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RGG Studio hasn’t been entirely upfront about Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. More of a side game in a vein similar to 2023’s The Man Who Erased His Name, the developer has suggested in the lead-up to launch it’s quite a bit bigger than Kazuma Kiryu’s tear-jerking interlude. Every bit of that is indeed true, but it still feels like the Japanese team is selling the first chance to play as Goro Majima since Yakuza Kiwami 2 short.

The story chapters charting the popular side character’s journey from amnesiac to pirate master make up roughly 18 hours of play. With another lengthy list of substories, new locations to explore, and the returning Honolulu resort boasting both familiar and fresh activities, the latest effort from Masayoshi Yokoyama and co comfortably more than doubles your playtime. While it can’t match the series’ mainline epics, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is still the sort of investment longtime fans love. Its only issue is the life of a freebooter can’t compare to the recent highlight Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

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For the first time in the franchise’s near 20-year history, the fan favourite Goro Majima plays protagonist — but he’s not quite as you’ve come to know him. Once declared the Mad Dog of Shimano, his merciless attitude has left with the tide as he washes ashore on an island with a bad case of amnesia. He’s nursed back to health by young boy Noah and his father Jason, and after embracing the culture and people of the area, it isn’t too long before he finds himself the new captain of a pirate ship.

Despite marking quite the departure for the IP, the game earnestly embraces the pirate’s life and everything that comes with it. The main driving force behind the narrative is a quest for secret treasure, for both the wealth it brings and its potential to heal Noah of a respiratory illness. He and Majima quickly form a close bond, making their voyage across the seas just as much about the retired Yakuza member as it is the youthful series newcomer.

All the events of the game’s five chapters are considered canon in spite of the preposterous premise, and it assumes you’ve played Infinite Wealth. The plot remains mostly standalone, though it does refer back to some of the events, characters, and places of the previous title.

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Unlike the last instalment, however, what’s most surprising about the overall plot is how straight it’s played. A franchise famed for its unexpected twists, turns, and betrayals, there’s very little of that in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. The lack of them results in a story that proves a little unexciting and won’t grab you quite like the trials and tribulations of past efforts. What’s there is entirely competent, but it’s hard not to come away disappointed considering the pedigree.

Fortunately, that familiarity and expectation hasn’t bred contempt elsewhere. RGG Studio brings back Honolulu and Nele Island from last year’s game, and then expands the playspace with a number of new ocean-based maps featuring islands to explore and plunder treasure from.

Navigating those waters is done from the helm of a pirate ship, with all the confidence and grace as if Majima has been sailing all his life. Simple controls and straightforward mechanics lean into the developer’s endeavour to make the new addition as easy to master as possible. It isn’t trying to be a Sea of Thieves or Skull and Bones; you don’t need to factor in things like wind direction or leaving your post to drop the anchor. Instead, you simply push the left thumbstick in the direction you want and off you go.

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The ship comes equipped with two machine guns on the bow and a set of cannons on each of its port and starboard sides. The former requires manual aiming while the latter automatically locks on to enemy vessels when in range, allowing for easy control and navigation. The feature is kept painless on purpose, and it’s all the better for it. You can get straight to sinking other pirate ships, searching the coastline for treasure, and trawling the sea for resources.

Some amount of depth is sourced from ship and weapon upgrades, but really, the most complex thing you can do while controlling the illegal barge is a drift — and even that’s really easy. The Like a Dragon series is renowned for having impressively in-depth minigames built into all its releases, yet RGG Studio has correctly shown some restraint here. It doesn’t need the sort of depth Sea of Thieves offers, so by placing all the focus on fun combat and easy-to-pick-up controls, the feature seamlessly slips into the overall experience.

Besides sailing from one main location to the next, you can also journey off and search for hidden treasures on the beachfronts you find. This is where the title falters somewhat, as these smaller areas look and feel like carbon copies of each other. They mostly subscribe to one of two aesthetics at a base level: a jungle scene or an indoor facility. There is incredibly little variation in their visual design, reducing what may seem like a substantial addition to the game into something you’ll want to spend as little time as possible engaging with. You simply run down a linear corridor, beat up some pirates, and grab the treasure at the end — you can conquer some islands inside 60 seconds if you’re fast enough. The reward at the end will always be worth it, but the journey to it quickly dulls.

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Two fighting styles can be swapped between during those many island skirmishes — and indeed the entire game — though one is so much better than the other that the loser is borderline obsolete. You can seamlessly switch between the Sea Dog and Mad Dog styles, with the former allowing Majima to take his pirate cutlasses and equipment into combat while the latter is more traditional to the series.

When using the Sea Dog style, Majima can swing his two swords about and throw them, fire a pistol, and employ a chain hook to pull himself towards enemies. When using the Mad Dog style, Majima can… punch and stab with a dagger.

It’s the usual sort of Like a Dragon action you’ve long expected from the veteran series, this time subscribing to the action-brawler combat systems of old rather than the more recent turn-based bouts. You’ll be able to get by no matter which combat style you choose, but the disparity between the two is so stark that Mad Dog feels like it’s there purely just to make up the numbers.

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Only its special attack, powered by a Madness Gauge, has any real relevance. Majima can create clones of himself that help beat down enemy pirates for a limited time, which proves hugely beneficial when you’re up against a large crowd. Besides such situations, though, Sea Dog trumps it across every facet.

While the mismatch is a little strange, given how enjoyable the Sea Dog style is, it provides more reason to engage with all the hallmarks of a conventional Like a Dragon experience. Honolulu has been refreshed with more comical side stories, Dragon Kart is back from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, bounties litter the map rewarding cash, and a new activity sees you rescuing animals to keep as pets.

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii still provides all the highlights of any other Like a Dragon entry of recent times; it’s just that its peaks can’t compete with the mainline efforts. That’s okay for now, as we await the proper follow-up to Infinite Wealth. You’ll find fun and welcome comfort food in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii to tide you over.

Conclusion

A thoroughly enjoyable side game that looks to offer familiar Like a Dragon action with a swashbuckling twist, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a flamboyant distraction between mainline entries. The story doesn’t compare favourably to the mainline entries and the new island areas quickly become repetitive, but the novelty of Goro Majima at the helm of a pirate ship never quite wears off. Stay for its frenzied action and jolly pirate ship battles and you’ll have a good time.

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