Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review | A Rip-Roaring Adventure

It has only been a bit over a year since the release of Infinite Wealth, and now, RGG Studio has released Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. The quick turnaround time is no doubt impressive, though it’s par for the course for RGG Studio, as it has been incredibly productive over the years.

As such, Yakuza fans once again have a reason to return to this incredibly entertaining series, much more so because Pirate Yakuza is the first solo game for Goro Majima. This is big as not only is Majima one of the biggest fan-favorites of the franchise, but it’s also the first time in a long while that he’ll be playable. After all, after Yakuza 0, Majima was only playable in the fairly short Majima Saga chapters of Yakuza Kiwami 2.

If you ask fans about a standalone Majima game, most would probably expect one to be a prequel. Defying expectations, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is set after Infinite Wealth, making it essentially a sequel of sorts. The bigger deal is in the title itself – Majima is a pirate now.

Majima becoming a pirate is something pretty much no one expected, but it makes sense, and that’s not just because he has an eyepatch. Even in the game’s opening hours, Majima’s new pirate adventure is a fitting new chapter to the Mad Dog of Shimano’s colorful story.

Majima’s New Pirate Yakuza Adventure is a Ton of Fun

This game’s pirate premise might be hard to believe at first given what happened in Infinite Wealth. So, to make this new premise work, the game opens with Goro Majima waking up on a beach with none of his memories.

Yes, Majima has amnesia in this game. Before playing the game, I had some reservations about this amnesia storyline. After all, it can be contrived in some stories. At worst, it might make the game feel disconnected from the Like a Dragon saga.

During the opening hours though, my apprehensions dissolved as I was quickly engrossed in the story’s developments. This is partly because the game doesn’t completely change Majima’s character. Sure, he’s not as wild and unpredictable given his lack of memories, but he’s still very much the character that fans have fallen in love with over the years. It’s just that not, he shows his softer side a bit more, making him (at least in my opinion) a fitting Like a Dragon protagonist.

It also helps that the story also doesn’t completely swerve away from the previous events in the series. Even during the opening cutscene, Majima has some flashbacks to his past, telling him that he used to be a yakuza (and probably not the most upstanding person). What’s more, the game’s story sees Majima meet former Yakuza underlings who are shocked by his amnesia. This, coupled with how the early parts of the story address the ramifications of Infinite Wealth’s ending, makes Pirate Yakuza feel like a proper continuation of the series.

While the story ties into Infinite Wealth’s story well, there’s also a parallel storyline involving the pirates. This pirate story seems a bit disconnected from the yakuza and Nele Island plot, but the game does tie these two elements together well. Without going into spoiler territory, we think this is an above-average plot for a Like a Dragon game. While it doesn’t reach the highs of something like Yakuza 0, it is very much an engaging and entertaining tale.

More than the story though, Pirate Yakuza excels when it comes to characters. Aside from Majima who is a joy to play, his crew is a lovable bunch with interesting backstories and motivations that drive the pirate story well.

Experiencing a fun new adventure as Majima is already a compelling reason to play this game for long-time series fans. Of course, that’s not the only reason to play this, as Pirate Yakuza is a return to the series’ beat-em-up roots that also introduces fun new twists to the formula.

Engaging Battles on Land and Sea

Starting with Yakuza: Like a Dragon (or Yakuza 7), the series’ mainline entries have shifted to a turn-based RPG gameplay system. That’s not to say the beat-em-up combat has been abandoned. After all, we got action-focused titles like Lost Judgment in 2021 and Like a Dragon Gaiden in 2023.

Now, we have another beat-em-up entry, and it’s a fresh addition as Majima has a distinct moveset and fighting style to Kazuma Kiryu. As befits his quickness, Majima is noticeably faster when using his initial Mad Dog combat style. Aside from the fast moves, Majima can also launch enemies in the air and pummel them with aerial combos – a first for the series.

If you’ve played Yakuza 0 or Kiwami 2’s Majima Saga, the Mad Dog style should feel like a natural evolution of Majima’s previous combat mechanics. What is a proper new addition is the Sea Dog style, which is unlocked a few hours into the game.

In this style, Majima wields two cutlasses and has other tools at his disposal, like a pistol and a hook. This style is great for mowing down waves of enemies, as its regular attacks can hit multiple opponents at once. Even though it’s designed for big pirate brawls, this style is versatile enough that it can be effective for one-on-one fights. For me though, I still preferred switching to the Mad Dog Style when up against a particularly tough boss. Speaking of tough though, you may want to bump the difficulty up if you’re experienced in action games to fully appreciate the combat system.

These two styles make for a fresh experience when it comes to combat, but that’s not the only thing you’ll do in Pirate Yakuza. In this game, you also command the pirate ship Goromaru as its captain. Yes, that means there are pirate battles to enjoy.

While the game starts you off in the fairly small Rich Island, you’ll soon get the ability to go into the open sea aboard the Goromaru. Note that while it’s the open sea, it’s not a massive open world. Instead, the sea maps are fairly small water maps with treasure islands as the main points of interest, along with enemy pirates.

When fighting other ships, you have access to port and starboard cannons, along with a machine gun. The pirate ship combat is fairly simple as it’s mostly about positioning your ship properly to hit opponents while avoiding their attacks. What makes it fun is that the ship has a boost function along with the ability to drift (yes, you can drift your pirate ship) which is a ton of fun. At some points, you can also board opposing ships which pit you in a “land” battle with the enemy crew.

Aside from the open seas, you’ll also face fearsome pirate ships in their crew in the colosseum. This pits your ship and crew against powerful foes, and you’ll get to experience this as the story progresses. Without giving too much away, these battles are a particular highlight of the experience.

Adding more depth to the pirate combat system is the ability to customize both your ship and crew. The crew management system is quite in-depth as each crew member has specific strengths and weaknesses, not to mention experience bars. As such, you can spend a lot of time tuning your ship and crew to give you an edge in combat.

This pirate battle system is overall a ton of fun, though some parts of it get a bit repetitive, especially the optional treasure islands which consist of fairly basic dungeons. Thankfully, the game never really overstays its welcome. It also helps that the game has plenty of optional activities that keep the experience fresh.

Side Activities are Once Again a Highlight

When not in Rich Island or scouring for pirate booty, Majima spends time in Hawaii, a map that remains mostly unchanged from Infinite Wealth. That’s not to say that the activities are the exact same here, as Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has plenty of new side activities, along with some fun returning ones.

The highlight new activity is Masaru’s Love Journey which is a nice twist on the familiar formula as it features Majima as a wingman for his friend Masaru Fujita. This is also reminiscent of Like a Dragon Gaiden as it features live-action scenes starring notable personalities and content creators, including the likes of Kaho Shibuya.

As for returning activities, there’s Dragon Kart, a mini-game I enjoyed a lot in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. This time, it features a more combat-focused mode which is a nice addition. There are also other activities like Crazy Delivery, as well as the signature karaoke mini-game.

For me though, the highlight of these side content is the collection of new substories. Admittedly, these are always the highlight of any Yakuza game for me as they often feature incredibly funny and heartfelt scenarios that are a joy to experience. This time, we can once again experience hilarious substories but with Majima’s point of view. Playing these definitely took me back to the equally memorable substories of Yakuza 0.

Thanks to the wealth of mini-games and optional content, Pirate Yakuza is no doubt a proper Like a Dragon experience.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Final Verdict – 8.5/10

While Majima becoming a pirate is far from what pretty much everyone expected, the game’s story works well as it not only serves as a satisfying continuation of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth but also introduces a loveable cast of pirates that play off well with the Mad Dog of Shimano.

On top of the story, Pirate Yakuza has fresh new spins on the series’ beat-em-up combat formula, along with a fun new pirate battle system. While some aspects of the gameplay can be a bit repetitive, what helps keep things fresh is the wealth of fun mini-games and side activities.

Overall, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is yet another great installment into the series that fans should definitely play.

[This review was made via a PS5 code provided by the publisher]