What started as a beat-’em-up street gangster drama lasted 20 years with the original Yakuza it transformed into something delightfully, fantastically humorous Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. A look at the next installment from Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku shows that every shred of realism has been thrown away like jetsam; Pirate hero Goro Majima can engage in massive naval warfare with laser weapons, summon a giant spirit macaw with a magical saxophone, and visit the mystical island of Madlantis.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii looks like it could put Ubisoft’s beloved pirate games to shame with its ship combat. Captain Majima can engage in intense boat battles by equipping his ship with energy cannons, rocket launchers that spew poison, and ice elemental cannons that freeze opponents’ ships. Majima can assemble a crew of oddballs to man his ship, including ex-yakuza, hostesses, robots, ninjas and sheep. On land, things can get even stranger, as Majima’s abilities include the power to summon shadow doppelgangers to fight for him. He can also summon jellyfish, sharks and a great ape to do his bidding.
While previous games Like A Dragon and Yakuza had relatively grounded fight, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii there are no such grudges. Majima is now basically Dante from the Devil May Cry series, and can launch his opponents into the air while juggling them with flying punches, kicks, and flintlock gun shots.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios basically does what it does best: borrow ideas and gameplay mechanics from other game genres and cram them into the recent Like A Dragon. If last year Like a dragon: infinite wealth took inspiration from Animal Crossing, Dragon Quest and Crazy Taxi, this year’s spinoff will elegantly shift from Assassin’s Creed 4: Black FlagDevil May Cry and any RPG where you wake up on a beach with amnesia. Sega seems to be aware of how strange the situation has become; at the end of the video, a voiceover notes, “yes, this game is canon and you’re going to need a lot of them.”
If for some reason you thought so Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii would be a dull, quick sequel to the long-running Sega series, take 13 minutes to watch Thursday’s Like A Dragon Direct. It’s packed with gameplay details, making this year’s Like A Dragon another must-play game.
We also have good news for Like A Dragon fans: unlike previous titles, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii it won’t block recent game plus behind a paywall. Sega confirmed that this feature will be added to the game for free in a post-launch update.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will be released on February 21 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.
