Sega
In the recently releasedLike A Dragon : Infinite Wealth , developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio tells a story of reclamation and evidence that everyone has the chance to be salutary . No matter your past tense , there ’s the human element of need to leave the worldly concern a dear place than you found it , and that often skirt true throughout the lengthy main chronicle .
However , many of its villains never see the fruitsInfinite Wealth ’s story tries to bear because they are discard for grander plot beats . It always swaps out the object opposer for the next “ large bad , ” but ultimately forgets to give many of these villains room to breathe . Infinite Wealth undercut its themes when they count most by trust on a smattering of rickety villains throughout the plot ’s early and mid - lame chapters to establish to the final battle .
Sega
This clause moderate spoilers for Like a firedrake : Infinite Wealth .
Too Little Too Late
InInfinite Wealth , the lovable Ichiban Kasuga is sent on a mission to track his mother down in Hawaii , which unfold the door for new characters , villains , twists , and turn . before long after attain Honolulu City , Kasuga learns his female parent is embroiled in something much greater , and every person in power is looking to detect her . unnumerable Wealth goes for a quantity approach to its villains , treat them like domino set up to ping the next plot beat over . They always fall the same way and in the same direction .
This is most notably see in Dwight Mendez , played by Danny Trejo . He serves as the captain of the Barracudas gang , roaming the Hawaiian street at night to terrorize anyone who step up to them . While the Barracudas are a gang you ’ll chance often throughInfinite Wealth , Dwight is largely absent outside Chapter 3 . He is given very little motivation besides simply want to please Bryce and produce more power . It would n’t be egregious if Dwight were just one stepping stone to something else , but they bring him back in the last few chapters as just another guy stand up in Kasuga ’s manner .
He has no veridical character , development , or even real reason to make him a foil to Kiryu or Kasuga . That first fight is a significant moment for your newest political party member , Tomizawa , as his sprightliness has been turned upside down by the evil lurking in Hawaii , but Tomizawa beat another scene later on that retreads the same beats . Dwight exists to give a diminished turn of exposition before move on .
This is all in service of the independent adversary , Bryce Fairchild , loss leader of the Palekana orphanhood and , at long last , one of the two fundamental villains of Infinite Wealth ’s story .
When you ’re building towards a villain for over 40 hours , you need to have a spin , something to make the scrap deserving it . Bryce falls victim to a unimaginative cult leader archetype that has become a threadbare trope in games . While he demands globular influence over the world , his only real motivation is to be seen as a immortal , and have his name convey a legacy far beyond the telescope of the island dwellers of Hawaii .
BecauseInfinite Wealthspends so much prison term keeping Bryce in the shadows , he never feel like a fully fleshed - out fictional character . We get glimpses , and it ’s reset the level of Infinite Wealth puts a mountain on his shoulders but never gives us a deeper look at why we , as player , should care .
Bryce never sees rehabilitation , either . Kasuga and crew give up him from achieving his finish and bare him of his corrupted power , but ultimately , Bryce falls by the roadside for yet another villain . alternatively of focusing on a few warm transparency , Infinite Wealthbounces between so many it only does n’t have the time to dwell on others .
Looking to The Past
indisputable , previous entranceway in the seriessometimes fall to the same destiny , but I often look atYakuza 0as the blueprint . Escalation is key to restrain things interesting , andYakuza 0has that in nigra . Daisaku Kuze , the Tojo Clan Patriarch , is a choice example . You hate this guy from the first minute you forgather him ; he does n’t count to please anyone but himself , but there ’s an innate sense of “ I want to plug this hombre really hard . ” And you ’d be surprise how far that mantra can go .
From your first battle in a one - on - one brawl to a motorcycle subway collide , Kuze ’s fights entail something every metre he shows up ; they are n’t examine to lie the groundwork for something bad . You ’re introduced to the musician , and while the story takes its twists and turns , you farm to resent the men at the top , making you squirm . From your first slugfest with Kuze to his grand bike entrance in the sewers , you see a natural intensification of the situation .
Many ofInfinite Wealth ’s master antagonist do n’t sustain the emotional sonority of its harbinger , Yakuza : Like A Dragon . No scene with them even comes close to some ofLike A Dragon ’s most powerful moments . Ryo Aoki ’s final scene at the coin locker with Kasuga is sear into my encephalon . It ’s the culmination of everythingYakuza : Like a Dragonset up in its core themes of found family . Ryo hates how his sprightliness lead off and has n’t been able to see past that . Ryo Aoki exudes a sincerity and emotional vulnerability that are omit from many ofInfinite Wealth ’s principal offender .
Despite everything , Kasuga ’s fraternal honey for Ryo make a utter dichotomy in this import . Two opposing estimate come together as arrant transparency for one another . Kasuga ’s loving and downright naive nature glitter through because Ryo Aoki was given the meter to develop and breathe as a villain . Even when looking down the barrel or a triggerman , we as players translate how Ryo got to this moment and why it has to be this way .
Moments in the series like these underline how Bryce precipitate bland — never given a moment outside of being perceive as a immortal . There is no veridical human element for us to latch onto , and it ’s why Bryce at long last fails at emotionally resonate .
Infinite Wealth ’s villain problem come to a head at the top of Millennium Tower when Ebina – the game ’s rightful great spoiled – glorify that whether Bryce succeeded or give way , it did n’t weigh . Ebina plans to become the most powerful man in the cosmos , and expend it to ruin the Yakuza entirely . His hate at last blinds him to everything else in the world .
While this helps bolster Ebina as a man with deliberate intentions and even more hate for the Yakuza than everyone else , it underscores how slight every other villain we dealt with along the way was . For a secret plan that can take upwards of 40 hours , it ’s a tough contraceptive pill to swallow see to it the game recognize this header - on .
Infinite Wealth tries to balance Bryce and Ebina as foils for Kasuga and Kiryu – one focused on the future while the other is still fight the demons of the past . In doing so , Bryce falls to the wayside . Ebina ’s motivations , while much more fleshed out and resonant , are still only half the story and perhaps would have better serve as the only main antagonist of the game .
Infinite Wealthdeals in amount , and while it give some standout villains turned ally like Yamai , its insistence on characters like Bryce being the centerpiece left me scratching my promontory . With a central theme of rehabilitation and proving you’re able to always make the most of your spirit , it ’s a shame to see so much chance left on the mesa .
Like a flying lizard : Infinite Wealthis available now on PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X / S , and PC .
