RGG Studio’s latest spin-off, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, takes a bold leap into the high seas, blending classic Yakuza chaos with the swashbuckling adventure of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.
While it’s not quite as expansive as Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, it still manages delivers a decent experience packed with explosive action, extensive customisation, and exciting ship battles that will keep you coming back again and again.
Fight Like a Pirate
For the first time in the franchise’s history, fan-favourite Goro Majima takes the lead, albeit with a twist—he’s suffering from amnesia after washing ashore on a remote island. He is discovered by a young boy- Noah- who introduces him to his family who runs the local tavern and attempts to help him regain his memory.
Majima soon finds himself at the helm of a pirate ship, embarking on a journey to uncover lost treasure while navigating the dangerous world of seafaring pirates. The story is enjoyable but lacks the emotional weight and intricate twists of its mainline titles. While it remains canon, the straightforward nature of the narrative inevitably makes it feel less gripping compared to previous Like a Dragon entries.
There are plenty of side quests and secrets to discover, one of the most distracting is a Sega Master System at your home base. You can play full Sega classic games like Alex Kidd in Miracle World and unlock more titles as you journey through. I spent so much time playing these, it’s almost like getting a Sega classics collection within this game.
What Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii lacks in narrative complexity, it makes up for with exhilarating gameplay. The combat system reintroduces real-time action, allowing players to switch between the Sea Dog and Mad Dog fighting styles. The former embraces the pirate theme, with Majima dual-wielding cutlasses, firing pistols, and using a grappling hook to zip across the battlefield.
The latter sticks to the series’ roots, utilising Majima’s signature brawler techniques. While the combat is consistently fun, the Sea Dog style vastly outshines the Mad Dog style, making the latter feel underwhelming in comparison. There are times where it can feel button-mashy during combat, but it’s not enough to take away from the fun.
A major highlight is the ship battles, which are both accessible and engaging. Steering Majima’s vessel is intuitive, with easy-to-use controls that prioritise action and fun over realism. Instead of worrying about wind direction or ship maintenance, you focus on blasting enemy ships with machine guns and cannons, seamlessly weaving between combat encounters.
Upgrades allow for customisation of both the ship and its weaponry, adding a rewarding progression system to the naval skirmishes. It’s not as deep as Sea of Thieves, but it’s undeniably fun that removes the complexity of that mechanic and just focuses on allowing you to have a great time.
A Pirate’s Life For Me
Customisation plays a big role both on land and sea. Majima can outfit himself with pirate-themed gear, tweak his fighting styles, and upgrade his weapons. The ship itself can be enhanced with new cannons, hull reinforcements, and cosmetic changes, letting players shape their own pirate legend.
Beyond combat, Honolulu returns with a mix of familiar and fresh side activities, including Dragon Kart racing, bounty hunting, and even rescuing animals to keep as pets. These distractions add variety but don’t necessarily reinvent the wheel.
Being able to rescue animals and house them and switch up as your companions is a side of this game that I really connected with. I spent far too much time recruiting and swapping these out on my journey.
One drawback is the repetitive nature of general exploration. Many of the new areas follow the same formula—linear paths filled with minor enemies leading to a predictable treasure room.
The lack of diverse environments makes treasure hunting feel formulaic rather than exciting. Despite this, the rewards are worthwhile, keeping the loop engaging enough for completionists. There are some islands you sail to and are unable to dock your ship and explore. This can be quite frustrating and is my major complaint with the game.
Final Thoughts
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is an entertaining and unique spin-off that successfully blends classic Yakuza action with high-seas adventure. While the story is straightforward and some island segments feel repetitive, the sheer fun of ship battles, customisation, and over-the-top combat makes this a worthy entry in the series.
Majima as a pirate captain is a joy to play, and while it doesn’t reach the heights of Infinite Wealth, it’s an engaging side story that fans will appreciate nonetheless.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Fun, fast-paced combat with a great pirate-themed fighting style; Engaging ship battles with tons of customisation.
Lowlights: Bare bones story; Little to no exploration
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a release code provided by the publisher.
