The latest expansion of the Yakuza series, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a combat-heavy adventure that fuses the action of the classic games with a more modern goofy approach. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is the latest spin-off in the long-running Yakuza series, which has expanded over the years from a criminal drama into a sprawling universe that can balance high-stakes combat with karaoke mini-games. The recent titles have embraced the inherently silly aspects of the universe, but none as much as the newly-announced Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
The game is an open-ended adventure where players can master different weapons while trying to rally together the most fearsome pirate crew on the open seas. It’s a bizarre title and one that is effortlessly entertaining. During a preview event in Los Angeles attended by Screen Rant, I got the chance to play as a returning Goro Majima and experience the pirate life for myself. Building off the combat and expansive scope of Infinite Wealth, the gameplay of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a chaotic blast that’s quick to pick up but near impossible to put down.
The World Of Pirate Yakuza Is A Colorful & Engaging World To Plunder
The Pirate’s Life For Majima
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii picks up six months after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Washing up on the shores of Rich Island in the Pacific, an amnesiac Goro Majima finds himself embracing an outlandish new life as a pirate captain. Capable of swapping between a more modern style and a literal swashbuckling high-seas adventurer with the click of a button, Majima’s adventures across bustling cities, secret pirate coves, and the open sea are absolutely bonkers, and the game is all the better for it.
During the demo, I was tasked with traveling between the comfortable Hawaiian beachfront of Honolou, and a secretive city of criminals and killers. Although Majima is the focus character, his brewing crew (including a fellow former Yakuza, a father, his cheerful son, and their pet tiger cub) accompany him as he embarks to the ship graveyard/criminal city of Madlantis. The settings are both instantly clear and exciting in their own ways, with plenty of roving gangs of enemies for the players to defeat.
It’s an instantly vivid world, especially when players get the chance to run around the dark neon makeshift docks of Madlantis and explore the restaurants, casinos, and coliseums that fill up the city. It’s here players are teased with bosses of differing influence and power, ranging from the mysterious Queen Michele to low-level captains named Keith. The latter serves as the demo’s big boss with a brawl in the town square that showcases the importance of changing up combat styles mid-fight.
The ridiculous nature of the title is treated with the same blunt seriousness that’s always defined the Yakuza series, which only makes the straight delivery all the funnier. The name “Keith” appearing in flaming bold letters like he’s a monster that needs to be slain is quietly hilarious, and sets the tone perfectly. In execution, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a compelling new setting, with enough unique vibes to stand out from previous entries in the series.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza’s Combat Is Bombastic Blast
Two Combat Styles Flow Together For Colorful Fights
That bonkers “go-for-broke” approach to gameplay in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii fits the tone well, matching the bizarre elements of the world with an over-the-top fighting system. Combat is brought back to an older form in this title. While Infinite Dragon adopted a turn-based combat style that’s become the norm for the mainline Yakuza games, the adventures in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii return to the beat-em-up roots of the series.
Combat is a chaotic but entertaining mess of body parts and combos, and I found myself often surrounded but rarely overwhelmed. The demo highlighted the game’s true approach to combat, which comes in the form of two different stances. Mad Dog shifts Majima into his modern-day attire, and plays more akin to the older Yakuza games. A series of combos can be delivered to knock enemies skyward, setting up further attacks or repositioning.
The addition of a jump button adds an entire dimension to the combat, allowing players to string together bigger hits or suddenly escape a brawl. This form also uses knives and shadow clones, providing a combo-heavy approach that can quickly start juggling foes. By contrast, the Sea Dog stance shifts weapons and changes Majima’s look to one that wouldn’t look out of place alongside Jack Sparrow.
This affords players a new number of weapons, including a pair of throwable cutlasses, a grappling hook that can cover distances nearly instantly, a flintlock pistol that can be charged to deliver a powerful blast. Both approaches feel unique enough to stand apart, with differing combos and approaches to combat. Each form is fun, although the over-the-top fun of seeing Majima go into slow-motion kill-mode while throwing swords at people is a personal favorite.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Is Everything You Want From Yakuza
Pirate Yakuza Is An Action-Packed Blast
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a far cry from the more dramatic elements of the franchise, and that’s not a problem at all. Like a Dragon was a breath of fresh air for the Yakuza series, a strange but grounded take on the franchise that adopted a strategic approach and includes several minigames that can further keep players entertained and distracted. The result is a title that feels like the best of both worlds, retaining the goofy elements of Infinite Dragon while bringing back a bombastic gameplay style that actually fits well alongside it.
The two aspects of Yakuza gel well together, the traditional pirate visuals purposefully bristling up against the modern setting for some understated dry comedy. There are also plenty of minigames to experience across the two settings. In the demo, players could quickly find places to play cards, race go-karts, or try to pull off some wild deliveries. There were teases of other minigames as well, teasing that the scope of the game might try to match the massive size of Infinite Wealth. That’s on top of all the collectibles that can be acquired and crafted into other forms.
All these elements benefit the loose approach, something that Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii‘s embrace of the strange is improved by. The result is a game that moves quickly but is bombastic enough to match the sudden combat and kooky elements. Fans of both the old Yakuza titles and Like a Dragon will find plenty to love about Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and plenty to do once they step into the islands.
Screen Rant
attended an in-person event for the purposes of this preview.
