Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review – The Mad Dog of Shimano is Back

2022 has arrived, marking the beginning of another year filled with fresh creations from RGG Studios. While many other studios grapple with controlling costs and meeting growing player demands for expansive content within set budgets and timelines, RGG Studios consistently delivers a significant new project annually. Remarkably, they’ve achieved this feat without sacrificing quality or scale – if anything, their games are more extensive and, according to some, even more impressive than ever before.

Infinite Wealth” (previously known as Sega and RGG’s convoluted title), delivers another excellent installment in the series. By leveraging the foundation of the previous game, including its map, assets, and systems, while adding a unique pirate-themed flavor, “Pirate Yakuza” offers an action-packed, enjoyable experience for both longtime fans and newcomers who jumped on board with the excitement surrounding “Infinite Wealth” last year.

Regarding its gameplay, Pirate Yakuza is similar to almost all previous mainline Like A Dragon games, as it operates more like a beat ’em up or brawler.

The story unfolds after the occurrences of “Infinite Wealth,” focusing on the adventures of beloved character Goro Majiima. In a sequence of escapades that take place post-“Infinite Wealth’s” conclusion, he mysteriously finds himself stranded on a deserted beach with severe amnesia. With no recollection of his past or how he arrived here, he embarks on an impromptu journey. This leads him to seize control of a pirate ship in the waters surrounding Hawaii, within a short span of time.

As a dedicated fan, I must confess that if you’re looking for a robust, intricately woven narrative, “Pirate Yakuza” may not deliver in the traditional sense. Instead, it offers an intimate exploration of its characters and their everyday encounters, much like the classic novel “Infinite Wealth.” It’s less about the grand saga, and more about the small, yet significant moments that define these characters.

In the game Pirate Yakuza, the storyline is somewhat brief and serves primarily as a means to support its various gameplay systems and content. While the narrative does develop over time and becomes more interconnected, it’s fair to say that it doesn’t delve deeply into a captivating or complex tale like some other games might. Instead, it provides just enough of a story to serve its purpose within the game, offering opportunities for engaging character moments along the way.

In terms of gameplay, Pirate Yakuza is similar to most previous mainline Like A Dragon games, functioning as a brawler. Similar to Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Pirate Yakuza offers its protagonist two combat styles – the Mad Dog style, which reflects Majima’s well-known fighting techniques from earlier games, and a new Sea Dog fighting style that has him brandishing and flinging cutlasses in battle like a pirate. Both styles are enjoyable; the Mad Dog style enables aerial juggles and the summoning of doppelgängers to aid in defeating enemies with you, while the Sea Dog style involves Majima chaining throws and swipes with his cutlass, gun, and later a hook, as well as calling upon ancient sea spirits for various environmental effects and bonuses. Both styles are a blast to play!

Absolutely, the fighting sequence is effective and suits the overall maritime theme quite nicely.

In my opinion, neither of the fighting styles in this game manage to attain the thrilling peaks that Majima’s combat reached in Yakuza 0, or even the pinnacle that Lost Judgment’s combat reached using the latest Dragon Engine. These two stand out as exceptional combat experiences within the Yakuza series.

This game maintains an enjoyable experience, offering customization options through upgrades and a unique ring system for Majima’s equipment (which allows him to wear a distinct ring on each finger for various enhancements). It also provides a wide array of impressive moves and visual flair, featuring both Majima and pirate-themed elements. High-level players are likely to find a lot of creative expression, especially within the Mad Dog playstyle. However, it’s unfortunate that it doesn’t quite live up to the potential we’ve seen from the character, the development team, and this engine in past installments.

Indeed, the battle system is competent for completing tasks efficiently, and it harmoniously integrates with the nautical theme. Initially, I was puzzled as to how the developers intended to merge the Yakuza/Like A Dragon structure with a pirate game. However, surprisingly, they have pulled it off effectively. The pirate aspect functions remarkably well in this title – you possess a ship (which can be upgraded and expanded), a crew with distinct temperaments, backstories, strengths, and weaknesses, whom you assign to different parts of the vessel. While at sea, you can disembark on islands to search for treasure, engage in battles with other ships, rest in safe areas near lighthouses (which also allow ship repairs, inventory management, crew morale boosts, and quick travel to other locations on the sea). Lighthouses serve as both a means of travel and a refuge.

Battles move at a fast pace, no matter if you decide to drown your enemies with gunfire or loot their ships by boarding them.

In essence, navigating through the vastness of the sea often lacks excitement (a challenge that many nautical-themed games, including Assassin’s Creed Black Flag and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, have grappled with unsuccessfully). Despite improvements in speed or upgrades, it rarely feels fast enough. Even features like wind tunnels, hidden collectibles, and dangerous environmental hazards are added to mix things up, the act of sailing can feel largely routine, with naval battles being the exception.

Engaging in sea battles is swift and engaging, whether you opt to sink your enemies or take over their ships for the treasure. The gameplay is smooth – sea combat is enjoyable and avoids the cumbersome issues that naval sections often face in other games. The quest for hidden treasures perfectly embodies the pirate lifestyle, something rarely tackled by other games. You have ample space to immerse yourself in this fantasy – Pirate Yakuza offers numerous smaller nautical maps connected through lighthouse teleportation, creating a vast and diverse sea for players to explore and pillage. This expansive ocean is complemented by the entire map from Infinite Wealth, which has been largely incorporated (and that was a vast map), and of course, there’s Madlantis as well.

Similar to the Castle in “Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name”, Madlantis serves as an exciting theme park-like destination filled with pirate-themed activities, particularly the Pirate Coliseum. As you enhance your ship and crew, you progressively challenge the top pirates of Madlantis, ultimately aiming to become the Pirate King. The Madlantis narrative is intertwined with a story about legendary treasure that Majima’s new companions are pursuing, leading him to encounter some truly vibrant characters – even for a Majima tale.

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii excels by brilliantly realizing a preposterous concept, which the game consistently avoids challenging or scrutinizing.

In Hawaii (and other in-game maps), there’s an abundance of supplementary content, much of it borrowed from the book “Infinite Wealth” – walk-and-talk bonding episodes, numerous bizarre side quests, a photo scavenger hunt, collectible items, a comprehensive social media platform for nurturing friendships, a mini-zoo where you can adopt various animal companions found during your journey, and a detailed cooking system. Your Pirate rank is interwoven throughout the gameplay, linking both naval and land-based activities. This ensures that all actions contribute to your overall progress with your ship and crew.

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii thrives on its clever handling of a preposterous concept without any doubts; it’s satisfying as both a decent entry in the Like A Dragon series and a passable pirate game, though it may not reach the heights you’d expect. What sets it apart is its abandonment of the intense crime dramas and weighty narratives typical of previous RGG Studios games, instead offering an exhilarating pirate escapade that barely attempts to explain or rationalize its actions, focusing instead on the enjoyable aspects of the journey itself.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

2025-02-18 20:41

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