Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii made a splash on February 21st on the PC and consoles. This is the latest entry of the Like A Dragon series by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio that centers around one of the franchise’s favorite character, Goro Majima.
Spoiler Warning: This review will be referring to some storyline from the first couple of chapters of the game and most of Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Kindly hit the ‘back’ button if you do not want to be spoiled. Thank you.
YOU ARE A PIRATE!
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is set months after the events of Infinite Wealth and begins with a stranded and amnesiac Goro Majima at Rich Island. He would meet the Rich (surname) Family of Noah, Jason and Moana at the island who would help him out at the start. Eventually, Majima gets his bearings and defeats a pirate, Jack the Collector, to become captain of the ship. Now at the helm of the newly-dubbed Goromaru, he recruits a few more people in the fold like a chef, a mechanic, and this guy below!
Capitain Majima and his crew at the Goromaru would travel to places like Nele Island, Honolulu and Madlantis for treasure, fighting, and to get his memory back. Over the course of this adventure he will encounter some interesting characters that would either aid or hinder his mission. Thus starts the story of Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii!!! YARRRRRR!
FREESTYLE PIRATE FIGHTING!
The game reverts back to free style fighting, a gameplay mechanic employed last in Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Gone are the turn-based mechanics of Infinite Wealth as the game comes back to its roots. The player can freely grab a bike or a traffic cone to smash it anytime against their opponents. Long-time fans of the series may breathe a sigh of relief if the turn-based mechanics of LAD:IW were not their cup of tea. Those who started with the turn-based gamestyle however, may need a bit of an adjustment period. I do feel it won’t be that long tho as this freestyle is the most fun I’d ever had in a long while.
FAMILIAR FACES AND NEW ONES
Side-story characters like Mameoka and Sorata make their comeback in this game to give us a continuation of their respective stories. A number of characters we met in Honolulu are back too. Players from Infinite Wealth would be happy to see characters such as those from Aloha Happy and even a certain taco selling guy turning a new leaf. Oh btw, Kei is back 😀
Older Yakuza series players would also be happy to know a handful of characters making their return. Since we know who the main character is in this game, some former associates of his are not so far behind. wink wink
There are some new and interesting characters in the mix such as the Rich family (Noah, Jason, Moana, etc.) who are literally rich…with some interesting backstories. The denizens of Madlantis, such as Queen Michele and Raymond Law add a sense of excitement into the story. I do want to mention that Mr. Law reminds me of a Samoan named Joe. Maybe it’s just me. This game will make you either root for or against this new cast of characters we meet, since in my opinion, they were masterfully done.
DEJA VU DOO THAT YOU DO
Honolulu also brought in some familiar mini-games back. In fact, it felt like almost a copy-paste from Infinite Wealth. Now this can be a good thing for those who skipped LAD:IW. You would get to take part in mini games like Aloha Happy’s Photo Rally. While Rich Island and Madlantis are new places to take photos of, you can’t help but feel they could have made another mini game so it won’t feel like they just recycled 90 percent of the Photo Rally from Infinite Wealth and added a couple of new locations.
Same issues of ‘copy and paste’ could be said for Crazy Eats, Sicko Snap and Kamulpo’s Fortune Slip Mini games. However, I assure you that it will not ruin your entire game experience. These minigames are back for a reason and maybe it’s because they are fun to do in the previous title. I still spent a good chunk of time getting that S grade in Crazy Eats like I did in Infinite Wealth so who am I to complain much? Oh, and speaking of things that really spent a lot of my time… let’s go to the ship portion of the game. Let’s get all hands on deck!
ALL HANDS ON DECK!
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has one of my favorite mini games in recent memory, the Pirate Coliseum. This is akin to LAD: The Man who Erased His Name’s Coliseum mini game but with a pirate twist. The battles are quite simple as you start fighting ship vs ship on the waters of the Coliseum. Once you have bested them on sea, it’s time to board their ship.
The on-board fight between your pirate crew vs. the enemy is stage 2. It is similar to the Coliseum fight format in LAD Gaiden so be weary of your crew’s level in case the opponent has a higher stat/level than your ship’s.
Depending on the level and size of your crew, you can easily mop the floor with your opponents for the victory. It’s a straightforward kind of gameplay but it does get addictive. I’ve also spent most of my gameplay hours leveling up my ship and recruiting some crew members, almost forgetting the main story of the game.
SMELL WHAT THE CAP IS COOKING
One of my favorite in-game features is back with the cooking mini game. It’s similar to the one in Like a Dragon: Ishin! where the main character cooks dishes for health/heat restoration. There’s no ‘grill’ or flip over option this time as it’s replaced by a ladle to ‘skim the scum’.
Certain meals prepared by Goro can also be used for ‘group’ meals within the Goromaru. These group meals will help level up and make your crew members happy.
I highly suggest you get used to the controls or prompts for the cooking mini game for maximum three-star dishes. Also, farming golden items (butterflies, grasshoppers, etc.) would do well in upping a star rating of the dish.
THE GOOD, THE CATCH AND THE VERDICT
- Addictive Gameplay – Similar to the previous LAD games, we really took time to progress in our story mode. You can blame that in the addictive gameplay of some of the mini games or sidequests that it at us. The Pirates’ Coliseum alone would keep you playing for hours before you progress through the story. It’s quite a great time sink.
-
Honolulu Reunion – I’m a sucker for wanting to know how a certain character is doing after the previous game. Like any Yakuza/LAD titles, this game does a good job of helping us catch up on certain Honolulu characters we met in Infinite Wealth and other people from older titles. That’s all I can probably disclose for now.
-
I’M ON A BOAT! – I personally love playing a game that has a boat aspect. You can fish, sail, and do pirate stuff. What’s not to love?
- Copy and Pasted Mini-games from Infinite Wealth – While it’s a possible plus for those who didn’t get to play the last game, it felt rather repetitive to slap a couple of them back in this new game. Sure the Photo Rally had ‘new locations’ but it’s mostly the same old song and dance from Infinite Wealth.
- OG Combat Style is back! (YAY! or Nay?) – Fans of the turn-based combat system of LAD:IF and Yakuza: Like A Dragon may need a bit of time adjusting to this. Good news is, the adjustment may be faster than what most would expect.
OVERALL: 4.50 of 5 Stars
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii was a very fun game to play. Did not expect a yakuza game having a pirate theme, but here we are. This entry to the Like A Dragon series is a must-have for fans of the LAD/Yakuza series. It has a story and replayability value that most gamers would love. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a boat to manage.
This Raymond aint no ordinary Joe…
NOT YET CONVINCED?
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has a free demo for the PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X for download. Get your feet wet first, land lubber, and see if the game is for you!
Sakura Index would like to thank SEGA and RGG Studios for the Steam review code.
