Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii review – a yakuza’s life for me

Introduction

How to get newcomers into a game series with decades of history? A spin-off that feels almost non-canonical and an amnesiac protagonist ought to do it. This sort-of follow-up to Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is also a return to the series’ brawling roots, and finally gives fan favourite Goro Majima the spotlight.

Seeing the Yakuza veteran don a captain’s hat and become a modern-day pirate in the South Pacific might sound totally bonkers, but the guy’s already got an eye patch and likes to wield sharp items, so fits the bill. And after a somewhat lacklustre appearance in last year’s game, this purpose-built adventure wipes the lovable rogue’s slate clean in the best possible way.

Dog days

Ditching the turn-based mechanics of newer Like a Dragon games makes sense for Majima’s speedy, aggressive play style. He’s faster than previous leading men, with jump attacks, launchers and mid-air juggles à la Devil May Cry. One of the two fighting styles also goes heavy on piratey weapons; not only can you throw your cutlasses like boomerangs, but you can charge up pistol shots for long range attacks, and even use a chain hook to close the distance to enemies.

Clear audio and visual cues give you time to dodge enemies that try to shoot you, while Majima’s ferocious speed and brutal combos mean you’re often ridiculously overpowered, making a mockery of even the bosses with multiple health bars. Then there are the over-the-top cinematic Heat moves, or the Mad Dog ability that creates multiple Majima doppelgangers to go all out.

Oh, and never mind that all these attacks involve a lot of bloodletting with sharp weapons. Majima’s a nice guy, honest, and everyone you give a beatdown to gets back up in one piece, having learned their lesson. Suspension of disbelief is present and correct in the former Yakuza universe.

On the high seas

The absurd amnesia plot is essentially wrapped up by the second chapter, by which point you’re more interested in playing the role of a pirate captain. Taking command of a ship and setting off on a quest for legendary treasure adds naval combat into the mix, in a typically arcadey manner. Where else can you swap cannon balls for laser beams? It’s all great fun, with a machine gun for taking targets head-on as well as full braces of port and starboard weaponry.

Initial skirmishes are easy, but the challenge ramps up once you reach Madlantis – a decadent location not unlike the illegal pleasure districts in other Like a Dragon games. Upgrading your ship to tackle tougher pirates means recruiting crew members and coughing up a sizeable fee.

Fighting in the Pirate Coliseum earns money and renown – which are both also key to unlocking Majima’s abilities – but so does plundering booty from the different Hawaiian islands. Each is a pretty simple dungeon run where you can bring up to four crew members to fight alongside you. Along the way you’ll stumble into a side quest securing cursed instruments, which can then summon sea creatures into battle. It’s as ridiculous as it sounds.

Landlubber’s life

I get why Majima finds the pirate life alluring, as the main story is honesty quite weak. It’s largely centred on the annoying asthmatic ten year-old who rescues you at the start and then proceeds to stick with you like glue. The actual treasure hunting lacks the urgency of, say, Uncharted, with lots of NPC arguments over how to split shares. Filler content regularly takes precedence over the main plot in Like a Dragon games, but it’s even more the case here.

Some of the mini-games and side quests feel recycled from Infinite Wealth. The Honolulu map definitely has. But it gives returning fans a chance to catch up with minor characters, six months after the events of that game, and it all feeds back into your main progression. NPCs you help either provide useful rewards, become crew mates, or unlock more wacky outfits for Majima to play dress-up.

There are some genuine series standouts, too. Like the bizarre side quest where befriending five potential romances for a lovesick crew member culminates in a live-action reality dating show. It sounds creepy, but is well-written and not just about the eye candy. It’s perhaps saying something that the representation of women in Pirate Yakuza is arguably the most progressive and diverse the series has ever been.

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii verdict

At a more digestible length than Infinite Wealth, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is the kind of game that newcomers can dip their feet into and have a blast without the need to invest in the wider series lore. It’s a ridiculously fun time that gives Like A Dragon‘s problematic fave the seafaring adventure he didn’t know he always wanted.

It’s also the wackiest the series has ever gone, and as such lacks a certain depth in the waters it traverses. Try to focus on the cannons rather than the canon and you’ll have a jolly good time.