Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is shaping up to potentially be the biggest release in the franchise to date, with players getting to play as both Kasuga and Kiryu in the brand-new location of Hawaii. Along with the game's epic main story, players will also get to partake in a handful of the optional mini-games and side stories that are a staple of the series, including the new life sim side mode Dondoko Island. Combining these elements could make Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth the most robust game in the franchise, setting it up to play a similar role as Persona 5 in its respective series.

Recent comments from RGG Studio Head Masayoshi Yokoyama suggest that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will be the longest game in the series. While this may sound intimidating to some players, others will likely be looking forward to immersing themselves in the world of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and take their time picking away at the game. This play style might lead Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth to have a similar feel to Persona 5, which could position it to be as successful as Persona 5 was for the Persona series.

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Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth's Playtime Could Mirror that of Persona 5

Persona 5 Royal is infamous for being an incredibly long game to beat, clocking in at around 100 hours to complete the story if players unlock the third semester and the true ending. While games in the Persona series are longer overall compared to the Like a Dragon series, both have seen a trend of recent entries getting longer compared to earlier ones. With this trend in mind, it makes sense that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth would push the series' playtime to new heights.

Like a Dragon Series Play Times

Although the shortest game in the series is the most recent one, with Like a Dragon Gaiden coming in with around a 10-hour time to beat, the series as a whole has been getting longer with each entry. The transition from an action-brawler to a JRPG with Yakuza: Like a Dragon is the clear turning point for game length, since it nearly doubles the playtime of most of the series' earlier entries. Games like Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 5 that feature multiple playable protagonists also incur long playtimes, so it isn't surprising that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth would be the series' longest yet, given that it has both JRPG gameplay and multiple protagonists.

Persona Series Play Times

Even by JRPG standards, the Persona series tends to have very long games. Still, there is a distinct shift in length with Persona 3 FES, since Persona 3 was the first game in the series to feature the calendar mechanic that allowed players to play through in-game days over the course of several months.

Persona 5 Royal took this mechanic to the highest level the series has seen, with numerous activities for players to participate in around Tokyo, as well as an entire third semester to play through and the entirety of Mementos to explore. The large amount of content in Persona 5 Royal contributes to its length, and the same will likely be true for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Franchise

Yakuza

Platform(s)

PS5 , PS4 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , PC

Released

January 26, 2024

Developer(s)

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

Publisher(s)

Sega

Genre(s)

RPG

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