Majima everywhere?
There was only ever going to be one man to lead a pirate themed Like a Dragon game, and not just because he already sports an eyepatch.
Having been a playable character in Yakuza 0, 4 and 5, his recent appearances in the series have been simplified to cameos as boss battles. But now, Goro Majima is back, and this time he’s hitting the high seas.
But there is an issue. He’s only gone and got himself amnesia. Waking up on a beach on an unknown island, he can’t even remember his own name. Will he be able to regain his memories, or will the pirate life be too enticing for the Mad Dog?
To answer my own question somewhat, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii walks the plank on both sides. Those of you wanting a pirate-themed spin-off as an entry point into an ongoing series may be bogged down by some later plot points; likewise, those series veterans wanting the next chapter in the saga may feel starved.
A Familiar Face in a New Setting
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii takes place some months after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Without going into too much detail as to spoil that ending, the dust has settled and the clean-up job on Nele Island has begun, with former yakuza and Palekana members working on ridding the island of its toxic waste.
It is this that brings Majima to being shipwrecked with his memories lost. But how and why remain a mystery.
Early on, Majima is encouraged to meet up with an old friend to try and rekindle his memories. However, he is far more interested in the chatter surrounding some legendary treasure. After acquiring a pirate ship through methods that only Majima can – read: through beating up a whole crew single-handedly – he sets forth on a journey across the seas.
Set sail for adventure
You will spend a lot of time island hopping between returning locations Honolulu and Nele Island, whilst visiting new areas such as Rich Island and Madlantis. In between isn’t just one vast ocean, but rather several smaller bits of water. These help to keep the pirate action more condensed and arcade-like. It is very different from recent pirating games such as Sea of Thieves and Skull and Bones; you only need to really steer the ship when navigating for example.
But it retains that over-the-top feel as well that the Like a Dragon franchise made one of its core features. If I told you that you could stop steering the ship during naval battles to walk the deck armed with a rocket launcher to fire at ships, series veterans probably wouldn’t bat an eyelid.
Upgrading Your Arsenal in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
And if the rocket launcher doesn’t appear to be doing the job, how does your ship artillery stack up? When sailing, and especially during the Pirates Coliseum in Madlantis, you will encounter enemy ships, forced to do battle. You will have machine guns attached to the front of your ship for an early burst of fire before you get close enough to fire your cannons. Your base cannons are good starting weapons, but you will quickly learn that you need to upgrade in order to challenge the more difficult challenges in the Coliseum or the Devil Flags crew. Good for you then that Julie and her Gearworks upgrade shop return from the previous game with a whole manner of new cannons. Fancy firing a frozen cannon ball that can stop enemy ships dead, or a contaminated one that is full of human waste material? Well, the choice is yours. I however opted for the laser cannons purely because of how badass they sound. I never looked back.
And it isn’t just the cannons you can upgrade. The Goromaru as it is called, can be fully customised as you see fit, even down to the crew you fight alongside. You will start off with a skeleton crew but it won’t be long until you have a cast full of Yakuza/Like a Dragon cameos with many of them offering unique skills and abilities to utilise.
Madlantis and Minigames
Madlantis is very reminiscent of the Castle from Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, but even more deplorable. As well as the Pirates Coliseum, you can partake in golf, gambling, drinking, arcading and more. My favourite though is the new batting cages.
Bang! Bang! Batting keeps the pirate theme in a new batting challenge that has you batting back cannonballs as they are ‘pitched’ to you from a cannon. You aren’t scoring homeruns here though. Instead, you need to aim where you are hitting against a wall of barrels. If you can quickly figure out the optimum spot using the exploding barrels you can clear a wall in one or two shots and then have a chance to blow the locks off the treasure chest behind for major points. There has been a batting cage in almost every Yakuza/Like a Dragon game, but this is the best iteration of it so far.
Both Madlantis and Rich Island are welcome new maps, each with unique features, but they are limited. I was surprised at just how much time I wanted to spend back in Honolulu, an area I had already explored for upwards of 100 hours and thought I had seen everything. But there are new things here too. Dragon Kart makes a return from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, along with new substories, Drink Links, clothing items for Majima and of course, treasure to be claimed. Much has been said about Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii being a shorter game than a mainline entry, and it certainly is, but you wouldn’t necessarily notice it from the sheer amount of side activities to partake in.
The length of the game is truncated in other ways though. Firstly, it is noticeable how much shorter the cutscenes are. Oftentimes in the previous entry the screen would go dark during a cutscene because I’d not touched a button for so long. Here, that isn’t the case. If someone has something to say, they simply say it and everyone moves on with their lives.
Still chock full of wacky side content
Also, there is a large bit of side content called A Treasury of Treasures. What pirate crew wouldn’t be interested in claiming some treasure? Throughout the game are 65 hidden pieces of treasure to be found. Some can be in a city, whilst others are found at sea and breaching an enemy stronghold. These short, sharp raids have you rush through a small area defeating a small group of enemy pirates. Many of the environments will become familiar as you run through them again and again. However, this large side activity doesn’t overstay its welcome, as you aren’t forced to do this again and again until it becomes tedious like it has the potential to do so.
But how do you go about all that fighting? Well, Majima has two fighting styles at his disposal: Mad Dog and Sea Dog. Mad Dog will feel instantly familiar with a few new tweaks. You can now jump and perform air combos, but you can only jump when stood still. It can be a bit fiddly because the combat is so fluid it feels counter-productive to then stand still to execute a jump. It is better to utilise a combo you are introduced to early on that teaches you how to complete a combo and end it with a jump and an air combo.
Or, use Sea Dog solely. This is Majima’s pirate fighting style where his basic attacks have him dual wielding cutlasses for some far reaching and devastating combos. This large reach comes in handy when jumping on an enemy deck and thinning their numbers out quickly. He also unlocks access to a gun and a grappling hook to give his attacks a bit of range, but all these pale in comparison to the Dark Instruments.
These musical instruments of destruction can summon legendary sea creatures when played. Like calling up your Poundmates from previous games, these special abilities can really help you out when overwhelmed. And with the frequency that you find yourself in a battle in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, that can happen at almost any moment.
A Shorter But Satisfying Like a Dragon Adventure
A shorter Like a Dragon experience that doesn’t skimp on overall quality must have been the goal here for RGG Studio and they have once again nailed it in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. It might not continue the overarching narrative as much as hoped, but it is a fantastic distraction absolutely stuffed with fun things to do. Majima’s first solo starring role is another strong entry in a series that continues to go from strength to strength.
Your Pirate-y Links
Prepare to Plunder – Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Arrives February 2025 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/prepare-to-plunder-like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-arrives-february-2025/
Don’t Miss These 9 Epic New Xbox and Game Pass Games Launching in February – https://www.thexboxhub.com/dont-miss-these-9-epic-new-xbox-and-game-pass-games-launching-in-february/
Buy Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/9ns00hqcz0cj
Or go Deluxe – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-deluxe-edition/9PLDSKB5SKSS/0017
