Summary
The heart of theLike a Dragongames is composed of many things: thrilling crime plots, emotional reunions, multi-faceted minigames, and a startlingly effective approach to the wacky and weird world of substories. The ability of the series to operate so well between its sincerity, seriousness, and comedy is due in large part to its side quest design. No matter its protagonists, fromthe stoic Kiryu to the charismatic Ichiban, the substories seen across the series are a testament to RGG Studio’s tonal range, and asLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthushers in its future with Ichiban at the mantle, so too does it encourage the use of a party-based system going forward, making a core tenet ofFF7 Rebirth’s design one to consider.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s dual-protagonist approach oscillated between the wacky substories of Ichiban’s adventures in Hawaii and the nostalgic memories of Kiryu’s Memoirs of a Dragon, drawing from the strengths of its characters and the ridiculous situations they find themselves in. Similar to pastLike a Dragongames, however, the substories ofInfinite Wealthwere mostly a solitary affair. Though this made sense before the series' transition to a party system, the way that substory encounters hone in on their protagonist’s perspectives winds up leaving the party absent within the context of their narratives, except for their aid in combat. The exception inInfinite Wealth’s case was Saeko’s help in Kiryu’s Club Four Shine escapade, integrating her into the quest in a way that could set a new precedent.
How the Next Mainline Like a Dragon Game Could Bring Party Members into its Substories
Branching in Perspective for Like a Dragon’s Substories
This more honed-in approach to substories has its merits, as a large part ofLike a Dragon’s side quest philosophy is in building on its protagonists' characterization outside of their tragic circumstances, demonstrating the underlying compassion that weaves them together, even in the face of the oddest encounters. WithLike a Dragon’s Ichibanbeing firmly established in both personality and backstory, however, future mainline games could consider bringing its party members into the substory fray, having them act alongside Ichiban or any alternate protagonists who may crop up, to provide their own commentary. Having to account for a whole team in each substory would be unruly, however, soFF7 Rebirth’s approach could be a model to look towards achieving this.
LikeInfinite Wealth,FF7 Rebirthincludes an affinity system for its party, made tangible through its dialogue choices and side quests. Throughout its semi-open world, the regions ofRebirthoffer noticeboards, where requests for help have Cloud and company taking on tasks to better serve the communities they come across. ThoughRebirthjuggles a large cast, these quests operate on a duo basis; Cloud and one other member of the party take precedence in the side quest’s story, building on their banter and the finer details of the respective character’s backstory. It is through this design thatRebirthopens up to some fantastic storytellingmoments, relishing the same comedic and heartfelt tone that can be seen in theLike a Dragonseries.
Letting Party Members Shine in the Wackiness of Subplots
ThoughInfinite Wealth’s use of Drink Links and Walk n' Talks was a fantastic way to build on Ichiban and Kiryu’s camaraderie with the team, the former often focused on the more introspective, serious moments of the party. From Tomi grappling with the tragedy of his past relationship toSeonheefacing the outdated values of the Geomijul, Drink Links were a conduit to show the party’s current plights. Seeing the party of futureLike a Dragongames outside of their own circumstances, allowing them to give advice just as Ichiban and Kiryu did for them, would be interesting if placed in the context of substories. Giving party members the chance to be integrated into the wackiness ofLike a Dragon’s subplots could be a way to build on their characters while remarking on the absurdity that follows Ichiban.
Having this approach be similar toRebirth’s handling would allow for futureLike a Dragonsubstories to remain compact enough to focus on the NPCs they employ while still shedding light on the party’s perspectives. With the sheer number of substories thatLike a Dragongames provide, there wouldn’t be a need for every quest to involve a party member, though even the sporadic use ofRebirth’s formula could be a way to shake things up. Letting party members experience the wackiness of substory plots could be a way to deepen their personalities just as effectively as the othernarrative techniquesInfinite Wealthutilized, and thus, could be a good consideration for the mainline games going forward.
