The Yakuza games keep evolving with each entry while staying true to their roots. The latest, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, takes the series in a bold new direction, offering a spinoff that’s fresh and worth your time, especially if you enjoy the more outlandish elements of Yakuza.
Developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and set six months after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Pirate Yakuza shifts the focus to series mainstay Goro Majima, former Captain of the Shimano Family and rival of series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. Goro has had plenty of significant roles in this long-running series, and although he is mainly relegated to the background in Infinite Wealth, players take control of him in Pirate Yakuza.
However, this time, instead of sharing the spotlight with Kiryu as he did in the incredibly popular Yakuza 0, Goro finds himself alone and, without his memory, washed up on an island near Hawaii. Saved by a young boy named Noah, Goro rediscovers himself by becoming a pirate while chasing after a legendary treasure, thus beginning the events of Pirate Yakuza.It’s a simple premise that soon evolves into an island-hopping swashbuckling adventure with a criminal conspiracy at the center of it all that is quite frankly hard to put down.
The game is much smaller in terms of story length and accessible content than Infinite Wealth and is more comparable to the 2023 release, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, in both gameplay and story size. Make no mistake, though— while Pirate Yakuza is considerably smaller length-wise when compared to the other mainline entries, it is still an extensive and incredibly in-depth game that lets players live out their wildest Pirate fantasies. Essentially, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has tastefully repurposed the assets developed for Infinite Wealth into a One Piece simulator starring Goro Majima.
Taking a break from the JRPG and turn-based combat, Pirate Yakuza goes back to the brawling beat-em-up playstyle of older entries and Man Who Erased His Name, giving Goro two different fighting styles that players can seamlessly switch back and forth during combat. The Mad Dog style is more akin to the fighting Goro did in previous Yakuza entries. In contrast, the Sea Dog style allows him to fight like he truly belongs on the high seas, complete with dual cutlasses, a musket, and a grappling hook that makes combat enthralling and might be some of the best that the series has had to offer so far.
Plenty of challenging fights, both with crowds and one-on-one fights with powerful bosses, will keep you strategizing when it would be best to switch styles. Whether it’s to use a heat gauge move to do crowd control with one style or to drain the health of a boss encounter with another style, the varying situations justify the two types of fighting. Goro’s upgrade skill tree will also give players plenty to work toward as they explore the varying locales of Pirate Yakuza, a couple of which make their return from Infinite Wealth.
Rather than coming across as lazy, RGG Studios displays a staggering amount of confidence in its engine and assets from its previous game. While there are plenty of familiar locations and mini-games, there are also new locations to explore as well. While Honolulu and Nele Island are hubs Like a Dragon fans will be familiar with, Pirate Yakuza leans much more into the first half of its name with Madlantis. In this new location, pirates gather to partake in coliseum battles, batting cages, recruitment, and many other side quests and games.
The mission objectives can sometimes feel repetitive, especially in the way of side quests. Still, the lore of Pirate Yakuza is so thoroughly developed it’s hard not to get invested in almost every character you come across, from bartenders to mascots and so many more. The lighthouse travel system makes sailing feel less tedious, and the islands and open sea areas you can explore also make the game feel a lot bigger than it actually is.
Pirate Yakuza really gets to shine in all of the new Pirate Crew mechanics and crew systems. While Goro starts as a castaway with nothing to his name, players can (relatively quickly) build a crew from the ground up as they progress through the story. Instead of managing two different parties in two distinct locations, like in Infinite Wealth, players must pick up recruits from across Nele Island, Madlantis, and Honolulu to create a formidable crew that will survive more intense seafaring battles as the story progresses.
However, it’s not as simple as just finding someone and making them part of your crew. Each character has its own backstory, motivations, and offbeat humor that further accentuates the zany tone and style that the Like a Dragon series has leaned into more and more over the years. Any prospective member has one requirement or another for them to join your crew. Whether you have to beat them in a fight, have a specific overall ranking, or contribute to their place of business, you must earn their respect as a Captain before eventually taking them onto your crew. The Yakuza series has never been more One Piece than this, and the process makes you that much more invested in future battles with them on your crew.
The Crew Formration system in Pirate Yakuza is also one of the most fun to experiment with. Every character has unique attributes depending on what position in your ship you put them in. Whether it’s the left or right cannons, the turrets, or your first mate, specific perks and buffs are activated depending on who you choose when two ships engage in battle. There are also those you have to assign as “boarding” crew members, who will join you when you take the fight to the enemy’s ship for hand-to-hand combat.
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Regarding your Pirate Ship, there are plenty of customization options to expand the number of crew members and even partake in activities such as karaoke or holding a feat and celebration with your crew. Morale is essential when sailing the seas of Pirate Yakuza, and the game makes sure you stay on top of the happiness of your team. It’s a fun balancing act that makes every chance encounter with other pirates feel that much more tense. Speaking of, the naval combat in Pirate Yakuza is incredibly polished and perhaps the most fun aspect of the video game.
When in control of the Goromaru (Goro’s aptly named ship), players are given a plethora of options regarding how they want to both experience and partake in a sea battle. From being able to shift your camera’s perspective to making real-time strategic switches from controlling the ship to doing damage with ranged weapons in Goro’s hands, it all feels incredibly cinematic. Your ship feels just heavy enough to make combat feel exciting and light enough to pull off fun maneuvers to dodge cannon fire and deal out some of your own damage.
The customization options for both Goro and his ship are also plentiful, allowing you to practically design your own ship that stands out from everyone else’s in the story. It’s worth mentioning that Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has a decently engaging narrative, albeit with a weak throughline that feels exhausting when you get to the story’s final chapter. Most of the supporting cast of Pirate Yakuza is new, with characters like Jason and his children Noah, Moana, and Naomi, and crew member Masura Fujita; this Yakuza entry is mostly detached from the previous games in the series, mainly due to Goro’s amnesia which is a core part of the story. Newcomers to the long-running series won’t be entirely lost, while veterans will recognize familiar faces as well as references to the previous game in the series.
Unfortunately, almost every single story beat is driven by Goro’s relationship with Noah, the young boy he saves his life at the beginning of the game. Goro’s affection for the child is endearing at first, until the continually increasing incredulous situations his crew finds themselves in are, in one way or another, done in service of making the kid happy. It feels repetitive, which is a little disappointing, especially because everything else surrounding it can be unexpected and exciting.
The game’s ending more than makes up for the narrative’s faults, as Pirate Yakuza ends on a strong enough note to get players excited for whatever comes next. The game’s story is only five chapters long and takes about 18 hours to complete, but they’re pretty extensive and filled with all the over-the-top cutscenes and surprisingly emotional moments that you’ve come to expect from the series at this point.
Overall, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii reminds me of a much more scaled-down version of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The game took the strong foundations of Infinite Wealth (and, in Tears‘ case, Breath of the Wild) and added new elements on top of it to tell a shorter pirate story starring everyone’s favorite Mad Dog of Shinoma.
Despite the story’s short length, there are plenty of side quests, customization options, and crew members to recruit and open seas to explore and discover treasure after you’ve rolled credits. Pirate Yakuza is an incredibly fun spinoff that should be checked out if you’re a fan of sea-faring adventures, strong combat mechanics, and an over-the-top story that is an absolute blast to play through.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii releases for PS5, PS4, PC, and Xbox on Feb. 20, 2025. A review code for the game was provided by the publisher. Reviewed on PS5.
