In the trailer for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Yakuza fan favorite Goro Majima wakes up on a beach with his memory wiped. A kid with a tiger name named Noah finds him, and soon Majima beats up the pirate captain and takes over his ship (or so it’s implied). This is the first time I’ve encountered the latest installment of the Yakuza series and I’d love to tell you about it.
I played a tiny portion of Pirate Yakuza when Majima, Noah, and friends arrived at the notable Infinite Wealth location in Honolulu, but it was largely a demo, so I can’t be sure how similar the next series of events will be to the full game. First, a tiny combat guide on mechanics potentially unfamiliar to players. Infinite Wealth: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is not a turn-based RPG like Infinite Wealth, but an action fighting game like the original Yakuza games. This tiny tutorial primarily covers Majima’s two fighting styles: Majima’s classic Mad Dog style and the modern, aptly pirate-inspired Sea Dog style.
In Sea Dog fashion, Majima wields dual cutlasses, a long-range hand cannon, and a wire hook that allows him to pull a targeted enemy close. The cutlass can also be thrown as a boomerang by holding down the button. The combat is engaging and fun, and I can see it being varied enough that just two different styles make it compelling.
After the basic tutorial, I could choose to go to the legendary Madlantis to continue the story or do one of several side activities: karaoke, dragon go-kart, crazy delivery, and fit check (clothes change).
I don’t have enough experience with these minigames from previous Yakuza games, so I can’t comment on whether anything significant has changed in them, but they were all fun and worth the time just for the entertainment value. However, I can say that long-time Yakuza fans will definitely recognize at least some of the songs available on karaoke.
The Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s Dragon Kart mini-game did not appear in Infinite Wealth, making it the most removed side activity available in the demo. This addictive mini-game is quite extensive and is basically like Mario Kart’s Yakuza, complete with power-ups, drifting, coins and items. You can also go to the dressing room to change Majima’s clothes to regular and pirate clothes.
Between side activities, I befriended a little bird named Joseph and used my modern wire hook while exploring for a lofty butterfly. Apparently you can fly around Hawaii with it, but I didn’t see any obvious points that would trigger this while I was playing.
Finally, during the main event, I got to see a bit of the modern Madlantis location. This muddy but bustling ship graveyard turned into a mini-city in a cave in the middle of the ocean looks like a worthy center. At least there’s a Pirate Colosseum, where in the full game you’ll be able to take part in “intense ship battles” as the Goro Pirates.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try out any of the ship battles in the demo, which was disappointing to say the least, but “Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii” promises to be a full-fledged seaworthy spin-off with the fin favorite at the helm. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
