Summary
Mini-gamesare a staple in big RPGs. TheFinal Fantasyseries is a great example, from Chocobo racing inFinal Fantasy 7to Blitzball inFinal Fantasy 10. TheYakuzaseries is full of them too, which began as a tradition in the first iteration on PS2.
Some mini-games have become staples in the series while others have been retired.Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthoffers players a good mix of old and new, and they will have to dive in to find out more. At some point, Sega has to read the room and just make a mini-game collection or spinoff. Fans would absolutely dig it, but until then, these are the best mini-games in the latestLike A Dragontitle.
7Sega Arcade Games
Getting Down With The Classics
All of theYakuzagames have featured playableclassic Sega arcade gamesin some form. The last title,Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, even offered players the opportunity to play 8-bit games likeAlex Kidd.Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthdoesn’t have a huge catalog of retro games compared to past entries, but they are there.
The most unique one of the bunch isSpikeOut,which is a 3D brawler that feels like the trueYakuza 0. It’s still fun to smash bad guys with elaborate kicks and punches.Virtua Fighter 3andSega Bass Fishingare other classic examples that can be fun to play in the arcades too, but they are not as great asSpikeOut.
6Karaoke
Singing Old And New Classics
Karaokeis a classic mainstay mini-game in the series. The gameplay is fairly basic for a rhythm-based game for those familiar with hits likeParappa the Rapper. Players have to match button prompts to the beat and every song has a certain skill level to it.
What makes this mini-game great is the elaborate stage presence of the characters. There are plenty of callbacks to the series too, which is fun for longtimeYakuzafans. Karaoke is even a big plot pointin Kazuma’s storybut that won’t be spoiled here.
5Miss Match
Tinder For The Yakuza
TheYakuzaseries has always featured some way to meet ladies around town. Typically, there have been cabaret clubs, which do return inLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. There’s a new dating sim element to the game as well, though, featured first in a Substory.
Miss Matchis the lady in charge of the app, and it’s the name of the app.Miss Match isLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’sstand-in for phone apps like Tinder, wherein players can customize certain features about Ichiban and then go on dates. These dates often end in hilarious ways too, so the mini-game is worth the investment.
4Crazy Delivery
A Crazy Taxi Reboot On Bikes
Sega recently announced that they are going to bring back several of their classic franchises, includingCrazy Taxi. For lapsed fans of that series, this was great news. Those salivating for a taste now should check out theCrazy Deliverymini-game inLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Players will be tasked with gathering food around town and then delivering it to customers throughout the city. The catch is that a simple delivery won’t do. Players have to do wildly unsafe tricks to beef up a combo meter before executing the delivery just to look cool.
3Sicko Snap
Seeing The Weird Side Of Hawaii
There are severalPokemonreferences in this game, so much so that fans that dislikePalworld’spractices will probably hateLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthtoo. For example,Sicko Snapis a mini-game first encountered in the Substory “Snap Those Sickos.” It plays out like a more lewdversion ofPokemon Snap.
There are several trolley stops around the city that players can catch. Once they get on, the mini-game will start as an on-rails shooter, with Ichiban in charge of snapping photos of weirdly dressed people around the city. It’s a voyeuristic hobby, but the rewards are good.
2Sujimon
Gotta Fight ‘Em All!
Sujimonis the otherPokemonreference in the game, and it is a returning one fromYakuza: Like a Dragon. TheSujimon inLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthis more elaborate though, as players can befriend nearly every random type of enemy in the game, which is called Sujimon. What’s more, players can battle their Sujimon with trainers across the city.
There is even an underground battle arena with a giant tournament. It’s the most elaborate mini-game and side quest in the game and only a true Sujimon Master can finish the job. Sega may want to think about turning this concept into a full-on spinoff, perhaps for the Switch 2.
1Dondoko Island
Animal Crossing For The Hardcore
Speaking of the Switch 2, theDondoko Islandmini-game is like the more detailed cousin to one of the Switch’s best-selling games akaAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.Dondoko Island turnsLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthinto an action game crossed with a city builder. Ichiban can go around the island and fight invaders with his trusty bat.
He can clear rubble to make new patches of land livable, along with gathering resources to build new things like furniture. It’s one of the easiest ways to make money in the game. This mini-game is also elaborate enough that Sega could easily make it into a spinoff.
