Spoiler Warning: The following article features spoilers for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, though only on one character who appears in the Miss Match minigame.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth features the Yakuza series’ most infamous character, who first showed up in Yakuza 0 and is still causing chaos 35 canonical years later.
Infinite Wealth features plenty of minigames (though its Pokémon and Animal Crossing-inspired modes aren’t so mini) including a dating game where protagonist Ichiban Kasuga must try and woo potential partners. While some of the partners are genuine, some very much are not, and Ichiban can find himself catfished by chickens, store mascots, and a handful of other folks pretending to be someone they’re not.
It’s in this mode, called Miss Match, the infamous character shows up. Players only get an indication of something going wrong when Ichiban looks up from the floor at his match, and the giant leopard face jumper gives the game away.
The infamous character is, of course, none other than Etsuko, the older, purple haired woman who’s now pestered three of Yakuza’s protagonists. Etsuko first appeared in Yakuza 0 and regularly got in the way of Goro Majima as he tried to visit a pufferfish restaurant. She then shows up in Yakuza Kiwami 2 and is defended by Kiryu Kazuma, later joining his cabaret club as a hostess. And she appears in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, once again getting in Kiryu’s way as he tries to tail a Yakuza.
Etsuko’s appearance in Infinite Wealth therefore adds Ichiban to her hit list alongside the other two fan favourite protagonists, and fans will be pleased to know she hasn’t changed much despite the 35 years between Yakuza 0 and this latest entry.
Infinite Wealth takes the series outside of Japan for the first time as protagonists Ichiban and Kiryu arrive in Hawaii and, naturally, soon become involved in a complex web of criminal underworld shenanigans.
It features the Yakuza series’ biggest map to date and lets players become a samurai, surfer, and housekeeper as it continues the unique blend of dramatic crime thriller and completely wacky side content.
Publisher Sega has caused some frustration, however, as Infinite Wealth’s New Game Plus mode is exclusive to the Deluxe and Ultimate versions of the game, which come in at $15 and $40 more expensive respectfully.
In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “Sprawling, enthralling, and packed with dynamic brawling, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth isn’t just the best turn-based Like a Dragon game, it’s one of the greatest games in the entire series.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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