Summary
The recentLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthis very bold in its ambition, with the game essentially acting like a crashing of worlds between the franchise’s past and its future. While once again taking the role of Ichiban Kasuga, players are accompanied by the series' iconic past protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, every step of the way.
This means that Kiryu is at the forefront ofLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s party system and turn-based combat, being a huge deviation from the usual beat-em-up context that fans are so used to seeing Kiryu thrive within. Despite the huge change in combat mechanics that the franchise has seen,Infinite Wealthstill pays respect to Kiryu in many ways, still making the Dragon of Dojima feel like a potent force in any combat scenario.
Kazuma Kiryu is Still a Force to Be Reckoned With in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Turn-Based Combat
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthis faced with the difficult task of focusing on Ichiban Kasuga as the new face of the franchise while balancing the necessary narrative spotlight on Kiryu, who appears to be coming to the end of his franchise appearances. WithKiryu being the face of the franchise since 2005, it was always going to be important that he did not feel like any other regular party member inInfinite Wealth’s combat.
While it is true thatanyInfinite Wealthparty member can be a great combat additionwith the right leveling and job, Kiryu immediately stands out as one of the most potent allies that are available to Ichiban. While Kiryu can be given different job roles throughout the game, his standard “Dragon of Dojima” role is a perfect love letter to Kiryu’s past and unrivaled strength.
For example, this job role gives players full access to Kiryu’s three iconic fighting styles:
Not only is this agreat call-back to Kiryu’s fighting styles of past games, these three modes of combat can be switched between each turn to match a given fight, prioritizing heat actions, rapid attacks, and heavy grapple-breaking moves when they are needed. Kiryu’s combat even possesses a Dragon’s Resurgence ability, where Kiryu breaks away from turn-based combat and is given free rein to inflict attacks on enemies in a real-time context.
Kiryu’s Past Power is Reflected Throughout Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Ryu Ga Gotoku has also made an effort to make some smart references to Kiryu’s most powerful moves, with the Essence of the Komaki Pupil ability involvingKiryu’s iconic Tiger Drop move, which can deal devastating damage with a correctly-timed button push. Even Kiryu’s stoic and hardened personality has found its way intoInfinite Wealth’s combat, with him being one of the few party members that has no weaknesses to enemy debuffs, while having an active resistance to intimidation and charm.
Even outside of combat, there is a concerted effort to focus on Kiryu’s lengthy past, with the character having his own bucket list mechanic where he can reflect on the most poignant moments from his life. This same ethos is reflected throughoutInfinite Wealth, and Ryu Ga Gotoku has done an excellent job atmaking Kiryu feel important and powerful in-game, even with the constraints of turn-based combat.
