The Yakuza / Like a Dragon franchise has always been able to expertly balance heart-wrenching drama with an incredible sense of humor. Of course, it would all fall apart without its vast cast of wonderful characters, and the idea of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio going all-in on one of the series’ most iconic faces in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii makes it easily one of the most exciting entries to date.
For any other franchise, a game like Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii would probably buckle under the absurdity of it all. But thankfully, it’s part of a series that’s had us run cabaret clubs, go spearfishing for sharks, and uncover corruption within a taxi street-racing scene. So having a notoriously violent and unpredictable Yakuza officer protect an island community by forming a crew of swashbuckling pirates is par for the course.
I recently attended a two-hour preview session of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. During it, I got to sample many of its recently-revealed gameplay systems, including coliseum ship warfare, island treasure hunting, and sailing across the treacherous oceans surrounding Hawaii itself. My takeaway is that Goro Majima’s pivot to piracy is shaping up to be one of the most fun and content-rich Like a Dragon adventures yet.
Island life will make you Rich
The preview began on Rich Island, which plays home to a small community that finds protagonist Goro Majima washed ashore and having lost his memory. While there were no story beats at this point, I did get to sample various aspects of the island, which acts like a home base for Majima and crew.
What surprised me the most here was that ‘home base’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘safe.’ Enemies do roam about on Rich Island, and a number of optional fights against singular, more powerful opponents allow for plenty of opportunities for scrapping right out of the gate.
It presented a good opportunity to get acquainted with Majima’s two fighting styles: Mad Dog and Sea Dog. And I did find those more powerful, optional enemies to be noticeably challenging. I had to make use of the breadth of Majima’s arsenal across both fighting styles to get the upper hand.
This included knowing when to best use Majima’s most powerful abilities: the Doppelganger form in Mad Dog mode, and the newly revealed Dark God Instruments that are exclusive to the Sea Dog style. These I found to be especially good fun, as Majima pulls out one of four magic musical instruments to summon hard-hitting animal companions such as a parrot or a giant chimpanzee.
Elsewhere on Rich Island is a small animal shelter called Goro Kingdom. A number of animals are kept here, including a cow, a rooster, and cats and dogs. It seems that Majima will be able to keep stray animals safe here, and by feeding them pet food, they’ll offer you useful items while increasing their bond with you.
There’s also a small storage shed where Majima is able to change his outfit and play a good variety of Sega Master System titles, including Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Fantasy Zone. Rest assured that retro Sega heads are well accounted for here, especially with a playable Virtua Fighter 3tb which you’ll find in the game’s various arcade venues, too.
Stormy seas
The visit to Rich Island didn’t last long, though, as I was eager to chart a course for the Madlantis criminal empire, where a coliseum plays host to intense naval battles. But more on that later; first, we actually had to get there, which meant traversing the massive and surprisingly treacherous ocean.
I gathered from the preview that quite a lot of your playtime in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will be spent out at sea aboard Majima’s very own ship, the Goromaru. There’s a fair bit to do out on open waters, and each explorable expanse was surprisingly sizable, dotted with rival ships to fight and smaller islands on which you can hunt for treasure.
What’s more is that old Mother Nature is having none of it. There’s an element of dynamic weather in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, including storms that can damage your ship with lightning strikes, as well as waterspouts and whirlpools that you should be avoiding at all costs.
Thankfully, the Goromaru is more than up to the task. You can boost to make navigation a bit faster, and travel along wind currents for a reliable burst of speed. You can also outfit the Goromaru with cosmetics such as unique sail and ship liveries to add a touch of style to your high-seas escapades.
Then there are all the different types of cannons, which include a flame spray for setting enemy ships alight, and laser cannons that result in massive damage. I found there was a lot of freedom to customize here, and swapping out cannons to best fit the kinds of ships you’re going to be up against seems like it’ll be a major gameplay consideration too.
They called us Mad(lantis)
As was the case with my initial preview session last year, the location of Madlantis was the primary destination this time around. Madlantis is a criminal empire hidden from the eyes of the law, not dissimilar to the coliseum from Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.
In Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Madlantis looks to offer a comparatively much broader experience, offering a range of gambling activities as well as four unique coliseum modes: Quick Clash, Madlantis Mania, Tournament of Captains, and Swashbuckler Showdown.
The first three showcase Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’s naval battles at their best. Once you’ve incapacitated the enemy ship, you’ll be prompted to transition to a ‘Deck Battle’ in which your crew will board the ship for an all-out brawl. You can bring up to 20 crew members with you, leading to exceptionally hectic battles in which your army of misfits aim to give you the edge.
It’s also where Majima’s two fighting styles really come into their own. Majima has plenty of crowd-control abilities, such as tossing out his twin cutlasses in Sea Dog style, and having his multiple Doppelgangers dish out pain in Mad Dog style. It really sells Majima’s ability to take out scores of foes all by himself in a terrifyingly brutal fashion.
The final coliseum mode, Swashbuckler Showdown, dials this up to an even more absurd degree as it pits you and your crew against squads of up to 100 enemies. Having just reviewed Dynasty Warriors Origins, I was incredibly enthusiastic about this mode, and it was extremely satisfying to mow down hundreds of goons. That’s not to say it’s mindless, though, as some of the later challenges provided a much higher level of difficulty, with a number of powerful boss-like enemies thrown into the mix.
Home away from home
Having ticked off the preview’s major elements, I spent the remainder of my time wandering around Honolulu, which returns in its entirety from Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. That element of virtual tourism is still very much intact here, with substories (read: side quests) and activities aplenty for you to peruse when you want to take a break from all that plunderin’.
My first port of call here was to check out the Dragon Kart mode, returning from Yakuza: Like a Dragon. I think the track design is much stronger here, too, with Honolulu’s numerous water features and winding streets providing an excellently tricky backdrop to the racing. You can still upgrade your kart to gain an edge, and make use of power-ups such as boosts and missiles, so it ultimately hasn’t changed too much from its initial appearance.
Hopping back aboard the Goromaru, I explored what might just be my favorite new gameplay feature: treasure hunts. You’ll find these dotted around the ocean maps, highlighted by a treasure chest icon. The goal here, typically, is to make land and dispatch numerous waves of enemies on the way to collecting that sweet loot. There are also some very unorthodox enemy encounters to be found here; one that stuck in my mind was a ninja named Lewis and his companion grizzly bear.
This feature is bound to be warmly received by series completionists, too; treasure count as their own collectibles in addition to the money and other items you’ll find on these expeditions. There appeared to be around 65 in total, so you’ll be busy if you’re aiming for 100%.
Still, that’s plenty of island-hopping in what’s looking to be a far more substantial side-game than what we saw with the relatively bite-sized Like a Dragon Gaiden. Overall, there appears to be compelling side-content galore in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and that’s not factoring in story content, which we’ve still had very little experience with.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is easily one of my most anticipated games this year, and I’m very much looking forward to putting the captain’s hat back on when it launches on February 21, 2025 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.