Earlier, I reviewed Like A Dragon Gaiden, ultimately declaring that it served as an appetizer for the main course that is Like A Dragon 8: Infinite Wealth. Bundled with Gaiden is a "Special Trial" version of Infinite Wealth in its early stages months before its release on January 26th, 2024. Before beginning the special trial, I highly recommend playing through Gaiden first as the Story Demo picks up right where the former is left off. Included with the special trial are two demos, with the second one being a "Hawaii Demo" that gives a more "open world" experience.
Due to the nature of the game being a demo, there are many things involving Infinite Wealth's plot that may change upon release. The Story Demo begins in the middle of what I can assume is the first few hours of the game. Players briefly control both protagonists, Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga, both with their unique gameplay mechanics. While it's confirmed that Infinite Wealth will have multiple playable protagonists, it seems it will split between the two as the plot demands it. Kiryu and Ichiban's paths cross in Hawaii and they seem to be rather chummy with each other after their encounter in Yakuza Like A Dragon.
While some time has passed since the events of Gaiden, it seems among comrades Kiryu is fine with others using his real name. Ichban calls him "Kiryu-san" quite liberally whereas an information informant identifies Kiryu under the alias given to him in Gaiden. Another character is introduced in the story demo, Tomizawa, who had a run-in with Ichiban but has a change of heart. Keeping up with Yakuza Like A Dragon's absurdity in the mundane, Tomizawa's default class is a Cabbie, which utilizes car-related objects as weapons. This includes a bucket of soapy water to increase an enemy's weakness to electricity. It just so happens that Tomizawa not only has a spare battery that causes electric damage, but Ichiban also has his trademark "Hero bat," which also does electric damage.
One of the biggest challenges in Infinite Wealth was making Kiryu into a believable party member in Infinite Wealth. When Ichiban cheerfully exclaims that fighting is like an RPG, the translation is lost on poor Kiryu. The same Kiryu who was able to identify what a "meme" was in Gaiden. Regardless, he plays a bit differently from Ichiban, the most notable change being that he can move and attack freely. This is done by filling a "hype meter," which increases as Kiryu fights more within a battle. The biggest addition to Infinite Wealth's universal battle system is the ability to move within a certain attack radius. Some characters and jobs can move farther than others, with Kiryu's Rush style offering the longest range and Beast still offering the shortest.
Attacking an enemy within an attack range gives a player a "proximity" bonus in damage dealt to an enemy. Other variables that appeared random in YLAD are easier to understand in Infinite Wealth. I can see the trajectory of my attacks, showing a clear indicator of where it will land and how many, if any opponents, will be affected. Certain skills deal more damage the further or closer away a party member is from an opponent. Any weapons that players can incorporate in their attacks are also identified and just like in the previous game, follow-up attacks are possible.
The Hawaii Story demo taps into the open-ended world of Infinite Wealth, giving players a first look at some of the activities players will be doing. There's a Pokemon Snap-esque photography minigame, a Crazy Taxi-style delivery game that combines the Can Quest and Dragon Kart minigames of the previous game, a karaoke minigame, and a "story scenario" involving a crooked cop. Friendship bonds also received an overhaul, giving players the location of friend events on the map. Just like in Yakuza Like A Dragon, Kasuga has social stats he needs to improve, only this time it directly affects his battle stats. What's more is that he can greet and befriend neighbors which also helps increase his social stats.
While this is effectively the "second half" of my Like A Dragon Gaiden review, this also doubles as a first impression for Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth. There's quite a lot for the player to experience although the player is loaded with cash and enough levels in each job to get a feel for the most important bits. It's interesting to walk into stores while being greeted in English, seeing English, and most uncanny of them all, seeing local currency. Feeling like I had a lot of Japanese Yen in my pocket felt like one thing. Seeing that an energy drink, a Tauriner, is THIRTY BUCKS USD is a whole different form of whiplash. If Gaiden is the app, then this Special Trial for Infinite Wealth is the sample dish that leaves me wanting seconds.
Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth will be released on January 26th for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The Special Trial demo is available via Like A Dragon Gaiden, also released on similar platforms.