Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

I've reviewed a lot of Yakuza games over the past few years and have seen how Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has become the world champion of recycling its content. It sounds harsher than it might be, because there can be an elegance in repetition, a grace in allowing the player to recognise environments, characters, and even mechanics. FromSoftware fans have been playing pretty much the same game for over 10 years and they're not exactly complaining... RGG has made an art form out of reusing characters, areas, and mini-games, so they can release a new game almost every year and still make it feel fresh. Now we have the latest addition to the Yakuza family: Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. I've been playing it on PC, but it's also coming out for consoles in a few days.

One of the first things I was looking for was the much-publicised English dub. The developer has released several trailers with voice actors, but I simply couldn't find it in the game. Therefore, I had to play with Japanese voices. Not that this is necessarily a disadvantage, but I'm not a fast reader and several of the cutscenes changed dialogue before I could finish reading them. However, I'm betting that the English speech will be in place by the official release, otherwise it's a bit of a dud. Maybe it's not important to you, or maybe you prefer Japanese voices, but I'm just saying this as a service announcement so you know where I'm coming from.

The story starts with Goro Majima washing up on a beach with no idea what happened. Classic amnesia, the all too popular trope. It soon transpires that he is in Hawaii, where he meets a boy named Noel and his little tiger kitten, Goro. A friendship forms and Noel shows Majima around the island, where he quickly realises that his goal is to get away to find answers. However, it's not long before he runs into trouble. A group of pirates attack, but after a series of battles, Majima defeats the captain, grabs his hat and pirate jacket, and embarks on a pirate adventure like we've never seen before in the Yakuza series. It all sounds a little crazy, even for Yakuza, and it is, but with the tongue-in-cheek humour that has made the series so memorable over the years.

The story is exactly what you'd expect from a Yakuza game: a mix of serious character development and wacky, sometimes sour plot twists. If you're hoping for a more down-to-earth narrative, this probably isn't the game for you. But for those of us who love the Yakuza series for its crazy mix of action and humour, it's right up our alley.

Unlike Like a Dragon, the fighting here is not turn-based, but follows the classic Yakuza formula: combos, brutal punches, and extreme finishers. If you loved the combat system in the previous games, you won't go wrong here. Personally, I found it to be pure entertainment, especially because you can tweak the settings to make quick-time events more accessible, and there are three difficulty levels so even the most inexperienced Yakuza newbie can cope.

There's something incredibly satisfying about wiping out a bunch of pirates and ending it all with an over-the-top finisher. The developer knows how to make a solid combat system and they do it again here. However, the battles can feel monotonous at times because you're constantly running into enemies that want to fight, but that's part of the Yakuza package. If you've played the other games in the series, you know what you're getting into. The point is, again, the developers increasingly seem to struggle with how to show the player that the challenge is constantly increasing, and here the game just throws loads of enemies at you and it can get tiring.

In addition to the classic battles, there are also naval battles. Here, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has clearly looked towards Ubisoft and borrowed inspiration from Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. You control your ship, sail through rings for speed boosts, and fight intense naval battles against enemy ships. The ship has three defence mechanisms: cannons on the sides, a machine gun in the bow, and a boost for fast manoeuvres. Outmanoeuvring the enemy requires a bit of strategy, especially when encountering stronger ships that require upgrades and better tactics to win. After a successful battle, you can board the ship and defeat the crew, a cool mechanic that never becomes tedious, nor does it lose its pomp and splendour.

As always, the developer reuses areas from previous games. All of Hawaii from the predecessor is freely accessible to Majima and his crew, filled with shops, treasures, and sailors to recruit. There are side missions with both new and familiar faces, and the story intertwines well with them.

Treasure hunting is also a big element. Noel's father was a treasure hunter and you can find treasures on the map, sail to them, defeat a bunch of enemies, and enjoy a dramatic sequence where Majima opens the chest and a relic flies into the air. These items provide money and experience, which is necessary to progress in the game. In addition, rings can be found that give Majima upgrades in strength and defence.

In addition to the main story and side missions, there is of course an abundance of mini-games. Baseball, go-karting, and a number of new ones are back. These are perfect for when you need a break from the extensive story, where the cutscenes can often last 10-15 minutes.

And as always, the developer has crammed in plenty of fanservice. You can unlock soundtracks from Sega's last 40 years, play Master System classics, and even play as former protagonists from the series. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio knows what their fans want and they deliver.

I had a great experience with Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, but you can tell that the format is in need of a refresh. The graphics engine isn't at the highest level anymore and maybe it's time for the developer to upgrade their game engine. It works as it should, but the characters are starting to look a little choppy. That's why I'm holding back a bit, and I'm doing so because even though this is a crazy spin-off, RGG is releasing new stuff at such a frequent pace that even the most die-hard fan like myself is starting to feel the mental fatigue set in. Hopefully they'll tweak this formula even more in the future.

That said, if you love the Yakuza series, you'll love this too. It's crazy, action-packed, and addictive, just as it should be. I can't wait to see what Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sega come up with next, but I think I'll recognise a lot in it like I do in this game, and that's really okay in the end.