Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was one of the best games of 2024, so the fact that the developers at RGG Studio turned around a follow-up in little more than a year is simply incredible. While it doesn’t make the same impact as Ichiban’s latest adventure, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii scratches any Yakuza itch fans might have while retaining the charm that really made the last game special.
Much like The Man Who Erased His Name at the end of 2023, Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is a gaiden–a Japanese name commonly referred to for a side story. The Man Who Erased His Name served as a follow-up to Yakuza: Like A Dragon while also being a bridge that connected that title to Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is much in the same vain here, as it happens soon after the events of Infinite Wealth.
If you’re not convinced the game is a wholesome experience, maybe this screenshot will.
The biggest difference with Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is it stars Goro Majima as the protagonist. Longtime fans of the series know him as the “Mad Dog of Shimano” who’s been quite the unhinged character in just about every game in the series.
The game starts with him washed up along the shores of Rich Island, a fictional isle along the Hawaiian archipelago, shipwrecked and without his memories. A boy named Noah finds Majima in his difficult situation, and after getting surrounded by pirates, Majima fends them off with lethal fighting skills he didn’t know he had. After being brought to Noah’s home, Majima discovers that he was likely shipwrecked enroute to Nele Island, which is currently under cleanup by the Japanese yakuza as a result of the events from Infinite Wealth. Majima then finds himself embroiled in another conflict, taking responsibility of Noah and his family, which ends up with him being the captain of a pirate ship all while still having that amnesia.
This kid, Noah Rich, is annoying as all hell, but Majima likes him. And that’s enough for me.
If you thought that was a lot, it was. It’s all impossible stuff only made believable because this is what Like A Dragon is all about–amidst all the insanity, there’s always some seriousness. The best thing is despite all the drama that moves Pirate Yakuza‘s plot forward, you don’t actually need to have played any game in the series to have an understanding of what’s going on. All you really need to know, and you’ll come to realize, is that Goro Majima is a deranged lunatic when it comes to fighting, but he’s also a wholesome person comparable to both Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga–Like a Dragon‘s primary mainstays.
As a gaiden, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (unapologetically) reuses a lot of assets from Infinite Wealth. This is extremely apparent once you get to Honolulu in chapter two. One of the biggest praises I sang for Infinite Wealth was its authentic presentation of Waikiki. Everything from the beaches, to the skyscraper resorts, even down to the businesses and eateries are as close to a 1:1 as you can expect to Hawaii, and all of that is back in Pirate Yakuza. Minigames such as Dragon Kart (a parody of Mario Kart), Crazy Delivery (a parody of Crazy Taxi where you deliver food on a bike while doing tricks to rack combos), and Sicko Snap (a parody of Pokémon Snap where you take pictures of old perverts while in a Hawaii tour bus) all make a return in Pirate Yakuza and add nothing but enjoyable fluff just for the vibes.
I just wanted an excuse to praise RGG Studio for putting Samoa Joe in the game as antagonist.
In fact, as fun as it was roaming the streets of Downtown Honolulu with Ichiban and friends, some might find it more enjoyable to do it as Majima because of the return to the beat-em-up-style combat from the original games. Because of the lack of turns and menus, fights in Pirate Yakuza feel quicker and like less of a drag later in the game since the gangsters and enemies don’t really scale.
That said, if you’re a fan of the original games, it might also feel a tad limiting. Pirate Yakuza only features two fighting styles, the mad dog and the sea dog. The mad dog style is very much what people are used to with Majima, where one button is all about melee strikes where the other button throws Majima’s demonfire dagger into play. The other style is the sea dog style, which turns Majima into a pirate and double wields cutlasses to bring about his fury on enemies. Every fight in the game nets Majima money which he can use on consumables, gear, and upgrades to both his mad and sea dog abilities.
Like A Dragon‘s traditional beat-em-style is more than welcome in the streets of Hawaii, especially when you just want to enjoy the setting.
Familiarity aside, what separates Pirate Yakuza from the rest of the series is literally in the name. Majima is a pirate, so he’s going to do pirate things. The most obvious of which is commanding a pirate ship with his own crew. This gives Pirate Yakuza a more open world feel than the rest of the series because you can actually leave Honolulu to go to other islands in search of treasure or a couple of locales, including Nele Island and the crude pirate sanctuary of Madlantis.
Of course, there wouldn’t be much of a pirate theme without naval combat. As you make your way from island to island, you’ll run into enemy fleets, and the act of taking them out is actually enjoyable. At first, your ship will be limited to a machine gun and cannons, but as you progress through the game you’ll be able to unlock more powerful upgrades to really make the Goro Pirates (yeah, that’s what they’re called) a force. The controls kind of feel like a dog fight in Star Wars or Star Fox, except that you’re sailing instead of flying. Some fights also include deck battles where after you take out the lead ship, you’ll board and have your own army of pirates take out theirs in all-out melee warfare. From here, fights go into traditional Like a Dragon combat except you won’t be able to use any items.
Naval exploration and combat is actually not terrible.
When you eventually start visiting other smaller islands for the purpose of treasure hunting, you’ll remain in this all-out melee mode. A lot of the islands are simple, where all you have to do is clear out enemies, while others force you to take more time exploring the island in search of the treasure. Treasure in Pirate Yakuza mostly consists of collectables and rings you can equip to each finger to further upgrade Majima’s fighting stats.
With the exception of the game’s second chapter, which is designed to show you everything you can possibly do in the game, Pirate Yakuza‘s campaign is really short and can be completed in just over 12 hours. I personally took over 20, and I also went ahead and got the Platinum at just over 30 hours clocked. As with any Like A Dragon game, the amount of enjoyment you’ll get depends on how much time you put into it.
This 30-minute, live-action cutscene is actually part of an insane series of sidequests.
There is no shortage of side stories in Pirate Yakuza, and some will definitely be more interesting than others. I’d even argue that Pirate Yakuza just might have the most interesting sidequest in the entire series with Masaru’s Love Journey: My Dream Minato Girl. This side story is triggered when Majima reads the diary of one of his crewmates and learns about his desire to date a Minato girl (there are many meanings in Japan for what a Minato girl is, but for purposes of this review, let’s just say they’re sophisticated and high class). This starts a seven-part sidequest that results in a live action dating show featuring Japanese actor Ryuji Akiyama as Masaru, and it’s the very definition of cringe. It’s absolutely hilarious (the entire live action part takes half an hour on its own) and it’s worth it because you end up recruiting five more crewmates to the Goro Pirates.
This is part of what made the Platinum trophy worth the chase. Most of the sidestories you finish end with you recruiting new members to the Goro Pirates, and not only do they make the ship more lively, they make pirate battles more enjoyable as well. While there definitely is some trolling going on with a lot of the extra content in the game, none of it is a waste of time. Not only are you reading cheeky dialog and immersing yourself with a countless hilarious moments, but you’re also earning cash and points that make the actual game more enjoyable as a result. This is what Like A Dragon has always been, and Pirate Yakuza‘s shorter length almost made it feel like a cozy game.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii isn’t without its issues, especially with how it handles performance transitioning from a key battle back to the campaign, but it’s a B-level game that totally embraces that role with the love and care obviously put into it. The industry needs more B games, and I absolutely loved this one. Whether you’re a fan of the series or just trying it for the first time, Pirate Yakuza is a game you know you’ll have a good time with whether you put 12 or 30 hours into it.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was one of the best games of 2024, so the fact that the developers at RGG Studio turned around a follow-up in little more than a year is simply incredible. While it doesn’t make the…
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was one of the best games of 2024, so the fact that the developers at RGG Studio turned around a follow-up in little more than a year is simply incredible. While it doesn’t make the same impact as Ichiban’s latest adventure, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii scratches any Yakuza itch fans might have while retaining the charm that really made the last game special.
Much like The Man Who Erased His Name at the end of 2023, Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is a gaiden–a Japanese name commonly referred to for a side story. The Man Who Erased His Name served as a follow-up to Yakuza: Like A Dragon while also being a bridge that connected that title to Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is much in the same vain here, as it happens soon after the events of Infinite Wealth.
If you’re not convinced the game is a wholesome experience, maybe this screenshot will.
The biggest difference with Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is it stars Goro Majima as the protagonist. Longtime fans of the series know him as the “Mad Dog of Shimano” who’s been quite the unhinged character in just about every game in the series.
The game starts with him washed up along the shores of Rich Island, a fictional isle along the Hawaiian archipelago, shipwrecked and without his memories. A boy named Noah finds Majima in his difficult situation, and after getting surrounded by pirates, Majima fends them off with lethal fighting skills he didn’t know he had. After being brought to Noah’s home, Majima discovers that he was likely shipwrecked enroute to Nele Island, which is currently under cleanup by the Japanese yakuza as a result of the events from Infinite Wealth. Majima then finds himself embroiled in another conflict, taking responsibility of Noah and his family, which ends up with him being the captain of a pirate ship all while still having that amnesia.
This kid, Noah Rich, is annoying as all hell, but Majima likes him. And that’s enough for me.
If you thought that was a lot, it was. It’s all impossible stuff only made believable because this is what Like A Dragon is all about–amidst all the insanity, there’s always some seriousness. The best thing is despite all the drama that moves Pirate Yakuza‘s plot forward, you don’t actually need to have played any game in the series to have an understanding of what’s going on. All you really need to know, and you’ll come to realize, is that Goro Majima is a deranged lunatic when it comes to fighting, but he’s also a wholesome person comparable to both Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga–Like a Dragon‘s primary mainstays.
As a gaiden, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (unapologetically) reuses a lot of assets from Infinite Wealth. This is extremely apparent once you get to Honolulu in chapter two. One of the biggest praises I sang for Infinite Wealth was its authentic presentation of Waikiki. Everything from the beaches, to the skyscraper resorts, even down to the businesses and eateries are as close to a 1:1 as you can expect to Hawaii, and all of that is back in Pirate Yakuza. Minigames such as Dragon Kart (a parody of Mario Kart), Crazy Delivery (a parody of Crazy Taxi where you deliver food on a bike while doing tricks to rack combos), and Sicko Snap (a parody of Pokémon Snap where you take pictures of old perverts while in a Hawaii tour bus) all make a return in Pirate Yakuza and add nothing but enjoyable fluff just for the vibes.
I just wanted an excuse to praise RGG Studio for putting Samoa Joe in the game as antagonist.
In fact, as fun as it was roaming the streets of Downtown Honolulu with Ichiban and friends, some might find it more enjoyable to do it as Majima because of the return to the beat-em-up-style combat from the original games. Because of the lack of turns and menus, fights in Pirate Yakuza feel quicker and like less of a drag later in the game since the gangsters and enemies don’t really scale.
That said, if you’re a fan of the original games, it might also feel a tad limiting. Pirate Yakuza only features two fighting styles, the mad dog and the sea dog. The mad dog style is very much what people are used to with Majima, where one button is all about melee strikes where the other button throws Majima’s demonfire dagger into play. The other style is the sea dog style, which turns Majima into a pirate and double wields cutlasses to bring about his fury on enemies. Every fight in the game nets Majima money which he can use on consumables, gear, and upgrades to both his mad and sea dog abilities.
Like A Dragon‘s traditional beat-em-style is more than welcome in the streets of Hawaii, especially when you just want to enjoy the setting.
Familiarity aside, what separates Pirate Yakuza from the rest of the series is literally in the name. Majima is a pirate, so he’s going to do pirate things. The most obvious of which is commanding a pirate ship with his own crew. This gives Pirate Yakuza a more open world feel than the rest of the series because you can actually leave Honolulu to go to other islands in search of treasure or a couple of locales, including Nele Island and the crude pirate sanctuary of Madlantis.
Of course, there wouldn’t be much of a pirate theme without naval combat. As you make your way from island to island, you’ll run into enemy fleets, and the act of taking them out is actually enjoyable. At first, your ship will be limited to a machine gun and cannons, but as you progress through the game you’ll be able to unlock more powerful upgrades to really make the Goro Pirates (yeah, that’s what they’re called) a force. The controls kind of feel like a dog fight in Star Wars or Star Fox, except that you’re sailing instead of flying. Some fights also include deck battles where after you take out the lead ship, you’ll board and have your own army of pirates take out theirs in all-out melee warfare. From here, fights go into traditional Like a Dragon combat except you won’t be able to use any items.
Naval exploration and combat is actually not terrible.
When you eventually start visiting other smaller islands for the purpose of treasure hunting, you’ll remain in this all-out melee mode. A lot of the islands are simple, where all you have to do is clear out enemies, while others force you to take more time exploring the island in search of the treasure. Treasure in Pirate Yakuza mostly consists of collectables and rings you can equip to each finger to further upgrade Majima’s fighting stats.
With the exception of the game’s second chapter, which is designed to show you everything you can possibly do in the game, Pirate Yakuza‘s campaign is really short and can be completed in just over 12 hours. I personally took over 20, and I also went ahead and got the Platinum at just over 30 hours clocked. As with any Like A Dragon game, the amount of enjoyment you’ll get depends on how much time you put into it.
This 30-minute, live-action cutscene is actually part of an insane series of sidequests.
There is no shortage of side stories in Pirate Yakuza, and some will definitely be more interesting than others. I’d even argue that Pirate Yakuza just might have the most interesting sidequest in the entire series with Masaru’s Love Journey: My Dream Minato Girl. This side story is triggered when Majima reads the diary of one of his crewmates and learns about his desire to date a Minato girl (there are many meanings in Japan for what a Minato girl is, but for purposes of this review, let’s just say they’re sophisticated and high class). This starts a seven-part sidequest that results in a live action dating show featuring Japanese actor Ryuji Akiyama as Masaru, and it’s the very definition of cringe. It’s absolutely hilarious (the entire live action part takes half an hour on its own) and it’s worth it because you end up recruiting five more crewmates to the Goro Pirates.
This is part of what made the Platinum trophy worth the chase. Most of the sidestories you finish end with you recruiting new members to the Goro Pirates, and not only do they make the ship more lively, they make pirate battles more enjoyable as well. While there definitely is some trolling going on with a lot of the extra content in the game, none of it is a waste of time. Not only are you reading cheeky dialog and immersing yourself with a countless hilarious moments, but you’re also earning cash and points that make the actual game more enjoyable as a result. This is what Like A Dragon has always been, and Pirate Yakuza‘s shorter length almost made it feel like a cozy game.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii isn’t without its issues, especially with how it handles performance transitioning from a key battle back to the campaign, but it’s a B-level game that totally embraces that role with the love and care obviously put into it. The industry needs more B games, and I absolutely loved this one. Whether you’re a fan of the series or just trying it for the first time, Pirate Yakuza is a game you know you’ll have a good time with whether you put 12 or 30 hours into it.
by Danreb Victorio
