Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii preview – head empty, hedonistic happiness

Thanks to dark magic, Like a Dragon developer RGG Studios manages to pump out a fully fledged game every six months and they are all bangers. Even Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a decent game despite being one of the lesser Like a Dragon games. It is part of the mainline series, but the important part of LADG: TMWEHN – a name too long even as an acronym – is the G, Gaiden.

Gaiden games are go-betweens that bridge the gap from one numbered game to the next. They give you more context on the characters and story, but are mostly there as fan service. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii doesn’t say Gaiden in the English title, but it does in the Japanese. In the last Gaiden game, we were treated to secret agent Kazuma Kiryu, and now we meet pirate captain Goro Majima.

When I attended a two-hour preview session in the entirely impractical setting of Sir Francis Drake’s The Golden Hinde, I had the opportunity to talk to Hiroyuki Sakamoto, chief producer of the Like a Dragon series. When I ask why Mad Dog Majima has lost his memories, washed up in Hawaii and suddenly decided to become a pirate the response is: “Just don’t worry about it. It’s Majima.” This statement seems to be the driving force behind the game.

Despite Sakamoto-san informing us that the events of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii are canon and will bridge the gap between Infinite Wealth and the next Like a Dragon game, we’re not so sure that it’s anything but a fever dream. Set six months after the end of Infinite Wealth, Majima washes up in Hawaii with no memories – just don’t worry about it – and after meeting some real-life pirates – just don’t worry about it – decides to become one himself. Through his journey, he grabs a boat and assembles a crew before learning how to play instruments that summon sharks and jellyfish – just another thing you shouldn’t fret over.

Two hours is a hearty preview session, and despite this, it was all gameplay-focused with little story. RGG Studios has kept tight-lipped about major returning characters so it’s likely that we were shielded from learning too much about the important beats before the game is released. From a gameplay perspective, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii leans fully into the series’ wacky side, but Sakamoto-san promised there are still the touching character moments that players love.

Interview: The secrets of Goro Majima with Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza’s developers and the man himself

We do know that Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii reuses the Honolulu and Nele Island maps from Infinite Wealth, and also adds three smaller islands including Madlantis, this game’s version of the Castle from the last Gaiden game. You have to plot a course to sail the seas between the islands, and you can also dock at tiny treasure islands along the way to look for booty.

A lot has changed since my first Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii preview shortly after the game was announced. At that time I was underwhelmed by Majima’s Sea Dog-style combat, which was slower but more powerful than his fast-paced Mad Dog-style. Sea Dog style has seen big improvements and fits better with the feel of Majima’s infamous approach to combat, while still having a stronger, more piratesque flair. Summoning dark gods via instruments is fun even if they don’t contribute the most to battle.

This preview was the first time I took the helm of the good ship Goromaru. There are plenty of customization options for your boat and they are more than just cosmetic. The ship’s bow features two machine guns and there are canons on port and starboard. You can swap these so they shoot lasers, coconuts, fire, and more. These are for taking out other pirate ships in naval battles, though they shouldn’t pose too many problems out on the open waters. Your ship moves slowly, but you can use your boost and speed away from scary situations. 

Read more: Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza lets Majima summon four evil Mini-Mes of himself

Pirate ships are the least of your concerns. The weather around Hawaii is particularly tumultuous and you’ll have to dodge lightning strikes, whirlpools, and breaching whales if you want to make your way safely. I assume this is to keep things spicy given the slow movement of the boat, but they are easy enough to avoid. The Goromaru is intuitive to control but you won’t be doing any Tokyo-style drifts in the cumbersome vessel.

Much like the last Gaiden game, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii puts a strong emphasis on Coliseum fights, and these will make up a large part of people’s full completion of the game. There are four types of Coliseum battles. Quick Clash is one naval battle followed by a deck battle, which is your standard Coliseum fight except you’re standing on a boat. Tournament of Captains strings two or three of these together with no healing between rounds.

The other two types of Pirate Coliseum fights are the same as they are in other games. Madlantis Mania is several deck battles in a row, while Swashbuckler Showdown throws the boat out entirely, and asks a hundred or so people to go at it on a beach. It’s exactly what you’d expect from Like a Dragon Coliseum battles if you could also bring a boat sometimes.

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is set to be of similar quality to the last Gaiden game. It has well-thought-out combat styles and a large section of the game is dedicated to having fun with them. I’m excited to see the tantalizing tidbits of story RGG Studios has in store for us, and there were hints of something a bit deeper beneath the surface. However, if Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii just ends up as little more than a swashbuckling adventure with Majima at the helm then that’s quite alright with me too. I’m not worried about it. It’s Majima.