Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, & PC)

I promise the name of the game makes sense; at least once you get to play it. It may seem like the most ludicrous idea. What the hell does a Yakuza member have to do with becoming a pirate? And in Hawaii, of all places? For newcomers, you’ll probably be even more perplexed about whether Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is actually worth playing – storytelling, gameplay, and all.

Fans of Like a Dragon, formerly Yakuza, will probably need less convincing. Quite outright, nearly all of the 20 games, mainline, and spin-offs included in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise have been spectacular. Granted, the mainline titles have had a more serious melodrama undertone, focusing on the Yakuza crime syndicate days in Japan.

Recently, though, Ryu Ga Gotoku (RGG) Studios have been taking a different turn and turning into a more silly modern route. Gone are the days of the Yakuza. The franchise’s former gang members are beginning to redefine themselves and find their footing in the modern world. And in Hawaii, of all places with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth introducing us to Ichiban Kasuga’s adventures in the West.

We were treated to some frankly ridiculous but surprisingly effective ideas of simply not taking ourselves too seriously. The tongue-in-cheek humor of the story, quirky characters, and the hilarious minigames you stumble onto resulted in one of the best Yakuza games of all time.

Still riding on the high of Hawaii’s Honolulu setting, the new game takes us in a totally different and unexpected direction, one involving piracy. Strap your seatbelt on. This Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii review is going to be a bumpy ride. 

Lost at Sea

We’re shifting lenses to another former Yakuza member fans of the franchise will instantly recognize. Goro Majima, the Mad Dog of Shimano himself, graces our screens with his outlandish personality and eye patch, perfectly fitting of a piracy-themed spin-off. Majima has been a playable character only once before, co-starring in Yakuza O.

Now, we have the pleasure of controlling the loose canon he can be, injecting unexpected reactions and behavior in his new protagonist role. But there’s a twist. He’s just washed ashore after a shipwreck in the Pacific. An English-speaking boy saves his life. But no sooner do we discover that Majima has lost all his memories than the doubt of whether RGG will pull off the story sets in.

Amnesia has always been an obvious trope for most games that can often take a backseat in expounding its relevance in the story. With Majima’s background, there are definitely some great opportunities to explore his traumatic past alongside rewriting a new future. By the first few hours in, it’s clear Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii plans to lean a little too heavily on the slow burn.

It takes a minute for the plot to pick up as we busy ourselves running into random wannabe pirate king, taking over his ship and embarking on a treasure-hunting adventure. We recruit some auspiciously fantastic crew of misfits along our journey. Crew members from all sorts of backgrounds with varied motivations and storylines.

Then the gameplay loop kicks in of hopping from one island to another on the compact map of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, searching for buried treasure, fighting some hostile blokes, and even picking up branching side stories here and there. 

The Point of it All

If at all you get to the second third of the story and are still wondering what the point of it all is, I’m afraid your worries may never be quenched until towards the end of the game. Only then does an exciting twist of significance to Majima come up. And might I add, quite the intriguing turn of events.

Otherwise, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii chooses to focus more on the moment-to-moment gameplay. It often injects humorous sub-stories, introduces you to the wildest cards of potential crew members, and even encourages you to venture off the beaten path to do whatever. Granted, most of your self-guided adventures will be punching and kicking through enemies’ guts.

There are a lot of pirates and enemy encounters to get through, so it might get potentially repetitive. Fortunately, though, combat rocks with lots of tools at your disposal. There are two sides to it: naval and physical combat. For the former, it’s pretty much Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. You steer your originally basic wooden ship, Goromaru, through the high seas.

The idea is to position your ship at an advantageous position in relation to enemy ships and then launch all the firepower you have. While at the start, your firepower will be limited, you’ll soon unlock pretty cool, albeit unconventional, warfare weapons. You can attach a laser canon to your ship and even flamethrowers. But that’ll potentially grow repetitive.

Luckily, you can ditch the helm for the frontlines, where you can wield rocket launchers and blast off enemy pirates into the sea. Alternatively, weakened hostels can host valuable loot or simply the opportunity to climb on board and hack and slash foes at their own decks. This is where physical combat comes in. 

Mad Dog of Shimano

There are two ways you can send enemies to thy kingdom come: Mad Dog or Sea Dog fighting style. Mad Dog will be familiar to veterans as the action-based beat ‘em up from the original titles in the Yakuza franchise. It’s essentially punches, kicks, and filling up the Madness Gauge that summons your doppelgangers, who come in handy when fighting bosses.

While Mad Dog’s more one-on-one brawls, you can always switch to Sea Dog on the fly. It comes in handy when fighting the waves of pirates often thrown at you. You have your grappling hook you can use to propel yourself toward enemies. There’s your pistol that can be powered up to take out multiple enemies at a go.

And even cutclasses you can frisbee into crowds, and it’ll boomerang back to you. To add to your already extensive fighting repertoire, you have a side quest in which you can play an electric guitar and summon a ferocious ape, among other ludicrous ways to devour enemies.

Above all, the fights have thrilling visual flair, executing with fluidity and flawlessness; it constantly is the reason you can easily power through to the end of the game. Even when the story lacks any sensical path, you’re still reeled in by the adrenaline-packed action sequences. 

Familiar Places

And if at all you want a change of pace, you can always hop back to returning Honolulu. Many of the minigames from Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth return. So, prepare to break your ribs singing karaoke, delivering pizza, and having a blast at the arcade, among many more ways to switch up the flow of gameplay.

Moreover, the side quests are in plenty, with even some returning side stories picking up where Infinite Wealth left off. Like a Dragon has often crafted gripping side stories, and sometimes even more compelling than the main quest. And in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, the quality of the side quests is no different.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is by no means perfect. It suffers from the franchise’s ambition of putting out a new title nearly every year. Many of the mechanics remain the same, as do the locations. Honolulu retains more familiarity than some fans might hope. And yet, it works. RGG has a way of injecting a fresh outlook into tried-and-true mechanics.

With the silliness and overall fun time, you have smacking enemies, even with the minigames that might otherwise be distractions, but here, they fit perfectly into the overall quirky theme, and the whole package just works.

Verdict

If you’re down for a good time Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is the way to go. It instantly sets a tropical setting of a world that doesn’t take itself too seriously. With the protagonist donning the most out-there personality, you’re often in for a good surprise. Even as the story jumps from where the predecessor, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, left off into a piracy world that makes no sense at all, you’re still reeled into its progression.

That’s, in part, thanks to the overall humor of it all, from the bunch of misfits you sign onto your crew to the side stories you unravel. Even in the absurdity of it all, you can’t help but have a good time. The combat is hugely to blame for the addiction you have to Like a Dragon. It flows perfectly with flashy effects and lots of ways to dismantle foes.

With the introduction of Sea Dog, you truly feel like a pirate king rummaging through enemies. And naval combat doesn’t take a backseat, either, adding some of the most dynamic ways to down enemy ships. Like a Dragon may be dangerously walking on the edge of familiarity. Yet their ever-persistent ways of drawing a smile on your face remain enough reason to play through every new title RGG puts out.