Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. My Pirate Vacation
Have you ever dreamed of the fate of a pirate? No, not a half-starved scoundrel who robs cargo ships and attacks fishermen somewhere in the open waters of Somalia. And not about someone who sits in a basement for hours, trying to hack the Pentagon server after school. No. We are talking about sailboats, about the sea breeze. About maps that encrypt where exactly old Benny Morgan buried a disk with one and a half hundred bitcoins. About a parrot that is able to decipher this code, but does not really want to. About fifteen people who have claims to one dead man's chest, but do not understand parrot language, so they catch up with rum in a port tavern, waiting for luck and a favorable wind. In short, we are talking about a weathered romance, about "Treasure Island", "Captain Blood's Odyssey", "Pirates of the Caribbean" after all. Did you feel it? I felt it. And I remembered how, as a child, I experienced a wave of fascination with pirates.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii was released a week earlier than planned, and has already managed to collect various, mostly positive, reviews. The spinoff of the criminal-serious-humorous series about Japanese gangsters, who, when approached, turn out to be very interesting, and often also very noble guys, turned out to be in a certain sense brought to the absolute. But not in everything.
| Game | Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii |
| Genre | action/RPG/adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S |
| Languages | English |
| Developer | Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio |
| Publisher | Sega |
| Link | Sega |
A brief introduction for those who haven't played the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series of games
The Like a Dragon series (formerly known in the West as Yakuza) is a crime-dramatic, crazy universe of Japanese gangsters. They define the hierarchy through street fights, wage bloody clan wars, change the course of criminal history... And in between these serious affairs, they sing karaoke, play slot machines, go fishing, act in adult films, help passersby, and take care of orphans.
In terms of gameplay, it's an action/RPG, where the main character moves freely around a small map, visits shops, communicates with NPCs, upgrades skills, and deals out punches to anyone who dares to stand in his way. Most games in the series use a beat 'em up system, where you beat up enemies with your bare hands and improvised means - from bottles to bicycles, and in the last two numbered parts, battles have become turn-based, like in classic JRPGs.
In terms of plot, we usually play as a character associated with the yakuza, plunging into a criminal drama full of betrayal and intrigue. The main storylines are serious, albeit a bit parodic (in this world, most problems are solved with a good punch in the face, as if Mr. Colt had never been born). And the side quests are a separate art: they are funny, absurd, and touching, sometimes at the same time. And there are usually a lot of them here.
The first seven parts (from the first to the sixth, plus the prequel Yakuza 0) told about Kazuma Kiryu - a noble, silent and serious uncle. He constantly tried to give up crime for the sake of children from the orphanage, but fate again and again brought him back into new conflicts. Over time, a new hero appeared - Ichiban Kasuga, a sincere and incorrigible optimist who is not afraid to be a little silly.
But there's another character that everyone loves - the eccentric, eye-patched Goro Majima. He appears in most games and can steal scenes as well as swing a katana. He's been a boss, a simple opponent, a playable character, and a plot-critical NPC. Crazy, unpredictable, dangerous, but loyal to his friends, he's chaos incarnate and the true soul of the series. His relationship with Kiryuu is best described as a "sworn friendship": they're enemies, allies, and each other's greatest challenge.
Sega says that this one-eyed eccentric is the most beloved character in the series. So he deservedly got his own personal game, although not a serialized one, but a spinoff.
Where am I, who am I?
The plot of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii unfolds after a shipwreck, as a result of which Goro Majima completely loses his memory and finds himself on a small Hawaiian island, where only six dozen people live. The cultural center of the island is a bar, run by Jason Rich - a slightly arrogant drunkard, a devoted father of a teenage girl and ten-year-old Noah. Noah has a four-legged friend - a tiger cub, which he stubbornly considers a cat.
Actually, the little guy finds – you could say, saves – the unconscious Majima and returns his knife to him. This same knife, along with the tattoo on his entire back, gives away his origins, but there are no other clues yet. Only a small flashback about the loss of an eye.
Noah has asthma and feels like a prisoner on this island: his father decided that because of his illness it would be best for his son to stay on this remote piece of land – it's easier to breathe here and there are fewer temptations. Although it turns out that pirates also swim here. And they look as if they have permanent cosplay here, either from "Treasure Island" or "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Majima himself may not remember this yet, but wherever he is, there is fun and a whirlwind of events. So he immediately gets involved in a fight with local pirates, and at some point he wrings out a sailing ship that seems to have sailed from the 17th century, puts on a matching suit with a tricorn and becomes a pirate captain. And Noah also promises to show him the world what the little guy yearns for with all his heart. Of course, his dad, who, as it turned out, had a bit of a pirate past, didn't like this idea, but Goro broke everything down, convinced everyone (with the help of a long tongue, two fists and a branded knife), so Jason himself joined the one-eyed man's team. And the journey began, where there are pirates, cultists, mysterious billionaires and, of course, the yakuza. And they are all looking for something interesting. But I won't spoil it. Fifteen groups on the dead man's chest, yo-go-go.
The main thing you need to know (or rather, feel) is that from this moment on, Noah and Majima's big pirate vacation begins. And it takes place after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, that is, in 2024. And this, by the way, means that Goro is somewhere around 60 years old. A great age to go on a breakaway. Pretty quickly, Majima finds out who he is and what he is doing here, and it seems like he can return home, even the aforementioned brother came to him, but... No. He promised Noah. And in general, we have a serious pirate mission here, get off your ass already. Later.
Piracy
And now – now we are pirates and we are setting sail. In Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii there are main locations between which we move on a previously squeezed ship. These are two small but plot-important islands – Rich (home of Noah and his family) and Nele, as well as two large-scale locations – the pirate city of Medlentis and Honolulu, borrowed from Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
About them - a little later. And for now, let's talk about our new home - the ship. It is called "Goromaru", but not because of the main character (Goro), he learns his name a little later, when he is seen by acquaintances whom he does not remember. In fact, the ship was named after the tiger kitten Noah, who, by a happy coincidence, is also called Goro.
Pirate gameplay consists of several main points: movement, exploration, combat, ship development, and interaction with the crew. First, you travel the seas, discover lighthouses, collect resources, search for treasures, and customize your ship.
In addition to the main locations, there are small islands where you can land with a team of several people and defeat other contenders to take the local treasure.
On the water, you can meet other pirates and engage in battle. The Goromaru is equipped with cannons that fire sideways and a machine gun that fires straight ahead. Enemy ships can also be rammed and sometimes boarded, which starts a very fun mass all-out brawl, a bit like a Musou game. The ship can be repaired, and also switched to deck mode, where Majima can personally operate the cannon or organize medical treatment for the crew.
The crew for the ship will have to be assembled throughout the game. New members can be recruited by fulfilling their requests. Some just need to clean up their appearance so that they are convinced of the captain, some need to bring something or make friends. But assembling a crew is more about the land side of life in the game.
In addition to islands and cities, there are lighthouses in the sea that need to be opened. They serve to quickly move around the map, and there you can also level up the "Goromar" - increase the fuel tank capacity, change the guns, strengthen the hull and improve the effectiveness of the boarding team.
Resources for upgrades can be bought and exchanged from merchant ships you encounter, or simply found in the water. But to improve your ship more globally, for example, adding more cannons, you need to visit a special workshop in Honolulu. There you can modify the ship, install new weapons, and improve armor.
And at the docks and in the ports you can walk around the ship in deck mode. Here you can drink with the crew (this levels them up) or give gifts to individual crew members (this also works for leveling), or drop in to sing karaoke and change into a costume. There are also nets on the deck where you can catch resources or fish, equipment for cooking and growing plants.
The ship's movement and the battles themselves are not made perfectly: they are arcade-like, with conditional physics. Sometimes the pirate ship seems slow and clumsy (although how else can a wooden sailboat be), but it is still interesting to play. To level up the ship to be ready for the most difficult opponents, you don't need to grind very actively, it is enough to just go through the game, sometimes going on optional quests.
And in the free city of Medlentis there is a Pirate Coliseum, where you can compete with other pirates for supremacy in several modes. Arenas with competitions are a typical feature of the Like a Dragon series, but usually it is only about fist fights.
There are four competitive modes available here, each focusing on a specific aspect of combat. Quick Battle features classic duels on the water and deck of a captured ship. Medlentis Mania offers a tournament grid where you fight exclusively on deck over a few rounds. Captain's Tournament is a more challenging version of Quick Battle with more rounds, while Ghost Corsairs is a fun musou-style mass brawler.
At the end of each mode, the player will face a battle with Amon. If you've played Yakuza/Like a Dragon before, you know that these are mega-super-difficult bosses that require max leveling and the highest level of skill to face. These battles are a real challenge for the player. But they are not mandatory. I'll note that all mandatory battles in the game are quite easy, I think many players on normal difficulty will want to increase it.
What can we say about the quality of the pirate part of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii? Let's put it this way: if you buy the game just for them and expect a high-quality pirate simulator, you will most likely be disappointed. They can be considered more like arcade mini-games on the theme of pirates with peculiar physics. But this can be called a typical approach of the series - there are always a lot of activities, but they are usually not polished. Let's say, you can find a game where each of the mini-games that are in Like a Dragon is implemented better, but finding a game where they are all is impossible (well, except for other Like a Dragons).
But overall, it's fun and interesting to play, and if you get bored, you can always switch to another activity. And that's the main thing for Like a Dragon.
Land combat system: between battles and ballet
Fights... Fights never end here. Fights where it would be more logical to use a gun. Where words would solve everything. Where they shouldn't exist at all. Fights with unfamiliar gopniks, with future allies, friends, random treasure hunting rivals, bears, tigers, other pirates... Everything is as usual. We are in the Yakuza universe!
In Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii there are two main fighting styles: the first – Mad Dog – focuses on quick and accurate strikes, while the second – Sea Dog – allows you to swing two blades at once and even shoot a pistol. And this is very appropriate, because local fights sometimes resemble not just a classic beat'em'up, but a full-fledged musou – with hordes of bandits, pirates and just losers who decided that a one-eyed samurai was in their way.
Hand-to-hand combat is based on combos and special moves. On the normal difficulty level, you can easily press all the buttons in a row and feel like a god of war, but if you turn up the difficulty, you will have to work hard - learn combinations, choose moments for strikes, parry and counterattack.
And here's another vertical gameplay feature: now you can not only tackle enemies on the ground, but also throw them into the air, finish them off there and epically return to the ground. This is not only spectacular, but also adds new combo possibilities to the fighter.
The leveling system is simple: money and experience unlock new techniques, and the rings Majima wears grant passive bonuses. The main thing is not to forget to equip something useful, and not just a shiny trinket for beauty.
And there are also super attacks when the special gauge is full. In Mad Dog style, these are shadow clones that repeat your movements (like the ghost of your promissory note), and in " pirate" - cursed tools are used that make attacks even harder. But these tools still need to be found.
As a result, the combat system has become faster, more spectacular, and with a bunch of new mechanics. Probably the best combat system among all beat'em'up series.
Pirate adventures vs. Yakuza-style vacation
On land, we usually travel in the company of Noah and the tiger cub Goro. On the small islands - Rich and Nele - we are almost entirely focused on the plot, while on the Medlentis, and especially in Honolulu - we have something to do besides the main line.
As is usually the case in the Like a Dragon series, you're racing to save someone from certain death, but at some point you end up not where you planned. An adult film director decides you're perfect for the lead role, an old martial arts master says he really needs to check you out, a little girl asks you to help find her dog, and you've already forgotten why you started this chase, while your friend is probably somewhere on the verge of life and death.
But in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, things feel a little different. Here, we are pirates, but we are also on vacation. The game gives you more freedom, and the story events are not so forced, so all the side activities feel more organic.
This is especially noticeable in Honolulu. Here, Majima does not wear his pirate costume, but walks around in ordinary clothes (which, by the way, can be changed to your liking). The impression is as if you took another short vacation right in the middle of a pirate vacation. Like a hike in the mountains with a mandatory descent into civilization - to rest a little, appreciate the local entertainment and gain strength before the next swim into chaos.
And there's plenty of entertainment here: you can explore the city while simultaneously completing a bunch of side quests and expanding the "Goromaru" team - some you can simply persuade, some you'll have to prove with your fists that you're a worthy captain, and for some you'll have to complete a quest.
And here you can ride a Segway, swim on the beach, fish (both with your hands and with a hook), pick up scattered chests with loot, deliver deliveries on a bicycle, hang out at slot machines, take pictures of local attractions, make new friends (including furry ones) on the local social network, drive go-karts, play darts and even build strong alcoholic bonds with the team, including Noah.
True, Majimi's young Kent will drink milk - beer is not yet his age. Although, judging by everything else he sees here, you can bet that it's too early for him. Especially since we're in Medlentis, a city of drunken pirates and minimal clothing, where vacation looks a little... more intense.
Side quests are varied, but typical for the series. For example, we take on a pensioner who has dreamed of being a pirate all his life. But after the first fight he realized that he wanted to go to shore, to his wife and son. Or a bus tour of a pop idol who is not very honest with her loyal fans and it is Majima who brings her to justice...
Or a mad scientist who developed a translator from animal language and assured Majima of this - this is followed by the craziest dialogue between our pirate and the tiger cub, with courtship, almost confessions of love, and subsequent exposure.
A lot of attention is paid to animals here - Majima feeds them, adds them as friends on social networks, sends them to a comfortable zoo on Rich Island... And sometimes he fights with them. And the tiger Goro accompanies the main character all the time, gets him insects to cook food and even helps a little in battle.
In Medlantis and Honolulu, you can feel like a real bounty hunter. You look for a bad guy who the local cops have put on the wanted list, explain to him with your fists that he is wrong - and the money is yours. This is one of the main ways to earn money here.
Medlentis is somewhat reminiscent of Purgatory in Kamurotjo, only on a city-wide scale. There is the same Pirate Coliseum, where you can prove your strength, gambling at cards, and a host of other activities for those who want to test their luck.
And before us is the fertile Hawaiian land. Here, throw a stick into the ground and it will sprout. In fact, the game has special zones for growing plants, fertilizers, and the ability to use all this for cooking. The cooking minigame here is very successful: unstressed, but useful, because it allows you to cook dishes that restore health, buffs, and other bonuses.
In general, all these side quests really help to immerse yourself in this crazy vacation. But the random battles, in my opinion, are a bit too many. Of course, you can run away from them, but still - they get you.
General impressions and conclusions
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is quite short compared to the number games in the series, but longer than the previous spinoff about Kazuma Kiryu Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. But... In this case, it's even right - we're on vacation, and they're much shorter than we'd like. Although the price may seem high even in our region. However, you can play 30 hours here calmly, and if you bother with all the activities, you can play for a very long time.
If you start evaluating each element separately, the picture is not so joyful. The ship adventures are a bit arcadey, there are too many random bandits on land, the plot is a bit too crumpled and uneven, most of the side quests are secondary, but... But all together it creates a great game to go into full isolation!
Frankly, I had a lot of fun. Going on vacation with Majima allowed me to awaken my inner Noah (he is the main beneficiary here!) and remember how well the power of imagination, multiplied by a sense of freedom, can sometimes work. And this gave me the opportunity to take a quality break from the terrible present, when the one-eyed eccentric character of the game, who is trying to remember himself and controls a pirate ship, seems more real and much more reasonable (and certainly more human) than the characters who rule countries and our destinies.
From a technical point of view, everything is quite good in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. The game does not crash and maintains a stable image (at least on PlayStation 5, I heard that the Windows version of the game crashes often, I hope they fix it). Yes, the graphics are not the best, the colors are a bit garish, the models are a bit plasticky... But the main thing is that this game is made with love for the work, for the series, for the main characters and for this aching feeling of unprecedented adventures. The same adventures that you can get into only after losing something important, because a full heart will not let you leave the house.
The gameplay here is one of the best in the series, especially when it comes to ground combat. In general, the game is very balanced, you don't have to grind for a long time to progress, as was the case in some numbered series (especially those with turn-based combat). There is too much loot, I would say, and there is some completely incomprehensible loot, such as used disposable towels and cigarette butts that can be picked up in the trash. Perhaps this is just an artifact from past games in the series, where Ichiban had to wander around a bit. But this does not prevent you from enjoying the game.
Someone will say that Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has a weak plot, and perhaps they will be right. There are obvious blunders and illogicalities here. Also, don't look for serious crime dramas from the previous parts. No. We are looking for something completely different - freedom and detachment. And here "Pirate Yakuza" really reached the absolute.
For those familiar with the series, it will probably be interesting to see how much Majima remains Majima, and how much he changes. As before, he is a bright eccentric, he keeps his word, he is ready to do anything for his young friend. And he is ready to save a chicken from inevitable death. And his famous laugh has not gone anywhere. But the cynicism has become much less noticeable, as if this old yakuza has become kinder. And this is interesting, because you can assume that this is how he is - and he is real, and his cruelty is something more feigned and created by life events and circumstances.
Majima is incredibly suited to being the captain of a pirate ship. Perhaps it was worth losing both his eye and his memory for the sake of it. To become the captain of a sailboat and a little more of himself at the same time.