Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Dondoko Island is a whole game within a game
Yakuza minigames have crossed the threshold
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If you thoughtYakuzaminigames peaked with running an amateur baseball team, think again, asLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthis introducing Dondoko Island.
Revealed during the October 25Xbox Partner Preview, Dondoko Island sees protagonist Ichiban Kasuga travel to a remote island destination (on the back of a dolphin, no less), where he’s able to build and maintain a home away from home for himself and his friends. It’s very clearly inspired byAnimal Crossing: New Horizons,with the ability to catch fish and bugs, craft furniture, chinwag with island residents and so on.
Kasuga can also build a home for himself, where he can place the furniture he’s crafted or bought from the island’s store. It won’t be constant sunshine and rainbows, though; as the trailer below shows, enemies can show up to cause havoc. Thankfully, Kasuga’s able to beat them back with his baseball bat in what looks like a departure from the main game’s turn-based combat.
Dondoko Island seriously takes the cake regarding the series' iconic minigames. While most in the series are relatively small-scale, like bowling, batting cages and chicken races, there are a few that stand out as more fleshed-out experiences. Especially in more recent entries.
Yakuza 0’scabaret club and real estate management both had hours-long stories attached to them, for example.0andYakuzaKiwamialso featured a fantastic slot car racing storyline that persisted across both games.Yakuza: Like a Dragon’skart, racing was incredibly moreish, too. And I really shouldn’t forget the time inYakuza 5when Taiga Saejima spent some time hunting a bear across a snowy mountain. Yes, that was a thing.
I am pretty excited about what Dondoko Island brings toLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthwhen the game launches on January 26, 2024. As an enjoyer of both high-stakes crime narratives and laid-back lifestyle games, I know I’m going to find myself hopping across the water frequently to get away from it all.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is still a few months away, so consider checking out ourbest Xbox Series X gamesandbest Xbox Game Pass gamesin the run-up to its release early next year.
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Rhys is TRG’s Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.
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