Explore a dazzling, fictionalized version of the Philippines on PC and PlayStation 5
Walnut Creek, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2024) – Maximum Entertainment publishing label Modus Games and developer Polychroma Games today unveiled the announcement trailer for the seemingly slice-of-life adventure Until Then alongside the game’s first-ever demo dropping as part of the Steam Next Fest. Try Until Then and wishlist the game today: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1574820/Until_Then/
Until Then is a side-scrolling, cinematic adventure game that tells a strange and intriguing story of inquisitive high school students living in a fractured existence. Players explore and navigate various everyday environments inspired by real-world locations in the Philippines. You’ll explore a lush, stunning pixel art environment in the shoes of high-schooler Mark Borja. Through his life, you’ll navigate the trials of any normal teenager: school, piano practice, friends… but something isn’t right. A twist of fate that will change Mark’s life is looming just beneath the surface. Can you weave through the mysteries before all is lost?
Through your journey you’ll meet vibrant, relatable peers navigating their own lives, explore the world around you through everyday technology, and play seemingly mundane minigames you won’t want to put down. Until Then is wrapped in a jaw-dropping cinematic pixel art style and set to a soundtrack that brings the world to life in unexpected ways.
Until Then is coming to PC and PlayStation 5 this year. For updates, follow @Modus_Games on Twitter and Facebook or go to www.modusgames.com.
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About Maximum Entertainment
Maximum Entertainment is a global entertainment company dedicated to creating high quality experiences spanning the entire value chain of video games, including development, publishing, transmedia, sales and operations. Maximum Entertainment provides collaborative resources to its partners, through in-house publishing labels Maximum Games, Modus, Merge Games and Just For Games, as well as its development division, Modus Studios. With more than 300 titles in its catalog, Maximum Entertainment has partnered with best-in-class creators and franchises around the world to deliver magic to the gamer in everyone. Maximum Entertainment has offices around the world and employs more than 200 professionals. Visit Maximum Entertainment at www.maximument.com.
About Polychroma Games Polychroma Games is an independent game studio based in the Philippines seeking to explore and push the envelope of story in play. Our team believes that video games hold awesome potential as a medium of storytelling. We entwine the interactivity of play and the power of narrative into one. Official website: https://polychromagames.com/.
LONDON (Feb. 5, 2024) – Pack your gear up for a road trip you may not come back from as Pacific Drive cruises into the Steam Next Fest. Available on Steam now, this demo offers players a chance to get behind the wheel before the hotly anticipated survival action title launches on Feb. 22
Sealed off for decades by the US Government, the Olympic Exclusion Zone has become a twisted and mysterious visage of the Pacific Northwest, full of radiation and dangerous anomalies. Trapped inside its 400-meter walls with only your trusty station wagon and wits to protect you, chart excursions out into the constantly shifting landscape, scavenging what materials you can and building up your own toolkit of protective measures while seeking a way out and answers to the mysteries found within. In the demo available as part of the Steam Next Fest, explore the opening of Pacific Drive and its first intriguing mission ahead of its launch.
With a station wagon as your mobile base and mysterious voices on the radio guiding you, you’ll turn this car into a formidable force. From simple repairs to tricked out gadgets, you’ll do this from the comfort of your garage, the only place providing safe haven and where you’ll get to know every inch of your car during your time in the Pacific Northwest. A physical edition distributed by Maximum Games will be available from select retailers from April 9. A Digital Deluxe Edition is also available from Feb. 22 and contains various items to customize your station wagon with including a space shuttle themed decal kit, custom glow in the dark stars decal kit, wishing star antennae, Laika the Space Pup bobblehead and more. Full details are available from this link.
Pacific Drive is available now to pre-order on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store and launches on February 22, 2024. To find out more, visit: https://www.pacificdrivegame.com/.
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About Ironwood Studios
Since its founding in 2019, Ironwood Studios has been hard at work on Pacific Drive and are extremely proud to be working with PlayStation to bring it to life.
The team’s passion stems from a love of road trips and the relationship between the driver and the car, always dreaming about surreal worlds and the Pacific Northwest – two things that feature prominently in the game. Ironwood’s goal is to create games that inspire players to tell their own stories, with systems that work together to create unexpected and unique experiences.
About Kepler Interactive
Kepler Interactive – led by the founders of Kowloon Nights – is a developer and publisher that operates on a co-ownership model. Its studios are given strategic leadership roles, all while continuing to develop their games their way, with no creative limitations. Kepler’s partner studios are as varied as they are talented, including A44 Games in New Zealand, Alpha Channel and Timberline in North America, Awaceb, Ebb Software, and Sloclap in Europe, and Shapefarm in Asia. Kepler Interactive itself is headquartered in London.
Guangzhou, China – February 5th 2024. Indie publisher 663 Games and developer Unstable Games are thrilled to announce that the demo for the exciting new top-down rogulite action game Lotus Lantern: Rescue Motherwill be featured in Steam Next Fest starting today through to February 12th.
Inspired by Chinese mythology, Lotus Lantern: Rescue Mother immerses players in the fantastic journey of Chenxiang as he embarks on a mission to rescue his mother, Sanshengmu, from her incarceration for violating celestial laws.
Rogulite fans have the chance to play the first full level of Lotus Lantern: Rescue Mother, as well as go head-to-head with a legendary boss in the Steam Next Fest demo.
Watch the Steam Next Fest demo announcement trailer below:
About Lotus Lantern: Rescue Mother
The sincere effort opens even the hardest stone.
Sanshengmu, a goddess from the celestial court, has been imprisoned beneath Mount Hua for violating celestial laws by giving birth to a boy named Chenxiang with a mortal. When Chenxiang came of age and learned the truth, he vowed to rescue his mother.
With the assistance of Sun Wukong and other powerful immortals, Chenxiang must overcome numerous trials and defeat formidable enemies to finally be reunited with his mother.
Rich combinations of sects and magical treasures – Multiple sect systems will enhance various combat styles. Create your own magical combat abilities by combining a dazzling array of magical treasures with cultivating dozens of items. In each challenge, you always harvest new surprises.
Encounter well-known deities and immortals – On your perilous journey, you will meet many characters from Chinese mythology, such as Sun Wukong, the Eight Immortals, Erlang Shen and Nezha. Be they foes or friends, they will join you in crafting this gripping and suspenseful tale.
An ancient artefact and mystical powers – In addition to the real-time action combat, players can utilise the Lotus Lantern, an ancient artefact to unleash divine abilities like Time Manipulation and Bullet Time. The Lotus Lantern can also permanently enhance your abilities, aiding you in overcoming indomitable enemies!
An unpredictable adventure – As you encounter numerous random events throughout the game, will you challenge yourself or seek stability? It’s all up to you!
Lotus Lantern: Rescue Mother will be released in early 2024 on PC via Steam. Fans can wishlist the game on Steam now.
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About 663 Games
663 Games is a newly established publishing label committed to premium and indie game publishing on PC, consoles, and mobile platforms. The company, headquartered in China, was founded by a team of passionate gamers and industry veterans. The team had a proven track record of achieving global success with several titles previously, offering extensive experience and resources for worldwide publishing, along with unique advantages for a strong presence in the Chinese market. The team empathises with the financial challenges that independent developers and small teams often encounter, and 663 Games is dedicated to providing them with funding support to help bring their creative visions to life. As a new, ambitious and trustworthy global publisher, 663 Games collaborates closely with developers to ensure commercial success.
Download Today for Free And Recruit The One-Armed 6-Star Character Shamane, Participate In A Limited-Time Seasonal Challenge, Seek Sign-In Rewards, and More
HONG KONG – FEBRUARY 8, 2024 – Bluepoch Games today announced that it has launched the “Journey to Mor Pankh” update for its time-travel strategy RPG Reverse: 1999 across the App Store, Google Play, and PC. Since its launch in October 2023, the award-winning Reverse: 1999 has had more than 19 million downloads worldwide. The latest Version 1.3 update features a host of new content including unique storylines, sign-in events and daily rewards offering free pulls within this astronomy-themed limited-time update running now – February 22, 2024.
Phase 2 introduces the 6-star Beast Arcanist, a one-armed former hermit that may appear unsophisticated at first glance, but in actuality has experienced enough in life to make him a wise man. After suffering a family tragedy, he isolated himself in the snowy mountains for what felt like forever. But the once untouchable wound has healed. Years of metaphysical meditation have finally allowed Shamane to find righteousness.
View the Reverse: 1999’s newest character trailer below:
Reverse: 1999 is a cinematic time-travel adventure across the 20th century where magic exists and humans live side-by-side with Arcanists, a race of magic users able to use the powers of Arcane. On the last day of the year 1999, a mysterious “Storm” rolls across the world causing anything it touches to disappear or be reversed. The timeline fails to move beyond 1999 and many bygone eras are disappearing. You play as Vertin the Timekeeper, a British Arcanist who is immune from the “Storm” and who travels between eras to seek out other Arcanists who can sense the coming “Storm,” and attempt to save them from being “sifted out” of the timeline. She also must battle other Arcanists who seek to allow the “Storm” phenomena to rewrite history where Arcanists reign supreme.
Download and play for free Reverse: 1999 to summon Shamane with the new rate-up banner, “Another Spring Thaw.” The limited-time banner also features 5-star characters Balloon Party and Satsuki, each with a boosted drop rate.
Reverse: 1999 Update 1.3 Phase Two features include:
“Shamane” Rate up Banner: Players can summon Shamane in the new banner“Another Spring Thaw”, and the 5-star characters that will be featured in his limited with a boosted drop rate are Balloon Party and Satsuki.
“Shamane” Character Story Event: The “Bells Echoing in the Valley” story event reveals Shamane’s difficult journey, a story of the past, about farewells, cycles and renewal. Players that complete this story event will obtain Clear Drops, growth materials, and other rewards for their efforts.
Shamane’s Left Arm Event*: This original limited-time event is also available now until February 22! Former hermit Shamane has a pretty nifty prosthetic left arm. Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t function as intended. Ignite the pine branches, play the divine drum, and listen to the language of beasts. Shamane’s left arm will be as firm as a tree and agile as an ape in no time. Players who complete this event will receive Clear Drops and plenty of growth materials. *“Shamane’s Left Arm” is only available to players who have completed the game’s main campaign.
Two Sign-in Events**: In the first event “During Dīpa Festival II” players that sign-in for seven days in total can claim up to seven Unilogs and in the “Spring Greetings” event (only running February 9-16) players that log in daily can claim up to 500 Clear Drops. ** Both sign-in events are only available to players that have completed the game’s main story.
New UTTU Flash Gathering “The First Epic”: Players that collect FAME Cards in the reading spectacle can claim Leilani’s new garment for free.
Mysterious Waves Event: A momentary disturbance in the ionosphere brought about a fortunate encounter with mysterious waves. A greeting that spans across time and clouds reaches out towards you and a friend destined to be known sends their regards. Running from February 22 – 29, players that complete this event can claim Picrasma candy and growth material.
Download Reverse: 1999 today on the Ap Store, Google Play, and PC to experience Version 1.3 astrological update “Journey to Mor Pankh.” The sky is certainly not the limit!
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ABOUT BLUEPOCH GAMES CO. LTD
Established in 2020, Bluepoch is an ambitious, passionate and globally-focused company. Our team has committed itself to exploring the vast potential of anime through the creation of dreamlike, immersive, and heartfelt games. Our imagination is as infinite as the starry universe.
Join us in the first hour of Suicide Squad as we meet our unlikely heroes, get the briefing from Amanda Waller and even have a tense encounter with none other than the Dark Knight.
From the creators of Batman: Arkham, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a genre-defying third-person action shooter where the ultimate band of misfits must do the impossible: Kill the Justice League.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Developer: Rocksteady Studios Publisher: Warner Bros. Games Platform: Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S Release Date: 3 Feb, 2024 Price: $69.99 USD
To celebrate the Lunar New Year, World of Warships delivers a new event with a special content creator collaboration, changes to submarines, the return of Airship Escort and more
AUSTIN, TX (February 5, 2024) – Wargaming, the publisher and developer of the leading naval battle MMO World of Warships, is celebrating the Year of the Dragon with plenty of fiery content for Lunar New Year! Featuring a brand-new Lunar New Year Event Pass that features two progression lines, players can dive into a special collaboration with content creator TheRussianBadger. This jam-packed update also sees submarine and anti-submarine warfare changes, the return of Airship Escort, and a new campaign featuring USS Enterprise.
Celebrate Lunar New Year in World of Warships
To usher in the Year of the Dragon, World of Warships has introduced a brand-new Event Pass to commemorate the occasion. Packed with two progression lines split across 20 levels each, players can unlock an array of rewards, including Lunar Warrior camouflages, Commanders, special containers, flags, economic bonuses and more!
Of the progression lines available, one line features content made in collaboration with popular YouTuber and Twitch streamer, TheRussianBadger. Rewards include a beautifully designed CLAWSTROPHOBIC commemorative flag, a special TheRussianBadgerCommander equipped with a unique voiceover, and the USS LOBSTERMINATOR permanent camouflage for New Mexico.
Submarines and Anti-Submarine Warfare Updates
February’s update also brings a plethora of changes to improve interactions between submarines. Submarines and surface ship Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) will be receiving refreshes, with certain lines receiving the “Depth Charge Airstrike” consumable, and the “Submarine Surveillance” consumable. Collision warning messages will now also appear for submerged submarines. If players are within two kilometres of another underwater submarine they will be notified, even if the enemy vessel cannot be visibly seen. Additionally, the turning circle radius of all submarines has been improved, allowing players to manoeuvre and reposition themselves with ease in the heat of battle.
The Return of Airship Escort and a New Campaign for USS Enterprise
Airship Escort lands back in the game as a temporary game type for two weeks. Beginning February 22, two teams of 12 will work together to guide their allied airship to its designated destination, all while protecting it from opponents. Victory can be achieved either by reaching the terminus or eliminating every enemy vessel off the battlefield. Rounding out World of Warships’ February update is a special event dedicated to Tier VIIIpremium aircraft сarrier USS Enterprise. Running for six weeks, Enterprise: The Grey Ghost Campaign gives players the opportunity to advance through mission chains, earning various rewards such as a USS Enterprise flag, Grey Ghost patch, and Enterprise tokens that can be used in the Armoury. Upon completing the campaign, players will unlock the ability to get the USS Enterprise via the Armoury or Premium Shop.
World of Warships is a free, historical, online combat PC game from Wargaming. With its massive fleet of most iconic war vessels, including five different ship classes and strategically designed environment, World of Warships provides the ultimate naval warfare gaming experience, suitable for everyone. Thanks to its largest collection of historically accurate ships available to play, World of Warships prides itself as a digital ship museum and a focal point for naval history enthusiasts. New thematic content and innovative game modes are being added on a regular basis, providing a diverse and exciting gameplay to its broad player base.
One franchise – multiple platforms
After the successful launch of World of Warships on PC, its unique gameplay and design has been adapted to bring free massive naval battles to other platforms with World of Warships: Legends available on PlayStation and Xbox and World of Warships Blitz on iOS and Android mobile devices. Official website: http://www.worldofwarships.com
About Wargaming
Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry with 16 offices around the world, including studios in Chicago, Prague, Shanghai, Tokyo, Vilnius and Belgrade. Millions of players enjoy Wargaming’s titles across all major gaming platforms. Our flagship products include the free-to-play hits World of Tanks, World of Warships and World of Tanks Blitz.
The first console game of SPY x FAMILY invites players to enjoy its unique world as Anya on fun adventures in SPYxANYA: OPERATION MEMORIES. This new slice-of-life game is releasing on June 28th, 2024 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch.
No day is ordinary for the Forgers and for a little girl as lively as Anya. The young telepath has been given a mission from Eden College: she must create the most amazing photo diary ever!
Players will help and accompany Anya throughout her days as she captures and makes unforgettable memories in various ways and places. Whether at home, at school or during an outing, opportunities for special moments are everywhere.
In addition to the base game, a digital Deluxe edition will be available, which includes two DLCs with stylish accessories and outfits for the Forger family to wear, as well as special in-game items!
While waiting for its release, discover more about the game’s content and features in the latest trailer:
SPYxANYA: OPERATION MEMORIES will be available on June 28th 2024 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The Steam release date will be revealed at a later time.
Persona 3 Reload is a captivating, reimagined take on the genre-defining RPG, reborn for the modern era with a revamped battle system, all-new cutting-edge graphics, remastered audio featuring all-new English voice-over, modernised quality-of-life features and is now available for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.
Check out the launch trailer below:
Step into the shoes of a transfer student thrust into an unexpected fate and enter the hour “hidden” between one day and the next. Awaken an incredible power and chase the mysteries of Tartarus, fight for your friends, and leave a mark on their memories forever. Dive into the Dark Hour and awaken the depths of your heart!
SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada, is a Sci-Fi third-person shooter developed for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Set in the world of Amasia, players will incarnate “Drifters”, as they look to loot AO crystals, a rare resource. The game lets players interact with other Drifters joining players to help them in their missions or turn against them, hindering their progress or fighting to loot their precious resources. Drifters are accompanied by a Magus, an artificial intelligence to help them on the battlefield, and a CRADLECOFFIN, an armed vehicle to defend themselves against the threats of Amasia.
The game’s new trailer goes on the various customisation and skills available for the Magus. Players can customise their Magus’ face and outfit, with plenty of options, to become their AI companion with whom they will create a bond fighting together on the battlefield. The CRADLECOFFIN will also be customisable, with various archetypes and weapons, letting players find the perfect match for their playstyle, with the right combination of Magus and CRADLECOFFIN.
Watch the new customisation trailer below:
SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada will release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
It takes a lot of guts to take a series that used to be niche such as Yakuza and put an entirely new spin on it but that is exactly what Sega did back with Yakuza: Like a Dragon. In 2020 the series shifted focus from everyone’s favorite Dragon of Dojima to the far less serious seeming Ichiban Kasuga but not only that, it also dropped the high-impact action combat in favor of a robust turn-based battle system featuring a wide-variety of jobs and a party of characters. This shift from action to classic turn-based style combat was as much of a shock to Yakuza fans as Dead Souls back in 2012 and could have turned out terrible, but this gamble not only was a success it saw the franchise reach new heights. Now four years later here we are with the continuation of Ichiban’s story in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth in a game that more than lives up to its name.
Story
A few years have passed following the events of Ichiban’s adventures in the previous game and with the dissolution of the two largest Yakuza clans and things seemingly peaceful, Ichiban has found gainful employment at Hello Work where he specializes in helping ex-Yakuza get back on their feet by trying to find the nearly unemployable criminals jobs that can keep them from falling back into a life of crime. However, this eventually backfires on him as a poorly informed Vtuber costs Ichiban and his two closest friends their jobs. While trying to figure things out, Ichiban manages to find a shocking piece of information, learning that his mother, Akane, is actually alive and has been seen in Hawaii.
With a chance at meeting his mother for the first time and fulfilling a promise, Ichiban’s Hawaiian vacation is steeped in meaning but it isn’t long before he finds himself roped in on bogus charges and needing to be rescued by Kazuma Kiryu of all people, who reveals that he has also been sent out on a mission for the Daidoji to track down Akane as well. With both men finding themselves looking for the same woman and the mysteries surrounding her piling up at every turn, the pair team up to try and learn the truth and locate Akane as even the smallest, simplest interactions quickly blossom into complex plots.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a lot. Late last year RGG Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama called it a “monster-class game” and it shows in almost every aspect and this is especially true when it comes to the narrative here. The small amount mentioned already is barely the tip of the iceberg in the storyline that players will experience when playing through Infinite Wealth as the title feels like a celebration of the franchise so far while also serving as a massive game that works to be a final send off to Kiryu while passing the torch fully to Ichiban. The writers have managed to spin a yarn of emotionally complex characters and twisting plot elements that will constantly keep players on the edge of their seat and eager to see what happens next, be it a tear jerking moment that will pull at a longtime fan’s heart strings or something absurdly humorous or just downright ridiculous but awesome at the same time.
In fact, it feels like Infinite Wealth‘s narrative can be seen as two games in one thanks to how well-written it is and how the story handles the characters. Ichiban’s story and Kiryu’s story both are intertwined masterfully throughout the game with neither character feeling like they overshadow the other despite the emotional investment fans will have for Kiryu. All of this then ties together perfectly with the core narrative of uncovering the mysteries surrounding Akane and why so many people are searching for her. Part of this is due to the game’s massive new Honolulu location where players will spend plenty of time as well as revisiting Ijincho and Kamurocho. The new setting provides players with consistently fresh experiences with brand new characters, all of which feel just as well-written and developed as characters in the last entry. These new characters and factions are introduced all while harkening back to plot elements from the previous game and other Yakuza entries, making nearly every interaction feel worth the player’s time, including the massive amount of substories available. While we won’t spoil them here, the substories found within Infinite Wealth range from some of the simplest interactions around to some of the most ridiculous the series has ever seen and many of them call back to characters throughout the franchise. Even these substories run the gambit of comedy to emotional, with one in particular featuring a franchise mainstay character that is absolutely ridiculous tied together with an emotional loss all involving a set of characters players can simply ignore if they so choose.
There are practically entire game-modes devoted to some substories and while these are almost entirely on Ichiban’s side of things and are absolutely ridiculous in nature, Kiryu has an entire growth mode devoted to nostalgia while also showcasing him as a person, interacting with his friends and allies, rather than simply the Dragon of Dojima. It feels like there is always more to say about how gripping and highly entertaining the storyline throughout Infinite Wealth but in the interest of keeping things as spoiler free as possible we won’t go into detail but it must be said that there are some truly heartbreaking moments throughout the game, especially in the latter half. These developments can hit incredibly hard, and having to experience them firsthand is something truly special, especially in a franchise with as much history as this one. It takes some amazing writing to make a storyline that can have players feeling as emotional as Infinite Wealth can, especially when it manages to balance wonderful comedy and over-the-top moments with some truly heart-wrenching developments and interactions over its easily seventy hour plus runtime, making this a must play for any fan of the franchise and a hell of a starting point for those looking to dive in now.
Gameplay
In many ways stepping in to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth feels like playing a familiar RPG because RGG took the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” style of approach to the game’s exploration and combat mechanics and chose to refine them instead by offering a number of new mechanics and elements to nearly everything in the game. This includes the turn-based combat that players will be taking part in throughout the game as the player’s party of four dukes it out with a wide-array of enemies. The turn-based fights now allow players to move their character within a small area, allowing them to better position them for knockback attacks that can trigger chain combos with their allies or send them flying into a wall for extra damage, position themselves near an item to pick it up and use as a weapon, or even just deal extra damage by attacking from behind or with “proximity.”
This seems like a small change but it adds a lot of complexity to how players will often be able to choose their targets and moves. With high bond links, players can trigger combo attacks with nearby allies and the Area of Effect of both healing skills and offensive skills is shown as well, meaning properly positioning a Kunoichi’s ninja star barrage can mean the difference between hitting two foes or blasting all six at once. Even simply knocking one foe into another can deal extra damage to both enemies, making the RPG even more strategic. Nearly all skills and some Proximity attacks still trigger small quicktime events or mashes to help deal extra damage or trigger debuffs and status ailments on their target and attacking enemies on the ground once again deals extra damage as well. It is worth mentioning that all classes from the previous game return eventually though for the most part players will initially be able to change their jobs into a whole slew of new classes ranging from the surging Aquanut, gun-slinging Desperado, dancing GeoDancer, and deadly Kunoichi to name a few.
The only downside is players will need to visit job changing stations to swap their classes and while fast travel is available almost always, it is a bit annoying if you find yourself picking a class that you don’t mesh with. Perhaps the most interesting class of all is Kiryu’s starting one, the Dragon of Dojima. This class allows players to swap between three standard attack styles at any time, his Rush form that allows for two attacks in one turn at slightly less damage, Beast form that is a grapple that breaks through enemy guards and can send them flying with AoE attacks, and his standard Brawler style that can even perform some of his famous Heat finishing moves. Alongside these jobs and the other changes to combat, players will also eventually unlock a Hype meter by bonding with their allies and as this hype meter fills, they can perform powerful unique combo attacks with their party members. In fact, Kiryu can even has a special version of this himself that allows players to temporarily break the turn-based limit and enter free fighting for a short period of time. This level of customization towards player classes, strategy during combat involving placement, and sheer ridiculousness of some skills and enemies players face make combat a real treat at every level. In fact, players can even “Beatdown” enemies ten levels under them in an automatic win at the cost of lower rewards from the fight.
Of course, fighting isn’t all there is to do in Infinite Wealth as there is tons to explore and discover throughout Honolulu and other familiar locations including countless minigames such as returning classics like Darts, Shogi, Mahjong, Batting Cages, and more while even things like can collecting and the new “crazy” food delivery missions are as stylized as possible to give players plenty of things to explore and do when they aren’t taking part in virtual dating, let alone the classic games waiting in the arcade such as Sega Bass Fishing, Spikeout, and Virtua Fighter 3tb, or partaking in some wonderful karaoke with your teammates. These are just some of the most simplest side-activities and mini-games that players can take part in as others, such as taking a trolley ride and photographing weirdos, hunting down photo locations for a vacation app, or even just waving Aloha to strangers and making friends at the drop of a hat while also zipping around on a customizable not-segway.
The more in-depth side-activities are quite enthralling as well as Infinite Wealth has taken two familiar Nintendo properties and decided to put their own spin on things in the form of the Sujimon League and Dondoko Island. The Sujimon League is an expansion to the previous “Sujidex” found in the last game by actually making it so players can “capture” Sujimon that they fight out in the wild by giving them gifts and complimenting them to try and make them join their team or taking part in a gacha for random Sujimon. Players can then take and form a team of six Sujimon and battle against other Suji Trainers throughout Honolulu to raise their rank and power their allies up further to take down the “Discreet Four.” The entire thing is a ridiculously over-the-top side story that is highly entertaining and a great way to earn money early on and players can gather items from SujiStops, take part in Raids for items, and more in a surprisingly in-depth side activity that is far better than it has any right to be.
Dondoko Island is another massive side-story featuring yet another ridiculous premise and group of characters that may start slow but eventually becomes as ridiculous and engrossing as Sujimon. Players will find themselves on a resort island that has fallen from its heights to becoming a mere dumping ground for “Washbucklers” to pollute and with the help of Ichiban’s bat to destroy junk piles and pirates, it’s up to the player to restore the island to its former glory by clearing the land, crafting new facilities and attractions ranging from a toilet or ramen stand to a giant gold Oni statue or Cabaret Club, taking care of guests as they arrive, and of course gathering all manners of fish, insects, and misc. materials to sell for Dokobucks that can be used to expand their island activities further. This entire thing is ridiculous in nature and, as mentioned before, ends up being an engrossing activity that players can sink hours into without even touching the main game if they so choose, Of course, just like the Sujimon League, Dodonko Island is entirely optional to complete outside of the short stint players are forced to do to introduce the substory.
The breadth of side content on offer in Infinite Wealth is simply stunning and the thing is, nearly all of it is entirely optional. This means that while players can choose to sink as much time as they want into these fun little distractions, they can simply choose to focus on the main story and that’s all but even then the runtime and content on offer here is quite impressive. This doesn’t even touch upon gathering items for various weapon upgrades, raising Ichiban’s personality stats or Kiryu’s awakening, and more to explore in what is truly a massive offering of a game. Sadly, New Game+ is something that players currently cannot enjoy in the base game as Sega has made the awful choice to lock it behind paid DLC. This is an incredibly strange move, especially since the base game features achievements and other options that are only available in New Game +, making this a bit predatory in nature and a dark spot on an otherwise shining game.
Audio & Visuals
With a brand new setting of Honolulu Infinite Wealth looks absolutely beautiful at times. Traveling along the beachfront populated by men and women in swimsuits or jumping in the ocean and going for a swim look wonderful and that only happens to be the beachfront, as the rest of Honolulu is also lovingly created with a variety of different areas to explore, including seedier areas and back alleys. The familiar locations players return to as well look amazing in this title, something that is to be expected given the company’s familiarity with these areas. The character models are highly detailed and nearly every job and attack look wonderful in combat, with some truly ridiculous looking enemies to take on at times, especially when it comes to boss battles both story and optional. Of course, the cut-scenes themselves are also stunning in design and detail with every major scene being a top-notch looking production and even simple interactions handled well.
Like the previous game, and eventually Man Who Erased His Name, Infinite Wealth has launched with an English dub to accompany the standard Japanese voice track that everyone is familiar with. This is something of a point of issue here as English feels like a perfect fit given the majority Hawaiin setting and how natural Ichiban and nearly all of the returning characters sound thanks to their talented voice actors, but there is one fairly bad exception and it happens to revolve around Kiryu. Rather than using Darryl Kurylo who handled Kiryu perfectly fine in both the very first game in the franchise and Yakuza: Like a Dragon Sega has opted to replace the English voice actor with Yong Yea, a voice actor that just doesn’t quite fit the image and portrayal of Kiryu here, especially given how emotional the second half of the game is. This is made worse by the fact that he doesn’t even attempt to sound the correct age for Kiryu more often than not. Thankfully the Japanese voice actors have all retained their roles including Kiryu’s original voice actor so players who grow too annoyed by Kiryu’s English voice can easily choose to swap to the Japanese dub if they wish. As for the game’s soundtrack, Infinite Wealth features a great collection of background music and karaoke songs to enjoy and even incorporates an MP3 player of sorts that allows players to collect CDs featuring music from other Sega properties and listen to them as they travel around gathering items or beating up bad guys. Nothing like enjoying some Hatsune Miku or Persona while searching through the trash for upgrade materials.
Overall
It was going to take a lot for RGG and Sega to outdo themselves following Like a Dragon, especially when it involves bringing Kiryu into the mix, but they have managed to do it with Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The developer’s statement was true, the game is something of a “monster-class” game that not only manages to offer such a massive amount of side-content alongside its core storyline but also tells its core tale in such an emotional manner that can still make players laugh even as it prepares to rip apart their hearts. Infinite Wealth may have a few issues, including its DLC practice, but this title is one that everyone even remotely interested in the franchise needs to play.
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