THE YAKUZA AND Like A Dragon series have been renowned for its wacky sense of humor, colorful cast of characters, and its crazy yet fun RPG and action elements, making it a game that will truly wash away all the stress in your life.
The upcoming installment, Infinite Wealth, will surely follow the same formulas as the gameplay footage would highlight the out of this world RPG elements. Who would've thought that a pyro dancer who we normally see in beaches, entertaining the crowd, would turn out to beat the crap out of someone?
Or how about a house cleaner who would use the plantsa as a weapon of destruction?
And with the game now reaching the shores of Hawaii, perhaps the game's producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto would further amp his creative juices.
During the Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth launch party held in The Island, BGC, Sakamoto revealed what went behind the scenes in designing the game.
A different scenery in Hawaii
With the game set in Hawaii instead of its usual roots in Japan, Sakamoto revealed some of the challenges he encountered when designing the game.
The planning began during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant that he wouldn't be able to travel around and dig deep.
"Since I wasn’t able to go there (Hawaii) physically, I did a lot of research about the place before making the game," revealed Sakamoto to the press in Japanese which was then translated in English.
Eventually the restrictions lightened up and upon flying to Hawaii, Sakamoto realized that there were a lot of flaws in his initial designs.
"I really had hard time because it was remotely done, so when the pandemic restrictions lessened, I traveled to Hawaii and I realized that I made a lot of mistakes in creating the game."
He was very thorough with his approach saying: "I had to get the details correctly, from the height of the coconut trees, etc."
And with his experience in Hawaii, he wanted fans of the game to full immerse themselves and witness the beauty of the island.
"I’ve been to Hawaii before and I want to give everyone the experience of being in Hawaii. I want the players to feel like, ‘Wow it’s the real one," he reflected.
Having fun in DonDoko Island
To further bring the real Hawaii experience, Sakamoto integrated gameplay features from other games.
With the introduction of DonDoko Island, players can get a chance to customize their vacation island and transform it into a loveable tourist destination.
A dream haven isn't it? Until you encounter unwanted guests who will ruin your hardwork.
So why did Sakamoto include this in the game? Here's what he has to say.
"I wanted another approach from a similar game, but I wanted to have an edge, hence why I made it on one island. I really want a very chill type of game which is why I included it."
Bringing smiles to the community
With the added features as well as the typical comedic formula from the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series, Sakamoto is hoping that fans will remain appreciative of their upcoming game.
He admitted that he devoted a lot of time and effort in making sure that the game's narrative is as top-notch or even better than its predecessors.
"I really focused on the comedy of the game and I devoted a lot of time to ensure the quality in terms of story progression," he narrated.
And to make sure that his game would be appreciated by the general audience, he introduced a lot of flavorful elements.
"I made the game based on everyone’s liking and it’s not just one variety because everyone has different personalities. So I made it where it can stand out as a game."
He added: "I really want to make unique games, that's why I want to make everyone like the game."
In the end, it's the community who serves as his motivation.
"I’m really happy that there’s a community for this game and I want to make this a hit to everyone especially worldwide," he reflected.
Perhaps in the future, we could see the game take place in the Philippines.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth will release on January 26, 2024, and it will be available on PlayStations 4 and 5, Windows, and Xbox One and Series X/S.
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