TGS 2023 - Like a Dragon Gaiden and Infinite Wealth Hands-on

You can find all of my Tokyo Game Show 2023 coverage here

Like a Dragon (nee Yakuza), Tokyo Game Show and I have a long history. 

I've been playing since Yakuza 3, and in the years I've been attending TGS, it has always been a highlight. Theatre presentations, playable demos, photo-ops, devs walking the show floor, marauding zombies bothering hostesses - Yakuza has been a part of TGS as long as I can remember. And this year's show was no different, with both Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth sharing top billing at SEGA's absolutely heaving booth.

There was a shared queue for the demos, which maintained a considerable wait time on both industry days. Once you hit the halfway point, you peeled off to the left to play Gaiden. Fifteen minutes later, you rejoined the line and waited for your turn with Infinite Wealth on the right. A nice set-up, complete with near-constant entertainment provided by Sonic and Persona stage shows. And at the end, a lovely LaD lanyard gift that I've regrettably yet to find a use for.

LaD Gaiden was up first. But before we get the game itself, I should mention that it has since been announced that Gaiden will be available on Game Pass at launch, with Ishin to follow at a later date. Great news for anyone with a subscription, and perhaps the encouragement that some of you need to take the GP plunge.

It's an incredible time to be a series fan, something that was further driven home by the quality of these demos.

The first thing that struck me, as I accessed the Gaiden menu screen, was how nice it is to have the option to play in English from the get-go. It didn't used to be like this. I struggled through several entries in Japanese, and even after localization recommenced, you certainly weren't guaranteed an English version of a TGS demo. The western release always came much later, if it came at all, and was far less of a priority than the domestic launch. But not now; this is an international success story, one with simultaneous global releases. This makes me very happy indeed.

The demo opens with Kiryu being flown to an enormous, innocuous looking tanker in the middle of the ocean, but, as is often the case in this series, appearances can be deceiving. Upon further inspection, it turns out that it's a floating pleasure castle! Nestled behind rows of shipping containers, and locked away behind huge wooden doors, we discover a recreation of Osaka Castle and a colourful theme park of debauchery. It is, perhaps, the most Yakuza thing ever.  

Poor Kiryu barely takes two steps inside before he's jumped by some bad-lads who take umbrage at his unannounced presence. At this point, we are introduced to Kiryu's new set of moves, accessible while he's in his special agent guise (no idea, so don't ask). These all utilize gadgets, and serve to spice up the familiar brawling. The spider gadget ensnares your enemies and drags them closer; the Hornet is a mini support drone that sprays your foes with bullets, Serpent Shoes propel you across the battlefield and Fireflies are mini grenades. They were all useful, and I quickly found a spot for each of them in my beat-down repertoire. Kiryu's enemies have never had it worse.

With them out of the way, I went for a stroll and took in the sights. Everywhere I looked there were establishments of ill-repute and the entertainers who staff them. Gambling dens, hostess clubs; a depressed gimp slumped against a wall. I also stopped by a boutique and bought some new threads, including a red tiger-print suit and a luchador mask, purchased especially for the Colosseum, which is where the demo was gently leading me.

As you can imagine, the Colosseum hosts a multitude of brawling events, from standard group fights to a 100-man deathmatch. And my choice of combatants wasn't limited to Kiryu. There is a whole roster of selectable characters with differing fighting styles. I opted for Majima, because why not, but I was tempted by several other familiar faces, including a man with a chicken for a head. Never change, Like a Dragon, never change.

Next up was the main course, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio struck gold with Ichiban Kasuga. When I first saw him in a Famitsu feature about RGG Online, I thought he looked forgettable, a tired take on Kiryu with little hope of being able to live up to the unavoidable comparisons. But then I played Yakuza: Like a Dragon and was thoroughly sold. If he's the future of this series, it's in good hands. 

As in Like a Dragon, Ichiban will be joined by another bunch of charismatic, funny and lovable allies. In the TGS demo, Ichiban was partnered with Kiryu, Chitose, a yoga instructor, and Tomizawa, a local taxi driver. Although they didn't feature in the demo, plenty of other familiar faces are slated to return, including the core support from the last game: Nanba, Adachi and Mukoda.

The biggest departure from LaD is the setting. Gone are the backstreets of Yokohama, replaced by the beaches of a Hawaiian city. It's certainly different, but, at first blush, I found it less interesting than the Japanese entertainment districts of previous games. However, I wonder if the Japanese audience will appreciate the relative foreignness of Hawaii, in the same way that many western gamers have been drawn to the streets of faux-Shinjuku. We shall see.

American thugs, just like their Japanese counterparts, roam the streets looking for any excuse to kick off. Their appearance was far less offensive than I was expecting - Yakuza's depiction of foreigners hasn't always been what I'd call flattering - but honestly it felt like business as usual. Lots of offensive beach shorts instead of violence-suits, but the result is the same: plenty of highly entertaining conversations and vicious beat-downs.

The turn-based RPG combat of LaD returns intact. As before, it sacrifices some of the brutal immediacy of Y0-6's throw-downs for increased depth and strategy, as well as more opportunities to do stupid shit. The brutality is still there, but the ridiculousness is ratcheted up even further. 

Infinite Wealth allows more free movement than Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Each character has an area in which they can move before attacking, and where you place yourself will affect some of the options at your disposal. Inch closer to a trashcan, for example, and you'll automatically pick it up and use it as a weapon. Your position can also dictate who you can team up with, and then unleash one of the tag team, bond skills. If Ichiban and Chitose are positioned next to each other, for example, they'll team up for a dance that'll send your enemies flying.

The special abilities remain hilarious. A standout is Tomizawa's Essence of Buckle Up! in which a foe is bundled into the back of his taxi, which he then recklessly drifts all over the place, causing his passenger to be bashed around the back seat. Finally, Tomizawa jumps out of the car, just before it explodes. Keep the change, mate! Kiryu is a beast, as you'd expect, and his Heat ability allows him to break free from the constraints of turn-based combat, and revert to the Yakuza brawling of old. The Dragon simply cannot be contained!

And there is plenty to do outside of battle. The map is littered with side quest icons and distractions such as karaoke, arcades, and a mini game that involves snapping photos of perverts in the act of their perversion. Crazy Delivery was the highlight of my demo. A riff on Crazy Taxi, it tasks Kasuga with racing across the city on his bike, collecting food and making deliveries. By hitting launch spots, he can take off over skyscrapers, skidding up buildings, and free-falling down the other side. Good luck focusing on the story missions when the distractions are this entertaining!

By playing Gaiden and Infinite Wealth one after the other, I was able to better appreciate their opposing styles. It's an interesting contrast, but one that also highlights the shared core that defines them. The confidence with which RGG Studio has navigated this split is beyond impressive, incorporating the old with the new, without diminishing either.

Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased his name launches on November 9th. Infinite Wealth will follow on January 26th.