Final Fantasy XIV’s Island Sanctuary is a unique piece of content for the game that sees players take a break from the universe-destroying stakes of the main story and enjoy some vacation time in a tropical paradise. The Island Sanctuary was one of the most anticipated parts of Endwalker, so when FFXIV players saw the trailer for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Dondoko Island game mode, they got some serious Deja Vu.
The similarities were first noticed by players on Reddit’s r/ShitpostXIV in a post titled “Island Sanctuary if it was actually good.” The post included the trailer for Dondoko Island, and quite frankly it’s uncanny.
The tropical island with a large central mountain, the resource gathering, the HUD, crafting, and building placement all seems super similar to FFXIV’s Island Sanctuary. Even the graphics and setting are similar. However, as the Reddit post notes, there’s some things we’d definitely wish were in the Island Sanctuary including customizable interiors, NPC guests, campfire singalongs and more.
But is Dondoko Island inspired by FFXIV’s Island Sanctuary? Likely not. Instead they’re both probably inspired by Japan’s tradition of vacation games, such as the Boku no Natsuyasumi series, Animal Crossing, and farming titles like Harvest Moon. More recently, games such as Shin-chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons have cemented popularity of the “holiday simulator” sub-genre, and both Dondoko Island and FFXIV’s Island Sanctuary are homages to it.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the follow-up to Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It’s scheduled for release on Jan. 26, 2024. Unlike much of the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series, the Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is based on JRPG mechanics.
However, one thing it definitely shares with the rest of the Like a Dragon/Ryu Ga Gotoku series' are the intricate mini-games that are often incredibly in-depth. This is reportedly due to an internal game jam held in RGG Studio that challenges developers to come up with the best mini-games they can. Yakuza Kiwami is notorious for its deep slot car racing mini game that can take up double-digit hours of gameplay, while numerous sequels have included host club management, tower defense, and other games, all surprisingly expansive in nature.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will feature dozens of mini games with Dondoko Island being only one of them. Any similarities to existing or future FFXIV features in these mini games is probably always a harmless coincidence or homage.
