Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

A little over a year after the hugely successful and popular Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, fan-favourite Goro Majima returns with his own spin-off, featuring loads of over-the-top action as a modern-day pirate and, of course, plenty of yakuza craziness - in a good way.

One year after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, ex-yakuza Goro Majima washes up on a deserted island amidst the scattered remains of a shipwreck, unable to remember even his own name. Rescued by a young boy named Noah, he more or less accidentally gets into a skirmish with modern-day pirates while defending him, and since he needs a ship to get off the island to search for clues to his lost identity, what could be more obvious than trying to become a pirate? Before long, Majima and Noah, who wants to see the world, find themselves caught up in a conflict between Hawaiian pirates and ex-yakuza and other villains over a legendary treasure.

Yes, it all sounds a bit wild and chaotic, but that is exactly why it fits so well into the always surprising and creatively weird Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, especially since this spin-off is aimed at players who have not had much to do with the franchise so far. It's quite fitting that Majima has lost his memory, but still remembers his criminal past from time to time - and of course there's a lot of conversation in the typical cutscenes, both about absurd things and about the actual story. Much of it is exaggerated and tongue-in-cheek, but that's part of the charm.

Unlike the last two mainline entries, the battles are fought in real-time, as is typical of brawlers. Often taking on multiple opponents, Majima can dynamically switch between 'Mad Dog' and 'Sea Dog' fighting styles to mix up attacks, leaps, combos, juggling and aerial takedowns. The Mad Dog style focuses on speed, agility and precise yet powerful punches. The Sea Dog style features dual wielding of cutlasses and guns and the use of tricky pirate tools. The combat plays well, with wild, creative and completely over the top combat animations. It's a lot of fun. Since the memories and treasures he seeks are not all on one island, Majima needs a ship to travel to other locations. The locations are Rich Island (home of Noah), Nele Island (home of a religious group), a secret island frequented by criminals and pirates called Madlantis, and Honolulu, the main setting of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Aside from exploration, story and regular combat, players can assemble a pirate crew (made up of some familiar characters) and upgrade the ship, the Goromaru, which can be used to explore the open sea and engage in combat with other pirate ships. The crew aspects and ship upgrades are surprisingly good and motivating. Ship battles take place in real-time, and players can also board enemy ships to fight their crew and defeat their captain in crew versus crew battles. The combat is also very arcade and action-oriented, with (unrealistic) rapid ship manoeuvres, powerful broadsides and 'typical' weapons such as cannons, flamethrowers, energy cannons, lasers, gating guns, frost machine guns, shark cannons or coconut machine guns. But somehow it all fits together. Conveniently, Madlantis also features a coliseum where you can take on increasingly tough opponents. Of course, you can also explore the seas and find hidden islands and treasures.

Much like Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which was well received by players due in part to its length and scope, Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a more compact game than its main series counterpart, despite being 1.3 to 1.5 times the size of The Man Who Erased His Name. And the game reuses the main setting and assets (Hawaii) from Infinite Wealth. Masayoshi Yokoyama (studio head of Ryu Ga Gotoku) is surprised that assets are rarely reused in big game series anyway, as they are so expensive to create. However, this re-use still feels fresh and diverse. And yes, the game features several mini-games from previous Like a Dragon titles, such as Karaoke, Crazy Delivery, Dragon Kart and a host of unlockable emulations of older Sega games such as Poseidon Wars 3D or The Ocean Hunter. There is also the new Masaru's Love Journey, in which Majima recruits "Minato girls" to hang out with Masaru.

The franchise has become a huge success for Sega, especially in recent years. The Annual Integrated Report 2023, published by Sega Sammy at the end of 2023, stated that the series had sold 21.3 million units. A year later (November 2024), this figure had risen to 27.7 million. Yakuza: Like a Dragon (eighth mainline entry; the first to feature turn-based combat), released in 2020, contributed significantly to this, with 1.8 million units sold by the end of 2023. Its sequel, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (the ninth entry in the main series), released in 2024, reached the milestone of 1 million copies sold one week after launch. In addition to the main series, there are regular remakes and spin-offs. These include Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023) and Lost Judgment (2021), which is set in the same world as the mainline Yakuza/Like a Dragon games.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii sets sail on 21 February 2025 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows and PC (Steam) for €59.99. Players who pre-order the game will be able to add Ichiban Kasuga and Nancy to their crew, as well as have Majima change into two of Ichiban Kasuga's iconic outfits. The Digital Deluxe Edition for €74.99 also includes legendary crewmates, additional ship customisation parts, costumes, an extra karaoke song, more music for the in-game playlist and more. A retail version for PC and PS5 will be distributed in partnership with Plaion.

Conclusion

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a highly entertaining, over-the-top and creatively crazy spin-off of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise. It's another highlight from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio!

Features

• Wild and creatively crazy gameplay mix
• Action-packed, over-the-top battles on land and the high seas
• Lots to do outside the main story, motivating ship upgrades