It’s also set in Hawaii, which is as Japanese a setting as you can get while still setting a game in the United States. This works to appeal to both Japanese and American demographics, as well as every other person in the world, considering Hawaii is one of the most commonly idealised holiday destinations in pop culture.
I have mixed feelings about the game being set in Hawaii, especially considering that Hawaiians have recently expressed anger at irresponsible over-tourism of the island, but that’s a story for another article.
But despite this being marketed heavily at Western audiences, I have a feeling they’re going to find it’s not exactly a friendly starting point for the series. I’ve already written thatI wish I’d had the time to finish Yakuza: Like A Dragon, the game immediately preceding Infinite Wealth, before I started playing this most recent release. Infinite Wealth does not hold your hand through the game’s deep, extensive lore – there’s a little bit of a lowdown in the game’s first chapter of what happened in the previous game, yes, but if you haven’t actually played the previous game orLike A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, you’re likely to be confused as to what’s happening and why.
For the record, my advice is to just grit your teeth through it – the game is enjoyable, even if you have no idea who the main players in Kasuga’s story are. One thing that’s harder to tolerate is the quality of the English voice acting. From what I’ve experienced with it, the acting isn’tbad, but it’s not amazing, either, and I much prefer the Japanese dub.
The Japanese voice actors have given performances that are now considered iconic, some from the very beginning of the series. Kiryu, for example, has always been voiced by Takaya Kuroda, whose voice is now intrinsically a part of his character.
I really wish there was a sub/dub hybrid.
Playing in Japanese, though, will probably be a barrier to some. Not all – plenty of gamers in the Western world love Japanese games, but Sega is obviously trying to reach a larger, mainstream Western audience, and at least some of those people will see it as a con. But as Parasite director Bong Joon Ho said through a translator in his Golden Globes acceptance speech for Best Foreign-Language Film, “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” Just turn on the subs.
I also suspect that mainstream Western audiences, the kind that streamer xQc targets, aren’t generally super familiar with turn-based combat. I have never really gotten into the mechanic, having never grown up with a penchant for RTS games or JRPGs. Infinite Wealth makes combat interesting enough thatI’ve grown to love itdespite not understanding or enjoying it much in other games, and it’s easy to skip combat entirely if you’re not feeling it. I actually think the combat is fun enough that players might end up finding it one of the best parts of the game, or getting into turn-based combat as a genre. I’m certainly thinking about checking out more games like that.
There are plenty of things that could put Western audiences off Infinite Wealth, despite everything that makes it the ideal stepping point for them onto the series. I’m hoping that, despite the dubious success of Sega’s marketing for the game andthe very unpopular choice to lock New Game+ behind a paywall, they’ll at least be curious enough to check it out. It’s one of my favourite games out of one of my favourite series, with one of my favourite protagonists of all time. It would be a shame if RGG’s bid to get new demographics to buy in fails.
