With Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth less than a month away from release, Sega has released new screenshots of its Sujimon in-game activity. A gloriously tongue-in-cheek parody of Pokémon, it’s every bit as ridiculous as you could hope for.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is set to be packed with side-quests and activities, but the one a lot of Yakuza/Like a Dragon fans will be looking forward to is Sujimon Battles. And now, Sega has released new screenshots of this RPG’s whacky Pokémon parody.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which introduced us to co-protagonist Ichiban Kasuga containsa cheeky nod to Pokémon, Nintendo’s video game turned card-battler. The human enemies you fight are dubbed ‘Sujimon’ and each one you encounter is recorded in your Sujidex.
Given that Ichiban sees the world through the eyes of an RPG hero, it makes perfect sense that he’d make a list of the enemies he’s encountered. But Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth takes things to the next level, turning you into a Sujimon Trainer who trains and recruits Sujimon, pitting them against each other.
Does that sound a little shady? Absolutely, though Pokémon’s animal-on-animal fights are also pretty suspect. Ethical issues aside, Sega has now shed some light on just how Sujimon Battles will work and has shared some images of this side activity in action.
As translated by Gematsu, you’ll lead your Sujimon in 3 vs 3 battles, with the aim of dethroning the Discreet Four and the Sujimon Master. That sounds like the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series’ usual brand of wonderful, over-the-top nonsense, but it gets better.
Once you hit the rank of Sujimancer, you’ll unlock it as a job, meaning you can summon your Sujimon to help you out in regular battles. Want assistance from someone in a shark mask? Just put out the call and they’ll come running.
This appears to be on top of the game’s main summons which, in the previous game, had you calling in nappy-wearing gangsters, long-time series frenemy Goro Majima and others.
Like Pokémon, though not to the extent that Nintendo can sue, Sujimon have their own affinities. This makes them stronger against certain Sujimon types and weaker against others. As a Sujimon battler, it’s up to you to use this knowledge to your advantage, and issue appropriate commands mid-battle. And, going by these new images, there’ll be no shortage of ridiculously-attired recruits.
You can expect more silliness when Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth releases this Friday, January 26, 2024. There’s still time to get started with Like a Dragon Gaiden or tackle some other turn-based RPGs.
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