Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a spin-off of video game studio Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and video game publisher Sega's Like a Dragon (previously Yakuza) game series. It was released on February 21, 2025, and is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows platforms.
Synopsis
Half a year since what transpired in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024), the game now features Majima, once a-Tojo Clan yakuza, stuck on Hawaii-bound Rich Island with no recollection of his former life. Rescued by a kid named Noah Rich, Majima is now entangled in a fight for territory control between Hawaiian island pirates and Japanese ex-yakuza members. He becomes pirate captain, ventures out to find the Esperanza, an experienced pirate vessel that holds precious treasures, and regains his lost memories.
Gameplay
Players guide Goro Majima as he visits different locations, such as Rich Island, pirate paradise Madlantis, cult Nele Island of Palekana and Honolulu city. The combat is a beat 'em up system similar to the previous series games, with two combat styles:
Mad Dog: Fighting style of Majima's, prioritizing quickness and agility.
Sea Dog: New appearance that enables Majima to duel with dual cleavers and firearms, incorporating the addition of antique pirate weapons.
The most critical additions are adding jumping and flight combos, advancing combat.
Aside from land-based combat, gamers can also make a pirate crew and enhance the ship, the Goromaru, to go on open sea, engage real-time sea warfare, and board vessels. It also returns familiar fan minigames from prior games such as karaoke and Dragon Kart and adds new minigames like Masaru's Love Journey in which players have to hire Minato Girls as crew member Masaru Fujita.
Critical Reception
The game was a success, with praise for the side content being enjoyable and the pirate environment. In the opinion of Giovanni Colantonio of Digital Trends, while the game holds back good writing in favor of some pirate pastiche that is not always as well done as it might be, it does get it right when remembering players who Like a Dragon is more than its meme moments. Eurogamer's Matt Elliott enjoyed the rich and revitalizing reinterpretation of the Yakuza formula that the game offered in addition to its over-the-top melodramatic set-piece drama, although he did initially fear that it departed from the familiar Kamurocho environment.
Not all positive though. Yoshiyuki Abe has damned the sea battles as repetitive, and the story is very weak. PCGamesN's Ashley Schofield received the beat 'em up action's return to the series and Majima's brooding character-driven set pieces but faulted the larger picture plot as aimless with telegraphed plot beats. IGN's Tristan Ogilvie appreciated the game as a nice little side-plot that received only the appropriate amount of street thuggery blended with piracy with the franchise's own sense of humor, though from some of the repetition on the lower island maps.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a good reimagining of core Yakuza gameplay and pirate adventure, with something new to do in an alternate world and set of mechanics. It is not better than the mainline game story but is an excellent experience with different things to do and the excellent addition of Goro Majima.