next installment of the legendary series in this article.
Sujimon Returns
Sujimon was a Pokemon-like parody mini-game introduced in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. This minigame allowed players to find Super Jittery Men, known as Sujimon, in the world; once defeated, they would be registered in the Suji-dex. Players can then share their suji-dex database with the Sujimon Sensei to earn rewards.
According to the creators, this mode was greatly expanded in Infinite Wealth, adding three-on-three battles with other Sujimon trainers, the ability to recruit Sujimon, and a new job class called "Sujimon Master," which allows you to send your Sujimon into combat.
Party Chat and Drink Links Expanded
The link system introduced in the previous game allowed players to bond with their teammates through "Party Chat" "Table Talk," and "Drink Links." Party Chat allows players to let Ichiban interact in short conversations with party members at specific locations in the world. Table Talks happen when players order particular dishes from the menu at restaurants, sparking a short conversation between Kasuga and his friends that strengthens the bonds of affected members. Lastly, Drink Links are one-on-one dialogue events that allow players to increase bond levels with members. This allows them to take on more jobs and unlock new special attacks.
These features return in Infinite Wealth with new additions such as the "Bond Bingo" which allows players to record everything they learn from their Party Chats, now called Walk and Talks. Completing these specific events in any vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row will strengthen bonds considerably.
Segway Across Hawaii
Honolulu has been confirmed to be the largest map in the series—three times larger than Isezaki Ijincho. As a result, the game added additional modes of transportation, like trolley lines and the new rechargeable Segway called the "Street Surfer." This scooter can be customized and driven anytime around Honolulu.
Animal Crossing in Yakuza
Creators who have played the new mini-game Dondoko Island described it as "Animal Crossing-like" and "an entirely different game within Infinite Wealth."
Players can visit the island after getting recruited by Mascot characters Gachapin and Mukku. The goal is to clean up Dondoko Island and turn it into a resort destination. Aside from being a sim game with a day and night cycle, this mode also has combat when trespassers invade your island. Rather than the usual turn-based combat, in Dondoko Island, Ichiban switches combat style to the classic Brawler Style in previous games. Not only can players decorate and rebuild their islands, but players can also visit the other islands made by other users.
New Job Opportunities
Introduced in the previous game, the job mechanic acts like a class system in RPGs, that allows party members to change their stats, skills, and/or style of play. In this game, jobs can be acquired in Alo-Happy Tours, a travel agency set up to help Japanese tourists in Hawaii. Aside from the new additional jobs introduced, players can find job inspiration by participating in planned island activities. Not only that, but jobs are more flexible now as players can carry over more skills learned from different jobs. Some of the new jobs include:
● Geodancer
● Ninja
● Surfer
New Shark Boss Battle
Just like in Yakuza 6, this game features a boss battle against a shark. Except this time, it’s way larger than the previous game’s, and is now called the Tyrant of the Tides. The boss battle showcases the shark using AOE attacks and being weak against electric moves.
