Highlights

  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth excels at creating intense boss fights, with Chapter 13's Barracuda showdown being no exception.
  • The game cleverly utilizes environmental factors in combat, maximizing the use of movement and strategic positioning in battles.
  • The narrative tension and gameplay mechanics combine in the boat fight, where players must navigate the dangers of sharks and enemy attacks.

This article contains heavy spoilers for Chapter 13 of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Proceed with caution.Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth does an excellent job at bringing spectacle to its boss fights, and Chapter 13's Barracuda showdown is no exception. With Infinite Wealth's Barracuda gang establishing themselves as a formidable opponent for Ichiban and the team, the threat they pose reaches a fever pitch nearer the game's end. Climbing aboard Yamai's boat through the deep waters between Hawaii and Japan, Dwight and his gang set out for blood while Ichiban and the party give everything they've got to keep Akane and Lani safe.

Having built on its predecessor's combat, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth makes clever use of its environment to shake up the parameters of its turn-based system. With movement being an important factor alongside the chance for weapon attacks, back attacks, and ally follow-ups, it's clear that Infinite Wealth has worked to enrich its robust battle features in a number of ways. Taking into account environmental factors is another way this has been on display, used in Chapter 13's boat fight to great effect. As Yamai remarks about the dangers of the infested waters they are stalled in, the threat becomes all the more tangible once players realize that the boat's stern has no railing, leaving hungry sharks ready to chomp down on friend and foe alike.

Honolulu and Kamurocho in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
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Making Clever Use of Terrain Within Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth's Combat

Building Tension in Turn-Based Combat

The Barracudas' leader Dwight leads the charge against Ichiban and his team, tightening the space of the boat's battle arena to make things feel more tense and claustrophobic. With limited terrain to move around, the boat's stern becomes more dangerous as players need to take into account their vicinity to the sharks' reach. Between the thrashing of the waves sending the team off balance and the ever-present threat of nature circling around them, the culminating effect is an environment that feels as hostile as the gang members themselves. Luckily, the sharks can be used to the player's advantage, if they play things right.

Taking into consideration Infinite Wealth's directional component to attacks, players can direct Ichiban and the team to strike from certain angles, letting enemies fly backwards from the resulting hit. This is a great way to induce ally follow-ups, though in the case of Chapter 13's boss fight, this can be utilized to benefit from the sharks' hunger, as enemies sent reeling toward them will be chomped down and lose quite a bit of health in the process. The same applies to foes attacking Ichiban and his party, making the sharks feel both vicious and fair in affecting the tide of the battle.

Occasionally, the battle camera will pan out to show a shark circling the boat, letting the player know its proximity. When it draws close enough, the opportunity for a shark to leap across the length of the boat can leave all combatants in the arena reeling from damage while affecting their current positions. In comedic Like a Dragon fashion, there is even a dynamic QTE that sees Ichiban and Dwight fighting close to the boat's edge, where successful button prompts result in Dwight just barely escaping an airborne shark's jaws. As Dwight tries to take advantage of the threats, his special attack, 'Chum the Waters,' has him using his dual machetes to skewer an ally and send them right into the sharks' reach.

A Fitting End for the Barracudas' Leader

Once Ichiban and the team win against Dwight, the Barracuda leader flees, leaving his fellow gang members behind. Before he can fully escape, however, his boat is overturned as he finally meets his end to the very sharks he tried to use for his own gain. The cutscene makes for a clever way of ending the sequence while asserting the hierarchy of nature's food chain; despite Dwight and his gang doing everything they can to wreak havoc throughout Infinite Wealth's Hawaii, it was ultimately a shark that wound up eating the Barracuda leader, as Yamai and Tomizawa remark on the power of the island's natural guardians.